scholarly journals First-Year and Junior Engineering Students’ Self-Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrie Douglas ◽  
Ruth Wertz ◽  
Michael Fosmire ◽  
Senay Purzer ◽  
Amy Van Epps
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

An assessment of information literacy skills among first-year postgraduate students at Sokoine University of Agriculture Tanzania

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mugyabuso J. F. Lwehabura
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Literacy Knowledge ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

This study was set to examine and identify some aspects of information literacy skills among postgraduate students at Sokoine University of Agriculture and determine challenges and problems facing them in terms of searching and use of various information resources. Systematic probability sampling and questionnaires were used to collect data from175 students out of 314 first-year postgraduate students registered. The findings showed that although information literacy exists among students, a good number of students demonstrated significant deficiency in their information literacy knowledge and skills in key aspects including searching for information from electronic sources, application of various information search techniques such as Boolean operators, use of truncation, synonyms and concept maps. Based on the findings, the paper recommends addressing the shortcomings found by introducing a mandatory information literacy course for both postgraduate and undergraduate students to ensure effective independent learning among students.

Evaluating the Quality of an Online Course in Information Literacy Applied to Engineering Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-117
Author(s):  
Teresa Oliveira Ramos ◽  
Carla Morais ◽  
Cristina Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Online Assignments

An academic library created an online course in information literacy skills in 2007 for engineering students. This chapter reports the evaluation of the course's effectiveness in developing those skills. In the academic year 2015/2016, a case study with a mixed-methods approach was applied to 5th-year students (N=91) enrolled in a course unit for Master Dissertation's preparation in the informatics and computing engineering programme. Students showed high confidence in their information literacy skills. Online assignments' performance was good, but activities revealed quality issues. Performance in the course unit's assignments reveals a poor application of acquired skills. But satisfaction is high: students value independent learning and online access to resources and content. Despite evidence of some positive impact, the course lacks effectiveness due to issues in the course unit's assignments. Needed improvements include a better realignment with students' needs and a redesign with an instructional model to assure the promotion of students' success.

scholarly journals First Year University Students Arrive with Some Search Skills, But Struggle with Scholarly Sources

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Cari Merkley
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Scholarly Literature ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

A Review of: Salisbury, F., & Karasmanis, S. (2011). Are they ready? Exploring student information literacy skills in the transition from secondary to tertiary education. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 42(1), 43-58. Objective – To determine what existing information literacy skills first year students possess upon entering university. Design – Quantitative survey questionnaire. Setting – A research university in Australia. Subjects – 1,029 first year students in the health sciences. Methods – First year students enrolled in the health sciences were asked to complete a paper questionnaire in their first week of classes in 2009. The 20 question survey was distributed in student tutorial groups. The first 10 questions collected information on student demographics, expected library use, and existing information seeking behaviour. The remaining 10 questions tested students’ understanding of information literacy concepts. Data collected from the survey were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS. Main Results – Most of the students who responded to the questionnaire were between the ages of 16 and 21 (84.3%) with only 2.2% over the age of 40. Approximately 15% of respondents had completed some postsecondary university or vocational education prior to enrolling in their current program. The students ranked Google, a friend, and a book as the top three places they would go to find information on something they knew little about. Google was also the most popular choice for finding a scholarly article (35% of respondents), followed by the library catalogue (21%). A large proportion of students correctly answered questions relating to identifying appropriate search terms. For example, one third of the students selected the correct combination of search concepts for a provided topic, and 77% identified that the choice of search phrase could negatively impact search results. Students also demonstrated prior knowledge of the Boolean operator AND, with 38% correctly identifying its use in the related question. Most students were also able to identify key markers of a website’s credibility. Questions relating to ethical information use and scholarly literature proved more challenging. Almost half (45%) of the students said that they did not know the characteristics of a peer reviewed journal article. Twenty five percent of respondents indicated that citing an information source was only necessary in the case of direct quotes, with only 28% correctly identifying the need for citing both quotes and paraphrasing. Only 23% were able to select the example of a journal citation from the list presented. Conclusion – Students enter university with existing strengths in concept identification and basic search formulation, but require the most assistance with locating and identifying scholarly literature and how to cite it appropriately in their work. The findings will inform the development of an online information literacy assessment tool to assist incoming students in identifying areas where they may require additional support as they transition to university.

scholarly journals Instructional Preferences of First-Year College Students with Below-Proficient Information Literacy Skills: A Focus Group Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 430-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Latham ◽  
Melissa Gross
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
First Year ◽  
Instructional Preferences ◽  
First Year College ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year College Students

The Attaining Information Literacy Project has focused on identifying first-year college students with below-proficient information literacy skills, gaining an understanding of those students’ self-views and perceptions of information literacy, gaining an understanding of their instructional experiences and preferences, and developing an intervention that will address their instructional needs. Focus groups were conducted with students with below-proficient skills to determine their instructional preferences. The findings from the focus groups indicate that students place a high value on personal relevance in the knowledge and skills they are learning, and they prefer a combination of demonstration and hands-on activities, interaction with the instructor and other students, and the availability of supplemental instructional materials in the form of handouts. In addition, they feel that incentives to participate in instruction are crucial and that a number of communication strategies are needed to advertise effectively the availability of instructional sessions.

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