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Course & Subject Guides

Information Literacy Fundamentals @ Pitt: Assessment

This guide defines information literacy and discusses strategies to incorporate information literacy into sessions for students.

Evaluation vs. Assessment

The difference between evaluation and assessment:

1. Evaluation

  • How well did you teach the class?

2. Assessment

  • What did the students learn?
  • How effective is an instruction program?
  • Student must demonstrate new knowledge
  • Tied to class learning objectives

Kirkpatrick 4 Levels of Evaluation

1. Reaction -- Did they like it?

2. Learning Evaluation -- Did they get it?

3. Behavioral Evaluation -- Did they apply it?

4. Results Evaluation -- Did it make a difference?

The three great questions about teaching

•  What do I want the students to learn?

•  How will I create an environment where they are most likely to learn that?

•  How will they and I know whether or not they have achieved it?

Assessment ideas

Examples of Assessment

Have participants respond questions like:

-What did you learn?

-What is unclear?

- Describe one or more takeaways from today's instruction  

- Describe changes you will make to your former approach to doing research

- If you were to attend another information literacy class, what would you like to learn?

PowerPoints and Documents

The information in this guide is based on information in a series of presentations and documents associated with an Information Literacy Workshop presented by the ULS Information Literacy and Assessment Working Group.

Assessment

Why Assess?

There are 3 important purposes for assessment:

1. Ensure that students are learning what the institution or profession considers essential skills.

2. Provide a basis for improving learning.

3. Satisfy the need for accountability to institution or company by explaining clearly the institution's goals and accomplishments.

Assess a Single Class

Useful techniques for assessing a single class:

  • One minute assessment
    • Assessing as you go
    • Questions
    • Quick exercise
    • One minute writing summary
    • Open recap of class
  • Discussion
  • Active learning
  • Exercises and worksheets
  • Group work

Methods that can be used during or after class:

  • Faculty feedback
  • Pre/post testing
  • Student survey

Assess a Multi-Class Program

Useful techniques for assessing multiple classes (if you are invited for several sessions or are embedded in CourseWeb):

  • Student research log or journal
  • Student assignments
  • Pre/post testing
  • Online quizzes
  • Professional projects or performance
  • Rubrics [See Rubrics page]
    • Matrix of performance levels for a given task
    • Professional competencies or class outcomes
    • Breaks performance into levels
      • Beginning (lowest) level
      • Developing (second) level
      • Accomplished (third) level
      • Mastery (highest) level
    • Identifies performance characteristics for each level

Methods for assessing during or after class:

  • Assignments and papers
    • Check sources
    • Skills involved in completing assignment
  • Faculty feedback
  • Professional projects or performance
  • Student survey

Assess a Population

Useful ways to assess a large population:

  • Project SAILS
  • ETS: iSkills - Information and Communication Technology Literacy Test
  • LIBQual
  • Evaluation criteria or professional competencies to identify instructional goals and objectives
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