Information Literacy Assessment and Higher Education Accreditation Institutions, HLC Conference Presentation, April 12, 2014, Chicago, IL

Academic Libraries,Information Literacy Assessment,

and Higher Education Accreditation

Cynthia Kane

Professor and Director of Assessment

ESU Libraries and Archives

Higher Learning Commission Annual ConferenceApril 12, 2014Chicago, IL

[email protected]

A Bit about Emporia State University

Part of Kansas Board of Regents system

Fall 2013: 3873 undergraduate students; 2160 graduate students

Four schools/colleges:• Liberal Arts and Sciences• School of Business

(AACSB accreditation)• School of Library and

Information Management (ALA accreditation)

• Teachers College (NCATE accreditation)

Carnegie Basic Classification: Master's L: Master's Colleges and Universities (larger programs)

And…We are preparing for our own HLC site visit!

March 23-25, 2015

Background to Research

• Currently serving on HLC Steering Committee and vice chair of Criterion III subcommittee

• Sabbatical research leave granted for Fall 2013 semester

• Interest widened to the extent in which academic libraries, particularly information literacy assessments, are (or are not) involved in the regional accreditation process

What Is Information Literacy?

Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Competency Standards (2000 with pending revision 2014)

An information literate individual is able to:• Determine the extent of 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

• (2014 revision addresses “metaliteracy” and “threshold concepts”)

How Is Information Literacy Addressed in Higher Education?

• IL general outcomes • IL discipline-specific outcomes• Credit-bearing courses (taught by

librarians, or team-taught)• Individual library instruction

sessions tied to assignments; research methods courses; other courses

• Workshops/seminars

How is Information Literacy Assessed?

• Standardized assessments– Project SAILS – iSkills– Credit-bearing courses: IDEA or other

standard student ratings of instruction

• Individual student/faculty evaluations– At end of instruction session, or end of

term/semester

• Examinations of bibliographies/reference lists from papers or projects

• Internal departmental measures of IL outcomes

Information Literacy and Other Regional Accreditation

AssociationsMiddle States Commission on Higher Education:

Current Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education embed information literacy in Standard 11, “Educational Offerings”

“Several skills, collectively referred to as “information literacy,” apply to all disciplines in an institution’s curricula. These skills relate to a student’s competency in acquiring and processing information in the search for understanding, whether that information is sought in or through the facilities of a library, through practica, as a result of field experiments, by communications with experts in professional communities, or by other means. Therefore, information literacy is an essential component of any educational program at the graduate or undergraduate levels.”

Information Literacy and Other Regional Accreditation

AssociationsNew England Association of Schools and Colleges – Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

Standard 7, “Library and Other Information Resources”:

Information and Technological Literacy

7.9  “The institution demonstrates that students use information resources and technology as an integral part of their education, attaining levels of proficiency appropriate to their degree and subject or professional field of study.”

7.10  “The institution ensures that throughout their program of study students acquire increasingly sophisticated skills in evaluating the quality of information sources appropriate to their field of study and the level of the degree program.”

Information Literacy and Other Regional Accreditation

AssociationsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges

Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement

3.8, Library and Other Learning Resources

3.8.2. “The institution ensures that users have access to regular and timely instruction in the use of the library and other learning/information resources. (Instruction of Library Use)”

Information Literacy and Other Regional Accreditation

AssociationsWestern Association of Schools and Colleges – Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Services

IIB: Student Support Services

C. Library and Learning Support Services

1.b. “The institution provides ongoing instruction for users of library and other learning support services so that students are able to develop skills in information competency.”

Information Literacy and Other Regional Accreditation

AssociationsWSCUC – Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University CommissionStandard 2, Teaching and Learning – criteria for review

2.2a:

Baccalaureate programs engage students in an integrated course of study of sufficient breadth and depth to prepare them for work, citizenship, and life-long learning. These programs ensure the development of core competencies including, but not limited to, written and oral communication, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, and critical thinking.”

What Does HLC Actually Ask of Academic Libraries?

Criterion 3: Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support

• Criterion 3.D.4: The institution provides to students and instructors the infrastructure and resources necessary to support effective teaching and learning (technological infrastructure, scientific laboratories, libraries, performance spaces, clinical practice sites, museum collections, as appropriate to the institution’s offerings).

• Criterion 3.D.5: The institution provides to students guidance in the effective use of research and information resources.

Is HLC Asking Enough of Us?

• What assessments of infrastructure, resources, or “effective use of research and information resources” are actually required?

• What is required/desired from HLC academic libraries in terms of information literacy assessment?

• What are the perceptions of HLC institutions’ academic library deans, directors, and other librarians involved in information literacy assessments?

• How do those perceptions compare to other regional accreditation associations?

And Why Should Anyone Care?

Surveys and Methodology

Fall 2013• 1st survey: Sent on library listservs; a general survey of

academic libraries and six regional accreditation agencies (87 responses received)– Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Middle States

Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

– New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)

– North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HLC)

– Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS)

– Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)

– Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

Surveys and Methodology

Fall 2013• 2nd survey: Sent to library

directors/heads of instruction or assessment of HLC-accredited institutions

• SurveyMonkey e-mail invitation• 941 survey links sent• 149 responses (16% response rate)

Surveys and Methodology

Methodology for both was a combination of multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions• 1st survey: Deliberately general to

focus upon higher education accreditation associations

• 2nd survey: Focus was upon HLC accreditation requirements in terms of academic libraries

Demographics of 1st Survey (self-identified)

43 public institutions, 38 private institutions, 2 “other” institutions (6 skipped this question)

Average student FTE enrollment was 3916 for UG and 822 for G (78 respondents answered this question and 9 skipped it)

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Does the regional accreditation association for your college or university address information

literacy?

Yes No

If “yes”, how is information literacy addressed by the accreditation

association?“Middle States stresses the importance of information literacy. See http://www.msche.org/publications/Developing-Skills080111151714.pdf”

“Standard **.C.1.b: The institution provides instruction for users of library and other learning support services so that students are able to develop skills in information competency.”

“Under Standard 4: The Academic Program they explicitly told us in their report that information literacy is important to them and they want us to focus squarely on it; under Standard 7: Library and Other Information Resources they praised the recent hire of an Instruction Librarian to provide structure and process to our information literacy program”

“IL is discusseed [sic] only via the library not in the classroom evaluation of teachers”

“Effective use of resources and information; academic integrity (no direct language indicating ‘information literacy’ but implied.”

If “no”, how does the accreditation association address other aspects of

information literacy?“It really doesn't. It just makes sure that students have the resources they need”

“There is a section on Library & Information Resources and mentions of using library sources in teaching and learning. But the phrase ‘information literacy’ is not used.”

“The standard states that the library must supply resources and instruction for how to use those resources. I don't consider that the same as information literacy overall.”

“I've been interviewed in every previous visit and the reviewer asked me ‘what do you want me to say’ about the library. S/he would mention that faculty had positive comments but the final report usually didn't mention the library.”

“No one came to the library nor addressed any questions about the library to the administration.”

“report glowingly written”

Demographics of 2nd Survey (self-identified)

• 50 public institutions; 47 private institutions; 4 for-profit institutions

• Average student FTE enrollment was 4,084 UG and 880 G (99 respondents answered this question and 55 skipped it)

• 12 institutions -- Assoc/Pub-R-S: Associate's--Public Rural-serving Small

• 11 institutions -- Master's S: Master's Colleges and Universities (smaller programs)

12

2

5

32

2

4

21

2

124177

11

7

7

2

61

11

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Does your institution fit one of the following Carnegie Basic Classifications:

Assoc/Pub-R-S: Associate's--Public Rural-serving SmallAssoc/Pub-R-M: Associate's--Public Rural-serving MediumAssoc/Pub-R-L: Associate's--Public Rural-serving LargeAssoc/Pub-S-SC: Associate's--Public Suburban-serving Single CampusAssoc/Pub-S-MC: Associate's--Public Suburban-serving MulticampusAssoc/Pub-U-SC: Associate's--Public Urban-serving Single CampusAssoc/Pub-U-MC: Associate's--Public Urban-serving Mul-ticampusAssoc/Pub-Spec: Associate's--Public Special UseAssoc/PrivNFP: Associate's--Private Not-for-profitAssoc/PrivFP: Associate's--Private For-profitAssoc/Pub2in4: Associate's--Public 2-year colleges under 4-year universitiesAssoc/Pub4: Associate's--Public 4-year Primarily As-sociate'sAssoc/PrivNFP4: Associate's--Private Not-for-profit 4-year Primarily Associate'sAssoc/PrivFP4: Associate's--Private For-profit 4-year Primarily Associate'sRU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activ-ity)RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity)DRU: Doctoral/Research UniversitiesMaster's L: Master's Colleges and Universities (larger programs)Master's M: Master's Colleges and Universities (medium programs)Master's S: Master's Colleges and Universities (smaller programs)Bac/A&S: Baccalaureate Colleges--Arts & SciencesBac/Diverse: Baccalaureate Colleges--Diverse FieldsBac/Assoc: Baccalaureate/Associate's CollegesSpec/Faith: Special Focus Institutions--Theological sem-inaries, Bible colleges, and other faith-related institu-tionsSpec/Med: Special Focus Institutions--Medical schools and medical centersSpec/Health: Special Focus Institutions--Other health professions schoolsSpec/Engg: Special Focus Institutions--Schools of en-gineeringSpec/Tech: Special Focus Institutions--Other tech-nology-related schoolsSpec/Bus: Special Focus Institutions--Schools of business and managementSpec/Arts: Special Focus Institutions--Schools of art, music, and designSpec/Law: Special Focus Institutions--Schools of law

How would you rank the Higher Learning Commission's comprehension of information literacy?

Very comprehensive

Comprehensive

Neutral

Somewhat comprehensive

Not comprehensive

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16

2

Comments“Some elements are included such as critical thinking and evaluation of information.”

“I've not read anything from them about Info Lit.”

“I felt the team's knowledge of the work of librarians and the function of libraries was rooted in their undergraduate experiences from half a century ago.”

“As of my last reading of their standards in 2012, I was somewhat underwhelmed with their comprehension of IL standards. I'd like to see more IL language and less ‘information economy’ prose.”

“They've at least heard of it.”

“They see it as pervasive through out the institution but I'm not sure they get how it is actually taught.”

“Not too sure what the HLC's position is”

“At least it has never demonstrated any comprehension to me.”

Does your library currently use a standardized information literacy assessment tool?

Yes No

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Instruments named:• ULI: Understanding Library Impacts protocol• Patron Survey and core competency survey• Research Readiness Self Assessment (RRSA)• TRAILS• Research Practices Survey• Project SAILS• IPED, ALS, LIBQUAL, and WORP (now defunct) in the last 5 years

Were library student learning outcomes used in the most recent Higher Learning Commission accreditation visit at

your institution?

Yes No

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If "yes", how were those outcomes used? If possible, provide specific examples from the HLC New Criteria for

Accreditation and Core Components to illustrate the outcomes' use.

• Yes, we used the data from library assessments to provide information on the following areas for the library's version of the self-study report which became part of the larger university self-study required by HLC.

• Our college has an assessment committee who manages student outcomes and instructional changes based on outcomes. This information was reported in Criterion 4, but was mentioned throughout the Self-Study. We choose to provide broad summaries with how outcomes were addressed by faculty and changes incorporated into instruction.

• To determine what we needed to change in our curriculum and aligning library collection• Data were reported regarding RRSA findings and "one minute assessment" data that are collected after

in-person assessments to demonstrate student learning and also where further intervention is necessary. We wrote to the prior criteria in 2012 so I can't give examples for the new ones.

• IL is an outcome in our new Core curriculum• CRITERIA FOR ACCREDITATION (2012)

– 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, and 2.d: The school had recently completed a new statement of Core Values and launched an inclusive Strategic Planning cycle. Awareness of mission and values (including diversity) were consistently demonstrable role in the library's programs.

– 2.b: Ten years of numerical data showing development of library resources to support instructional goals. Supported by examples.– 3.c: Narrative descriptions of successful librarian/faculty collaborations in teaching from the collections and of librarian/student collaborations in

support for individualized learning/research methods.– 4.d, 5.a, 5.b, and 5.c: Numerical and anecdotal description of librarian participation in curricular and co-curricular activities.

• I am honestly not sure. I was not consulted to assist with this assessment.• I am fairly new and was not privy to this part of the accreditation process.• We went through all of the outcomes and identified areas where the library and its services fit. We are

currently in the process of self-evaluation in preparation for our next HLC visit in Feb 2015.• Visit was in October 2013. We began our new IL curriculum in August 2013.• Student learning outcomes were included in the library's annual assessment reports, which were

included with other academic units' assessment reports in the electronic resource room for review.

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Does your library use other student assessments for information literacy at your college or university? Please check all that apply.

Electronic portfolios

Print portfolios

Internal pre-test of information literacy compe-tencies

Internal post-test of information literacy compe-tencies

Examinations of bibliographies/reference lists from research papers/projects

Student self-assessments

Departmental information literacy student learn-ing outcomes

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Were the results of other student assessments of information literacy used in the most recent Higher Learning Commission

accreditation visit at your institution?

Yes No N/A

If “Yes”, How Were Those Results Used?

• Our college has an assessment subcommittee for info lit and they created a local generated survey for students.

• Student Survey and Feedback Forms• Rubrics• We are in the beginning stages of library assessment- because we have not

baseline, we surveyed faculty on their students' achievements after instruction.

• Info literacy performance is integrated into the curriculum with added emphasis in methods classes

• Personal interactions with students and faculty (all students are graduate students)

• University-wide IL rubric• Faculty opinion• After presenting informaiton [sic] on Information Literacy, I give the students

an assignment to complete and then I grade

Recommendations

Administrators, Departmental Faculty, Librarians/Library Faculty:

TALK and COMMUNICATE with one another! For all, avoid an “Us vs. Them” mentality.

Find out more about IL outcomes and assessments (formal and informal) that may already exist either in the academic library or in academic departments for graduates

For librarians: Learn as much as possible about the regional accreditation process as well as discipline-specific accreditation processes

Go beyond the quantitative (how many books, journals, databases are available) and look more closely at the academic library’s positioning within the university to contribute to student learning outcomes