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Month: December 2018

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At the Library Assessment Conference in Houston Texas earlier this month, Kathy Clarke and I had an opportunity to talk with attendees about the use of information literacy tests. We focused on comparing locally-created tests and commercially-developed tests. Here’s a recap of our 13-minute presentation.

Information literacy tests are one viable option for measuring information literacy. Testing offers specific strengths, including familiarity to students, ease of administration, and efficiency for large-scale assessment. Tests can simplify comparing groups or conducting longitudinal studies and they can suggest improvements to instruction programs. Tests can also offer interpretation of quantitative data for students as individuals and in groups.

...continue reading "DIY or Purchase? Comparing InfoLit Tests"

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Photo of Lyda McCartin
Lyda McCartin with Cliff (big) and Chai (tiny). Lyda is Professor and Head of Information Literacy & Undergraduate Support at University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, USA.

Meet Lyda McCartin, a member of the Advisory Board for the Threshold Achievement Test for Information Literacy in 2017. Here she shares her thoughts about teaching, assessment, and mentorship.

Q: Please tell us about your job. What do you find most satisfying?

Lyda: As Head of Information Literacy & Undergraduate Support (ILUS) at University of Northern Colorado, I lead a department of three full-time faculty, one 9-month lecturer, and one full-time administrative staff person. Two of ILUS’ strategic initiatives focus on information literacy -  The Core Library Instruction Program (CLIP) and the Credit Course Program. The CLIP  integrates information literacy into large-scale undergraduate programs including Composition and First Year Experience. The Credit Course Program includes seven courses plus internships and directed study. All courses are embedded into a degree-granting program or are required for an academic program. For example, LIB 160 is required for Criminal Justice majors while LIB 151 is required for students in the honor’s program. We’ve also developed online information literacy modules that faculty can use to embed information literacy into their courses; this is a new initiative that we are just now getting off the ground. ...continue reading "Meet the TATIL Advisory Board: Lyda McCartin"