Assessment Plan for Learning Module: Accessing Information effectively and efficiently



     The main points of this assessment plan are contained in the above cycle graphic.  As mentioned in previous blog posts, the information literacy course is based on the 5 standards of Information Literacy set by the Association of College and Research Libraries.  (ACRL)  This learning module is based on the 2^nd standard:  “Accessing information effectively and efficiently.”  (ACRL, 2016).  The ACRL also developed learning objectives for each standard.  I chose and paraphrased 4 out of the many learning objectives in the learning goal section below.

1. Explaining the learning goals for the accessing information learning module:

A. The information literate student selects the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.

B. The information literate student constructs and implements effectively-designed search strategies.

C. The information literate student retrieves information online or in person using a variety of methods.

D. The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary. (ACRL, 2016)
 

2.  Develop Assessments and Rubrics in accordance with objectives. 

            There will be 2 Formative assessments.  One will be a discussion board. The other will assignment will be explained below.

            The discussion board will not be labeled as an assessment, but it will serve as a formative assessment tool.  For grading purposes, the only necessity for students to get full credit on this aspect of the module is to participate.  It will be a formative assessment using informal peer review.  If the course was a MOOC, it would be completely peer review, but because the class is intended to have a limited amount of students I will participate in the discussions. My plan is to guide the students to better understand the learning objectives.
            The second formative assessment will be a short assignment.  The students will be asked to find 3 scholarly resources on a topic of their choice.  I will suggest that they choose a topic that they are doing for an assignment for another college course.  In this manner, they will be doing research that will be useful.  They will give the topic, information about the source (type of resource, author, and title), explain relevance to the topic and their method of research.  I will clarify the directions within the rubric, which will be posted on the module as a guide for the students.
            The summative assessment for the module will be a short examination addressing the learning modules. There will be 4 questions to this test. 

            The rubrics for the discussion post will be simple.  As stated before, the students will gain full credit by participating in their own post, and commenting on 2 of their peers posts.
            Below is a rubrics chart.  The first column lists the qualities specified in the directions. The first row shows the grading columns in the rubric.  Inside the boxes will show specific qualities that will quantify the grade.

Rubric for 1st Assignment:

	A (90-100%)	B (80-89%)	C (70-79%)	D (65-69%)	F (Below 65)
Having a topic	The topic must be clear, specific and logical.	Unclear, but general and logical.	Unclear and general, but not logical	Neither clear, specific or logical.	No topic
Information about the source	Submits the type of resource, author, title of article and name of journal	Missing 1 of these qualities.	Missing 2 of these qualities.	Missing 3 of these qualities.	The student does not provide the type of resource, author title of article or name of the journal.
Relevance to the topic	All of the articles are related to the topic.	2 of the articles are related to the topic.	1 of the articles are related to the topic.	None of the articles are related to the topic.	Student does not attempt to show relevance to the topic
Explaining the method of research	Explains the database used, the search terms and reason for selecting the resources.	Missing 1 of these qualities.	Missing 2 of these qualities	Missing 3 of these qualities.	The student does not attempt to explain the method of research

The summative assessment will be a 4 question exam.  Each question will be worth 25%.

3.  Collect the data and assess the 2 assignments according to the rubrics.

After the students submit their assignments, I will collect the data and grade the submissions according to the rubrics above.  The grade breakdown for the learning module will be:

10% for participation in the discussion.
20% for the 1st formative assessment.
60% for the summative assessment. 
10% for completion of Exit Survey, explained in next phase.

4.  Students fill out exit surveys for the module.

There will be an exit survey to be filled out by the students.  I will ask the students about the quality of the learning module.  There will be an open ended section where students can give suggestions for improvement.  In the grading of the course, the students will get full 10% for grading purposes for completing this survey.

5.  Review and discuss data with my peers.

In this phase, I will review the data from the exit survey.  I will also review the submissions for grading from another point of view, not to make grades but to assess the information delivery of the course.  Maybe many students did poorly on one assessment, maybe I have to make an adjustment for next semester with the content delivery. I will discuss this information with my peers.

6.  Make adjustments for the next semester based in accordance with the data collected.

This is a preparation and action step.  In preparation for the following semester, I will take the data and make the adjustments in the learning module to improve the content delivery. 
 

References

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Retrieved from American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency