Framing the Work: Creating Student Learning Outcomes

for Information Literacy

Amy Bessin & Katrina Salley

Recognizing the Need

• No common definition of information literacy

• No official set of student learning outcomes

• Lack of instruction and assignments on information literacy skills in Education courses

• Need for information literacy skills to be embedded within each major’s curriculum

• Create a shared definition

• Outline information literacy skills currently being taught and that need to be taught

• Create a logical progression for skill scaffolding

• Design outcomes for a pilot program that can be applied across all disciplines

Goals for Information Literacy SLOs

Our shared definition:

Foundational to lifelong learning, information literacy is a set of skills that equip a person to critically engage with a constantly changing information environment. Information

literacy focuses on finding, evaluating, interpreting, managing, and ethically using information to answer

questions and develop new ones.

Steps for Creating IL SLOs

• Five general SLOs– Discovery, evaluation, interpretation, application, and

ethical use

• Academic levels– Emerging, developed, proficient, advanced

• Specific language for each level

• Final document

Steps for Creating IL SLOs

• Met with School of Education’s Teacher/Leader Committee

– Decision to integrate information literacy skills into School of Education courses

– Need for assessments of information literacy skills

– Points of assessment

IL Integration with School of Education

• Determined required courses

• Examined course assignments

• Provided librarian instruction

• Discussed assessment options

IL Integration with School of Education

• Drafted a proposal for information literacy integration with the School of Education

– Timeline

– Student learning outcomes

– List of Education courses for instruction and assessment

– Types of instruction and assessments

IL Integration with School of Education

• Met with School of Education and discussed proposal

– Education students are not being taught information literacy skills in upper level courses

– Ideas for existing and new assignments where information literacy skills can be incorporated

IL Integration with School of Education

• Obtain assignments in upper-level Education courses

• Collaborate with faculty on assignments and

instruction

• Create lessons and formative assessments

Next Steps: School of Education

• Gather suggested resources/activities for each SLO

• Create a summative assessment linked to SLOs

• Begin curriculum mapping in other departments

Next Steps: Across Campus

Katrina Salley (katrina.salley@asbury.edu)

Amy Bessin (amy.bessin@asbury.edu)

Link to our Faculty Services LibGuide:

http://asbury.libguides.com/facserv/researchinstruction

Any Questions?