Assessment

The I-Know Digital Information Literacy Quality Enhancement Plan (I-Know) outlines an assessment plan that includes both direct and indirect measures of student learning. This page explains the I-Know assessment plan in detail, which includes two main assessment tools:

1) A rubric to score student artifacts

2) The Threshold Achievement Test for Information Literacy (TATIL)

I-Know created a rubric to measure student’s digital information literacy (DIL) skills in course assignments. The rubric helps I-Know see how students apply these concepts within the TAMU-CC classroom. Students will also take the TATIL at specific points in their academic careers. This national standardized test allows I-Know to compare our students’ DIL skills to those at other universities. Both assessments are based on the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, and work hand-in-hand.

I-Know Rubric & TATIL

I-Know integrates DIL concepts into the academic careers of all undergraduate students at TAMU-CC. It outlines a scaffolded approach that includes 3 levels of Student Learning Objectives (SLO). Those who wrote the QEP designed an in-house rubric to directly measure all three SLO levels. Each row in the I-Know rubric focuses on a separate ability and statements describing the qualities of student work that demonstrate Exemplary (4), Highly Developed (3), Developed (2), and Developing (1) levels of attainment. The Exemplary (4) description was written first for each row to identify the outcomes that students should demonstrate at the culmination of their undergraduate career. Gradations of the Exemplary (4) description indicating lower mastery levels complete each row, with Developing (1) the lowest level of mastery. The language of the rubric was kept deliberately general so that faculty teaching in any discipline could adapt it to suit the needs of their field of study. Each Level of learning objectives is described in detail below.

Level 1: Find

The first level of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) is Find. We define Find in 2 parts: A) the ability to identify and pursue effective digital approaches for accessing information (this includes actions such as keyword searching and citation following) and B) the ability to assess the quality and relevance of one's search results. This level of SLOs aligns with the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy frame “Searching as Strategic Exploration.”

Activities that align with SLO 1a&1b focus on developing students’ ability to design and refine a search strategy. We may do this intuitively, but the goal of I-Know is to make students’ search strategies visible. This way, students can receive guidance on improving their strategies over time. I-Know plans to integrate Level 1 within First-Year Seminar.

Level 2: Evaluate

The second level of SLOs is Evaluate. We define Evaluate in 2 parts: A) the ability to evaluate a source’s credibility and B) suitability in the context of their information needs. This includes learning how to identify credible and appropriate sources for an assignment. This level of SLOs aligns with the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy frames “Authority is Constructed and Contextual” and “Information Creation as a Process.”

I-Know plans to integrate Level 2 SLOs within a collection of 2000 and 3000 level courses. These courses will be major specific, so students gain practice evaluating sources that are related to their discipline of study.

Level 3: Create & Communicate

The third level of SLOs is Create and Communicate. Students will learn how to A) create effective research questions based on curiosity and gaps in information, and B) use technology to create knowledge, collaborate with others, or contribute to scholarly conversations. This level of SLOs aligns with the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy frames Research as Inquiry, Information has Value, and Scholarship as Conversation.

Level 3 will be integrated into all major capstone or research courses at TAMU-CC. Students should be able to reach a level of understanding that allows for creative development of content that can be shared with the digital community.

TATIL is the second component of I-Know assessment plan that indirectly measures how TAMU-CC students' information literacy skills compare with peer institutions. TATIL is based on the updated ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education that includes four modules: Module 1 – Evaluating Process & Authority; Module 2 – Strategic Searching; Module 3 – Research & Scholarship; and Module 4 – The Value of Information. Each module tests digital literacy concepts, such as finding and evaluating information using electronic databases websites, alternative sources, and information delivered through digital platforms.

Within each TATIL test module, students are measured by two performance indicators: knowledge performance and disposition levels. Knowledge performance refers to the skills students use to effectively find, evaluate, create, and communicate information while conducting research. Disposition levels indicate students’ willingness to consistently apply these skills to novel problems in new settings.

Diagram Caption: The TATIL determines whether students are conditionally ready, college ready, or research ready, in terms of knowledge performance. It also measures whether students are weakly, moderately, or strongly disposed to apply these skills.

Module 2 of TATIL aligns with I-Know level 1 SLO. First-Year students will be invited to take module 2 in the fall of their first-year seminar.

Module 1 aligns with I-Know level 2 SLO. Students in a designated I-Know 2000 and 3000 level courses will take this module.

Module 3 and 4 align with I-Know level 3 SLO. Students in capstone courses will be invited to take these modules.