Sheila Beck Devin McKay Information Literacy Across the Curriculum: Where to Begin

Profile About students 25% each – White – Afro-American – Hispanic – Asian

Educational Objectives at QCC 1. Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking 2.Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions 3.Reason quantitatively and mathematically as required in their fields of interest and in everyday life 4.Use information management and technology skills effectively for academic research and lifelong learning 5.Integrate knowledge and skills in their program of study 6.Differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on multiple value systems 7.Work collaboratively in diverse groups directed at accomplishing learning objectives 8.Use historical or social sciences perspectives to examine formation of ideas, human behavior, social institutions, or social processes 9.Employ concepts and methods of the natural and physical sciences to make informed judgments 10.Apply aesthetic and intellectual criteria in the evaluation or creation of works in the humanities or the arts

Scenario 1 You are working in a group to study criminal theory in its historical context. Your task is to inform the American Criminal Justice Association on this criminal theory. – What type of information do you need to know? – How would you use this information?

Scenario 2 – In the Question and Answer period, an audience member asks what is the theory’s current usage and its application to a well known criminal. – What type of information do you want to know? – How would you evaluate the information you find?

Scenario 3 You need to know everything about Charles Mason. You will need to find information on his life and crimes. – How would you locate the information? – What type of information would you expect to find?

Sample Answers Scenario 1 Pre Test: “You find the information depending on what matter you want to talk about” Post Test : “I would need a primary document/source by the theorist”

Sample Answers Scenario 2 Pre Test : “ I need to find if my theory is still in practice with Google.” Post Test: “ I would evaluate by researching who and what and where the theory originated”

Sample Answers Scenario 3 Pre Test: “Google, lots of miscellaneous items ranging from what I need to nonsense” Post Test: “Information would be located on the school’s databases in order to obtain correct information.”

BREAD TH SCEN 1 SCEN 2SCEN 3 MUSIC ENGLIS H CRIM JUST NURSI NG DEPTH SCEN 1 SCEN 2SCEN 3 MUSIC ENGLIS H CRIM JUST NURSI NG Breadth and Depth Pretest

Breadth and Depth Post Test

Sources Used - Pretest

Sources Used Post Test

– Students know less than they think they do – They tend to believe they can find whatever they need on the internet – Our study reflects what is in the literature – Stressed students need more support – The questions we asked on our scenarios were not clear enough What we learned

– Further research will include revised pre and post tests – Better assessment tool – Using a control group that didn’t have a library lesson would be more effective in determining the effectiveness of intervention Conclusion

Comments from Faculty The content of the papers looked pretty good. I could clearly see who got help from the library and who didn't. Last semester when I asked for an original source roughly one third of the class located one. This time well over half included it. I feel that the library lesson was valuable in the sense that almost everyone had a better bibliography by far than I normally see. The papers were much improved and more effort was clearly put into them.

Comments from Students I would use the school library now that I know how You need to know how to search the school databases The composers biographies from internet resource or book Use journal articles scholarly papers Virtual Reference Library