Overview
Mission
More than ever before, navigating the vast array of information sources available to students requires the application of advanced critical thinking skills in order to:
• Locate information sources that are appropriate for meeting a specific information need;
• Evaluate content to determine whether it is trustworthy and reliable;
• Incorporate information into academic work in an ethical way that meets standards for academic honesty and positions students for professional success.
The skills required to accomplish those objectives are the core of information literacy. Information literacy skills are developed throughout a Woodbury University student’s academic journey, beginning with a 1-unit LSCI course. LSCI courses, taken during the freshman year ideally, are taught by Woodbury University librarians. Taking any of the 3 versions of that course (LSCI 105, LSCI 106, or LSCI 205) satisfies the information literacy graduation requirement. Although further reinforcement and assessment in major sequence courses through the capstone level is essential, taking an LSCI course provides a solid, foundational level introduction to information literacy.
Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes
By teaching LSCI courses, providing guest lectures, and conducting point-of-need instruction on an individual basis, Woodbury University Library faculty facilitate the achievement of the following learning outcomes, which are derived from the Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education established by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL):
• Demonstrate ability to use Woodbury Library resources which may include using the library’s online catalog and databases, locating items in the Woodbury Library’s collections, and utilizing student services offered through the library.
• Recognize and describe the processes that create information and how they impact the varying purposes and formats of information.
• Identify and differentiate between various information types which may include scholarly, popular, trade, primary, secondary, tertiary, qualitative, quantitative, editorial, opinion, etc.
• Assess and evaluate information (of any type) for credibility, accuracy, authority, context, quality and relevance to an information need.
• Articulate an information need through a process of definition, analysis, modification and revision.
• Develop effective strategies for locating information which may include evaluating and selecting appropriate search tools, selecting and revising keywords and search terms, and successfully analyzing and revising the search strategy relative to the information need.
• Recognize what constitutes plagiarism and successfully apply guidelines from a style manual to construct accurate bibliographic citations and avoid committing acts of academic dishonesty by engaging in scholarly discourse in an ethical way.
Assessment
Methods for assessing the level of mastery of the above learning outcomes include student self-assessments, peer-to-peer (student-to-student) critiques of assignments, and detailed feedback from professors on written assignments, tests/quizzes, presentations, and annotated bibliographies.
At the departmental level, within the context of periodic program review and interim review by the library instruction coordinator, a data-driven approach to evaluating the success of the library instruction program employs the analysis of student course evaluations, data related to student performance in LSCI courses, professors’ self-reflections, and faculty-peer teaching observations. The purpose of these efforts is to maintain the highest level of academic quality and to ensure that the program continues to meet the needs of the students it serves.