Assessment

I-Know integrates DIL concepts into the academic careers of all undergraduate students at TAMU-CC. I-Know created a rubric to measure student’s digital information literacy (DIL) skills in course assignments. The rubric helps to measure how students apply these concepts within the TAMU-CC classroom. Those who wrote the I-Know QEP designed an in-house rubric to directly measure all three SLO levels. It outlines a scaffolded approach that includes the 3 levels of Student Learning Objectives (SLO).

I-Know Rubric

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 figure 1 or view an accessible format on this page.  

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.