1. The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam : A Tool to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol A. Leibiger, Ph.D.
Head of Public Services and Reference,
Information Literacy Coordinator,
I.D. Weeks Library, University of South Dakota
William Schweinle, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Boise State University
Irene Rockman (2005) there are homegrown, paper-and-pencil exams that have not been tested for validity, reliability, and psychometrics (587). 
describing the development of the South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam, a “homegrown” IL exam that is valid, reliable and has unique and very useful psychometric properties.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

2. Information Literacy and Life- long Learning
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Information Literacy and Life- long Learning
An information literate person is able to:
determine the extent of the information needed
access the needed information effectively and efficiently
evaluate information and its sources critically
incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally
American Library Association/Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000)
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

3. Rise of IL Instruction and Assessment
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Rise of IL Instruction and Assessment
Higher education assessment movement
Rise of strategic planning and Total Quality Management (TQM) in higher education
Library instruction movement: change in focus from library skills to IL in academic libraries
General education reform movement
Inclusion of IL in accreditation standards
Meulemans, Y. (2002); Rockman, I. (2002)
IL assessment arose out of several movements in academia and academic libraries in the late 1980s and 1990s:
Result = consensus on importance of IL and the need for its assessment:
essential basic skill for student success in academic and personal matters
lifelong learning skill
Necessary to produce information literate citizens (liberal art)
has joined the set of skills that are assessed by institutions of higher education
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

4. Other Documents Supporting IL
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Other Documents Supporting IL
Reform on Campus (1972, and follow-up reports of the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education)
Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (1989)
SCANS Report (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, Dept. of Labor, 1991)
Goals 2000: National Educate America Act (1994)
Information Power National School Library IL Standards (1998)
Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College (2002, Association of American Colleges and Universities)
All of these emphasize
the importance of the library and research in undergraduate higher education
quality assignments, greater emphasis on essential skills, and lifelong learning
the ability to acquire, evaluate, use, maintain, interpret, and communicate information as a necessary future job skill
adult literacy and lifelong learning as necessary to compete in a global economy
necessary skill to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

5. Higher Learning Commission (2003)
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Higher Learning Commission (2003)
Criterion 4, “Acquisition, discovery, and application of knowledge”
4a: The organization demonstrates, through the actions of its board, administrators, students, faculty, and staff, that it values a life of learning.
4b: The organization demonstrates that acquisition of a breadth of knowledge and skills and the exercise of intellectual inquiry are integral to its educational programs.
4c: The organization assesses the usefulness of its curricula to students who will live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society.
4d: The organization provides support to ensure that faculty, students, and staff acquire, discover, evaluate, and apply knowledge responsibly.
Having IL in accreditation standards =
recognition of its important as a learning outcome
guarantees administrative support
will probably get librarians into the classroom faster than all the other good reasons to integrate IL into instruction
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

6. Graduate Student IL Assessment
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Graduate Student IL Assessment
Graduate students…
often overestimate their information-finding skills
operate on the principle of least effort
tend to choose the easiest and most convenient resources
don’t know enough - yet - about their disciplines to be effective searchers
don’t have the critical skills to handle the information explosion
George, C., Bright, A., Hurlbert, T., Linke, E. C., St. Clair, G., & Stein, J. (2006); Bellard, E.M. (2005); Chu, S. K.-W., & Law, N. (2003), Grant, M. & Bert, M., (2003).
Like undergraduates, grad students
-tend to try to expend the least amount of energy in finding information
-are not yet knowledgeable about their discipline
-do not possess adequate critical thinking skills to handle information glut
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

7. Graduate Student IL Assessment
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Graduate Student IL Assessment
Demographic changes in the graduate student population
average graduate student is female over 35
has been away from education for at least 2 years
linguistically, ethnically diverse
work and family responsibilities
time management issues
feelings of inadequacy
technology anxiety
Bellard, E.M. (2005); Gordon, C. (2002)
Graduate student demographics have changed
-no longer white twenty-something male
-female
-ethnically diverse
-work/family responsibilities
-time-management issues
-feelings of inadequacy vis a vis technology and study
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

8. Graduate Student IL Assessment
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Graduate Student IL Assessment
Graduate students can benefit from IL instruction because they are also:
highly- and self-motivated learners
cognitively mature
understand their own learning styles,
apply meta-cognitive strategies to their information seeking
familiar with higher-quality search engines like Google Scholar
an important conduit of IL instruction for undergraduate students
Graduate students can benefit from IL instruction
-for their own studies
-for their students (TAs in gen. ed. courses)
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

9. Graduate Student IL Assessment
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Graduate Student IL Assessment
no systematic IL assessment of advanced learners
isolated suggestions and tools
research paper required of all applicants to graduate programs
IL skills audit or test required of entering graduate students (University of Missouri-Columbia, Boston College, and Australian National University)
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

10. Graduate Student IL Assessment
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Graduate Student IL Assessment
SDILE can serve as an entrance assessment of IL for advanced learners
skill set assumed for graduate students is congruent with that of undergraduate students who are information literate
short yet valid and reliable instrument documenting and assessing IL
allows identification of deficiencies in IL and formulation of appropriate remediation
Because SDILE is an undergrad exit assessment, it can function as a grad entrance assessment
-same skill set
-allows early remediation
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

11. South Dakota Regental Universities
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
South Dakota Regental Universities
Black Hills State University
Dakota State University
Northern State University
South Dakota State University
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
University of South Dakota (USD)
In the fall of 2000, the six universities of the South Dakota Regental System implemented an Information Technology Literacy general education requirement.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

12. South Dakota BOR ITL Requirement
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
South Dakota BOR ITL Requirement
Information Technology Literacy was defined institution-specifically.
All universities except USD defined ITL as IT.
Definition affected how it was taught and assessed.
Only USD taught and assessed it as IL
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

13. South Dakota System General Education Requirements (2005)
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
South Dakota System General Education Requirements (2005)
Goal #1: Student will write effectively and responsibly and will understand and interpret the written expression of others.
Goal #2: Student will communicate effectively and responsibly through listening and speaking.
Goal #3: Student will understand the organization, potential, and diversity of the human community through study of the social sciences.
Goal #4: Students will understand the diversity and complexity of the human experience through study of the arts and humanities.
Goal #5: Students will understand and apply fundamental mathematical processes and reasoning.
Goal #6: Students will understand the fundamental principles of the natural sciences and apply scientific methods of inquiry to investigate the natural world.
Goal #7: Students will recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, organize, critically evaluate, and effectively use information from a variety of sources with intellectual integrity.
early 2004: the SD BOR convened the Strategic Leadership Team
a group of administrators, instructors, and librarians from the six state universities
mandate
to revise the system-wide general education goals and objectives
implement the new goals in the fall of 2005.
Fall 2004: 7 general education goals, with objectives and lists of courses that fulfilled the goals.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

14. IL Student Learning Outcomes
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
IL Student Learning Outcomes
Students will…
determine the extent of information needed;
access the needed information effectively and efficiently;
evaluate information and its sources critically;
use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose;
use information in an ethical and legal manner.
(ALA/ACRL IL Competency Standards)
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

15. Seeking an IL Assessment: Problems With the ITL Exam
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Seeking an IL Assessment: Problems With the ITL Exam
Characteristics of the ITL Exam
WebCT
20 questions
Multiple-choice questions
Passing score 13/20 (65% correct)
Problems
Function = documentation of IL
No assessment value (KR20 ≈ .30)
Privileged students who passed SPCM 101 at USD
Why not just use USD’s ITL Exam?
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

16. Seeking an IL Assessment: National Standardized Exams
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Seeking an IL Assessment: National Standardized Exams
Project SAILS
ETS Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy Assessment
James Madison Information Literacy Test (ILT)
assessment instrument should be chosen or developed for the entire regental system.
Project SAILS
Length
Analysis only goes to the student cohort, not the student
ETS ICT Literacy Exam
assesses both information literacy and technology literacy
JMILT
Like SAILS, only assesses IL standards 1-3 and 5
In addition, since our students need to pass an IL assessment by the end of their sophomore year, and they are already burdened with the lengthy CAAP Proficiency Test, it was desirable to find an IL assessment that was shorter, yet valid and reliable.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

17. Seeking an IL Assessment
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Seeking an IL Assessment
The BOR institutions’ needs:
true assessment of IL (not ITL)
short, yet valid and reliable, instrument
student-level information
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

18. The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
IL Subcommittee
Co-chaired by BOR assessment expert and a librarian (IL Coordinator, USD)
5 assessment experts (including one psychometrician, USD’s Director of Assessment)
5 library faculty
2 English instructors
1 Communication Studies instructor
Charged with creating an assessment with special properties
Since no suitable national standardized assessment tool was available, the SLT constituted the IL Subcommittee (consisting of five assessment directors, five librarians, two English instructors, and one Communication Studies instructor) in the fall of 2004.
Mandate =
Create IL Exam based on USD’s ITL Exam
Create administrative guidelines
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

19. Special Properties Required of the SD IL Exam (SDILE)
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Special Properties Required of the SD IL Exam (SDILE)
Brevity: 25 multiple-choice questions
Online delivery
Content valid vis-à-vis the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (ACRL) IL Competency Standards for Higher Education
Discrete cutoff (proficiency threshold)
Continuous (assessment) scores
Both documents and assesses IL
The IL Subcommittee met in Nov to discuss administration and to create questions.
exam would be
online assessment using WebCT
twenty-five multiple-choice questions
one correct answer and three distracters.
At this point, we asked the SLT exactly what they wanted the IL Exam to do: document IL or assess it?
Expecting to be told one or the other function, we were somewhat surprised to be told to accomplish both.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

20. IL Exam Questions The Solution: Two scoring methods
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
IL Exam Questions
The Solution: Two scoring methods
The documentation questions will have low and very similar item “difficulties” (locations in IRT terms).
The assessment questions will be more difficult and be more varied in their “difficulty”.
For each set of 5 questions
3 documentation: documents attainment of minimum level of Information Literacy, i.e., close to a fixed point
2 assessment: assesses levels of Information Literacy along a continuum, i.e., along a line.
Will
Documentation Items
Assessment Items
“Difficulty”
Proficiency Point
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

21. The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
SLO 2: Documentation Question Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
Why is Interlibrary Loan so valuable to a student’s
research?
a. It allows a student to visit and check out materials from a library that is not his/her local library.
b. It allows a student to request materials from a library that is not his/her local library.
c. It allows a student to access online materials at a library that is not his/her local library.
d. It allows a student to purchase materials not located in his/her local library.
Classical Difficulty = .87
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

22. The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
SLO 2: Assessment Question Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
Your instructor has given an assignment that requires
the use of primary source materials. Which would you
consult?
a. a biography of someone involved in the issue with criticism
b. a diary written by someone who was involved in the issue
c. a textbook article about someone who was involved in the issue
d. a journal articles about someone who was involved in the issue
Classical Difficulty = .63
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

23. The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Analyses
Classical: average item difficulties across ALL item types is around 0.70, giving a pass rate of about 98% with a cut-score of 13/25.
Two IRT analyses for the items relevant to each ACRL Standard (unidimensionality)
2PL (Rasch) to look for location (Θ) and discrimination (slopes)
Nominal (Bock)
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

24. 2PL (Rasch) Traces for Items
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
2PL (Rasch) Traces for Items
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

25. “Partial Credit” Traces for SLO2 Documentation
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
“Partial Credit” Traces for SLO2 Documentation
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3
Nominal Response Model
Item Characteristic Curve b a
Probability c d
Ability
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

26. The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Ongoing Test Revision
Items are and will be added, revised, tested and dropped with each IL testing cycle.
Biased (DIF) items will be removed.
Gender
Ethnicity
Location
Etc.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

27. Classical Scores for the SD System
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Classical Scores for the SD System
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

28. Pass rates for the SD BOR Institutions
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Pass rates for the SD BOR Institutions
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

29. Nominal (Bock) Scores for the SD BOR Institutions
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Nominal (Bock) Scores for the SD BOR Institutions
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

30. The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Additional Evidence: Correlations Between Nominal and Classical Scores (n = 2171)
NOM SLO2
NOM SLO3
NOM SLO4
NOM SLO5
# Correct
>12 Correct
NOM SLO1
.11
.08
-.02
-.01
.32
.17
.12
.04
.06
.43
.20
-.09
.40
.23
-.14
-.04
.19
.53
(Red correlations are not significant at p < .05)
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

31. SLO 4: Documentation Question (Old 4D2a)
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
SLO 4: Documentation Question (Old 4D2a)
To best demonstrate the scope of a problem one should use...
a. pictures.
b. statistics.
c. books.
d. articles.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

32. Item Characteristics (Old 4D2a)
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Item Characteristics (Old 4D2a)
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 a b c d
Ability
Probability
Bock Nominal Response Model
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

33. ACRL Student Learning Outcome #4
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
ACRL Student Learning Outcome #4
An Information Literate student will use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
Problems:
The question lacks a context?
This SLO requires higher cognitive processing which is difficult to test with MC items?
This SLO represents the intersection between research (taught by the library) and argumentation (taught in ENGL and SPCM). Should use of information in argumentation be more effectively taught in gen. ed. courses?
What do you think?
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

34. 4D2a Revised The best visual aid for a speech
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
4D2a Revised
The best visual aid for a speech
comparing changes in the profits of two
or three competing companies over a
three-year period is...
a. a spreadsheet.
b. a market analysis.
c. a line chart.
d. a table.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

35. Item Characteristics (New 4D2a)

36. Benefits of the SDILE A dual-purpose IL Exam Random item rotation
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Benefits of the SDILE
A dual-purpose IL Exam
Documentation
Assessment
Random item rotation
Continuous improvement and refinement
Low cost – WebCT administration
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

37. The End of the SDILE: Bureaucratic Blunder
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
The End of the SDILE: Bureaucratic Blunder
Feb. 2005: The IL Exam questions (with answers) were posted to the BOR web site (
: Conference presentations on the IL Exam actively sought beta-testing partners
April 2007: Acclaimed presentation at ACRL, interest in beta-testing/cooperation from Project SAILS and 9 prestigious colleges and research universities
Carol.
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

38. The End of the SDILE: Bureaucratic Blunder
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
The End of the SDILE: Bureaucratic Blunder
April 2007: Student taking the IL Exam discovered the questions/answers online at the SD BOR web site (invalidated the pilot)
Investigators discovered that the IL Exam questions had been downloaded 293 times (in-state, in-country, and abroad)
Beta-testing partners were notified to stop the pilot
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

39. The End of the SDILE: The Vultures Gather…
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
The End of the SDILE: The Vultures Gather…
A member regental university had been a “less than enthusiastic” participant
Once the IL Exam pilot was invalidated, this university immediately proposed dropping the exam
New BOR academic officer had also problematized the notion of an IL Exam
May 2007: AAC/BOR persuaded to drop the IL Exam as a system IL requirement
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

40. The End of the SDILE: USD Drops the IL Exam
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
The End of the SDILE: USD Drops the IL Exam
Spring 2007: USD decides to reconstitute the IL Exam as an institutional measure
Summer 2007: Will leaves USD for Boise State U.
USD refuses to hire Will as consultant
USD claims IP ownership of the IL Exam
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

41. Lessons Learned Avoid unfunded mandates
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Lessons Learned
Avoid unfunded mandates
Get release time or some other tangible benefit, in writing, before beginning
Get buy-in rather than imposing mandates
Institutions should genuinely support the project
Members should support the project, even if their institutions don’t
Give creative teams room to work; don’t oversee or micro-manage
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

42. Lessons Learned Choose participants carefully. Members should…
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Lessons Learned
Choose participants carefully. Members should…
be chosen because of subject know-ledge and competence
be competent to understand all members’ roles in the project
promote the project’s agenda rather than their own or their institution’s agenda
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

43. Lessons Learned Clarify IP issues Protect secret information
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
Lessons Learned
Clarify IP issues
Work out IP ownership issues up-front
BOR IP
Institutions’ IP
Individual members’ IP vs. work product
Protect secret information
Clear those who handle information
Don’t post to unprotected sites
Provide consequences for divulging IP
Don’t expect kudos, gratitude, or apologies from administration during or after the project
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007

44. For further information…
The South Dakota Regental Information Literacy Exam: A Tool for Small and Medium-Sized Universities to Document and Assess Information Literacy
Carol Leibiger and William Schweinle, University of South Dakota
For further information…
On the SDILE
Carol Leibiger, Head of Public Services and Reference, Information Literacy Coordinator, University of South Dakota
William Schweinle, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Boise State University
On IRT
Reise, S. P., Ainsworth, A. T., & Haviland, M. G. (2005). Item Response Theory: Fundamentals, applications, and promise in psychological research. Current Directions in Psychological Research, 14, 2,
ACRL National Conference, Baltimore, March 31, 2007