Friday, January 18, 2013

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Students: A Measure of the Effectiveness

New report on the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (Canada) website.
Duncan, A. and Varcoe, J. (2013) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Students: A Measure of the Effectiveness of Information Literacy Initiatives in Higher Education. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.
"The study examined more than 500 students at Georgian College in the diploma, applied degree, collaborative degree and university undergraduate programs. Using four online surveys over the course of two years, students were asked about their perceptions and attitudes towards information literacy as well as tested for their research and critical analysis skills. The project examined four different models for teaching core skills, including providing specific information literacy courses, embedding information literacy into existing curriculum, online tutorials and non-mandatory tutorials. In addition, faculty were surveyed twice on their perceptions of student information literacy and its importance." "While the overall results showed no single method of delivery to be particularly advantageous, the students who had information literacy training embedded in their course curriculum did show significantly higher ability to accurately cite source material." "Faculty interviews suggested the need to improve their own information literacy awareness and development. Faculty members also commented on the student experience of information literacy skill development and evaluation."
I linked to the home page above. The pdf of the full 60 page report is at http://www.heqco.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/InfoLitENG.pdf and there are substantial appendices including the long student survey, questions asked of academics, a framework based on the ACRL standards and other documents at http://www.heqco.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/InfoLitAppendicesENG.pdf
Graphic based on a photo by Sheila Webber

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