nov05b.indd Bonnie Gratch-Lindauer Information literacy student behaviors Potential items for the National Survey of Student Engagement The Institute for Information Literacy’s College Student Surveys Project Group is nearing completion of its charge to identify potential items to recommend for consideration to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).1 The proj­ ect grew out of interest from some ACRL members in studying the national college student engagement surveys for items re­ lated to information literacy.2 The charge evolved to include an analysis of seven national standardized college student surveys (primarily first­year surveys) for content relating to information literacy, then focused on NSSE, since it is used by more colleges and universities. George Kuh and Robert Gonyea (Center for Post­ secondary Research, Indiana University) have served as resources to the project and have provided much useful information throughout the process. The process After initial investigation of the seven surveys, a chart was compiled that com­ pared items related to information literacy. After the 2004 ALA Annual Conference, the project group decided to concentrate on one survey, examining it in­depth, and study­ ing the research methodology and other documentation about how the subscores of NSSE are calculated. Several conference calls moved the work ahead, with a revised focus on developing survey items related to how academic libraries contribute to student learn­ ing—a broader approach that would include aspects of information literacy, but would not be limited to them. We then looked at some locally developed surveys and reviewed two articles relating information technology use and library use behaviors with student engagement areas. The article by Laird and Kuh looked at a set of information technology items piloted on the 2003 NSSE to analyze their relationship to aspects of student engagement. The second article was an exploratory study by Kuh and Gonyea, which used findings from the 1984­2002 College Stu­ dent Experiences Questionnaires (CSEQ) relating student experiences with the academic library to their engagement with effective educational practices. Among other findings, are these two: “the relative strength of the positive relationships between academic uses of information technology and engagement, particularly academic challenge, student­ faculty interaction, and active and col­ laborative learning, suggest that, at the very least, there is overlap between these constructs.”3 “….library experiences of undergraduates positively relate to select educationally pur­ poseful activities, such as using computing and information technology and interacting with faculty members. Those students who more frequently use the library reflect a studi­ ous work ethic and engage in academically challenging tasks that require higher­order thinking….”4 Bonnie Gratch-Lindauer is coordinator of instructional ser vices at City College of San Francisco, e-mail: bgratch@ccsf.org © 2005 Bonnie Gratch-Lindauer November 2005 715 C&RL News mailto:bgratch@ccsf.org Category Top three behaviors/activities Preparing for research 25 Articulates one’s information need 20 Matches the appropriate periodical index/database to the information need or research question. 18 Visits the physical or online library and understands the wealth of resources available Engaging with faculty/ librarian 26 Recognizes when it is time to consult a reference librarian for ideas or sources in completing papers/projects 20 Seeks feedback from a librarian or course instructor following initial identification and/or retrieval of information resources to support specific course work. 16 Networks effectively with peers, librarians, professors, col­ leagues, etc. Doing Research 26 Is persistent and tries different strategies in looking for the best sources, rather than giving up. 18 Reads the screen; taking a few minutes to actually look at what one is doing instead of automatically typing some words in the search box. Obtaining & managing/ using information 14 Uses citations to find additional sources on a topic. 24 Uses information, facts, data and/or evidence to support an argument, solve a problem or suggest a solution 20 Synthesizes information from various disciplines that refl ect different perspectives. 17 Considers all sides of an argument/issue Evaluating & interpreting 25 Questions the credibility of sources before using them. At the 2005 ALA Midwinter Meeting, the project group’s discussion centered on Kuh’s suggestion to focus our item development work on student behaviors that contribute to what we define as in­ formation literacy, “in addition to student interactions with librarians or their library experiences.”5 Since there was plenty of time to prepare these items, we decided to seek broader input from academic librarians and library school educators about what they think some of these behaviors might be. This broader input was obtained from a six­month, adapted Delphi process to gather evidence and support from a poll­ ing of library and information science educators and practitioners. A request for participation in two QuickTopic forums was made to six different electronic lists between February and May 2005. The first invited participation in describing behav­ iors or activities that college students might engage in that would support development of information literacy competencies. From the first round, 56 postings were reviewed by project group members, who deleted the clearly redundant ones and organized the remaining behaviors and activities into nine broad categories. These student behaviors/activities became the content for the second QuickTopic theme. A posting to the same lists requested a review and ranking of the behaviors and activities. The 37 unique postings were compiled C&RL News November 2005 716 Category Top three behaviors/activities 20 Evaluates the usefulness or relevancy of information sources. 17 Evaluates a number of information resources to select the most appropriate for a paper or topic. Learning about information & research 24 Discusses the ethical, legal, or moral issues related to informa­ tion use. 23 Studies and discusses how information can be used within dif­ ferent disciplines, different ethical concerns to gain an under­ standing of a wider context of the information found. 20 Participates in guided instruction from faculty in partnership with librarians. Activities 27 Doing assignments that require reflection on information research. 25 Doing assignments that connect the research assignment to real world outcomes 22 Doing assignments that require active use of library­based resources Questioning behaviors 30 Asking “Is there anything more I can fi nd out?” 26 Questioning assumptions—ones own and those of others. 18 Asking “Does this make sense?” Other behaviors 20 Reading books, newspapers, listening to NPR, etc. 19 Ability to stay focused, to stay on task 19 Working collaboratively and the results are depicted in the table on these pages. The number before the behavior is the number of respondents selecting the behavior/activity among their top three to five. Review and endorsement At its summer ALA Annual Conference meeting, the project group reviewed these findings from the field along with the items currently on the 2005 NSSE to determine the final items for submission. The result­ ing items were reviewed and endorsed by the Executive Committee of the Institute for Information Literacy and the ACRL Executive Board. In mid­August, six new items were submitted to the NSSE staff for consideration. The project group also iden­ tified 22 items currently on the 2005 NSSE Web survey that support or relate to infor­ mation literacy behaviors. If the new items are accepted as experimental items on the 2006 NSSE, they could be analyzed along with the 22 current items as part of a set of information literacy related behaviors. As an example, the chart on the following page illustrates one current item that asks students how frequently they have done specific things. The left column lists three student behaviors the project group have submitted for consideration as experi­ mental items. The right column identifies current items that we believe should be considered as part of the set of information literacy contributing/related items. Of course, we are aware that this type of survey research does not provide evidence of causality, but it can help to identify the strength of relationships among specific information literacy­related November 2005 717 C&RL News New items decided at the ALA June 26, 2005 meeting 1. In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following: • asked a librarian for help (in person, e­mail, chat, etc.)? • participated in a library instruction session or online tutorial? • used library resources or the Web for research? Current IL-related Items (2005 NSSE online version) 1. In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following: • worked on a paper or project that re­ quired integrating ideas or information from various sources? • included diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc) in class discussion or writing assignments? • used an electronic medium (lists, chat group, Internet, instant messaging, etc.) to discuss or complete an assignment? • used e­mail to communicate with an instructor? behaviors and a set of behaviors strongly associated with engaging in effective edu­ cational practices. Project group members want to thank all our colleagues who took the time to respond to one or both of the QuickTopic postings. ed at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, June 2004: 18. 4. George D. Kuh and Robert M. Gonyea. “The role of the academic library in promot­ ing student engagement in leaning,” Col­ lege & Research Libraries 64, no. 4 (2003): 269­270. Notes 1. Project Group members are: Bonnie Gratch­Lindauer, chair; Elizabeth Dupuis; Colleen Boff; Polly D. Boruff­Jones; Lisa Hinchliffe; Ilene Rockman; Kwasi Sarkodie­ Mensah; Scottie Cochrane; and Margit Watts. 2. As sometimes happens, a couple of serendipitous events occurred along the way. The project group learned of two related ac­ tivities: a Council on Library and Information Resources’ Academic Libraries Advisory Com­ mittee project to submit some items to NSSE and interest in a similar task among members of the Oberlin Libraries Group, facilitated by Tom Kirk. 3. Thomas F. Nelson Laird and George D. Kuh, “Student experiences with information technology and their relationship to other as­ pects of student engagement,” Paper present­ The most recent addition to ACRL’s up­ dated, members­only internet resources columns on the Web is “Information literacy sites: Background and ideas for program planning and development—an update,” by Esther Grassian and Michael Oppenheim. This expansive listing cov­ ers guidelines and reports, tutorials, new technology, assessment, and more, in addition to providing links to journals, ar­ ticles, and discussion forums.Visit www. ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/updat­ edresources.htm to access the article. To access this content, you will need to log in using your ALA Member login and password. Internet Resources articles as published in C&RL News continue to be openly available. Updated information literacy resources for ACRL members C&RL News November 2005 718