We’re excited that this semester all four modules are available for field testing. Modules 1 and 2 now offer students feedback when they finish the tests. Modules 3 and 4, still in the first phase of field testing, do not yet provide immediate feedback to students. But that doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t reflect on their experience taking the test. When I have students take Module 3: Research & Scholarship and Module 4: The Value of Information, I create an online survey they can complete as soon as they’ve finished the last question. Setting up the test through www.thresholdachievement.com makes that easy by providing an option for directing students to a URL at the end of the test. You can view the brief survey that I give students.
When asking for students’ reflections on their experiences, whether for the TATIL modules or for any instructional interaction, I always rely on critical incident questionnaires as my starting point. Stephen Brookfield, a transformative educator who is an expert in adult learning, has been promoting critical incident questionnaires since the 1990s. Building upon Dr. Brookfield’s work, faculty have used the instrument to survey students about their experiences in face-to-face classes as well as online. Read more about his work and the work of his colleagues here: http://www.stephenbrookfield.com/ciq/
If you would prefer to collect information about students’ perceptions of the test content rather than or in addition to their experience taking the test, consider survey questions like:
- Where did you learn the skills and knowledge that you used on this test?
- What do you think you should practice doing in order to improve your performance on this test in the future?
- What were you asked about on this test that surprised you?
By surveying students at the end of the test, you lay the groundwork for class discussions about the challenges the test presented, areas of consensus among your students, and misconceptions that you may want to address. The test gives students a chance to focus on their information literacy knowledge and beliefs, which they do not always have the time or structure to do. Writing briefly about their experience taking the test while it is still fresh in their mind will help students to identify the insights they have gained about their information literacy through the process of engaging with the test.