CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY INFORMATION COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT

The CSU Agenda for Information Competence

    The impetus for CSU system-wide information competence assessment stems from the 1994 CSU Council of Library Directors strategic plan, "Transforming CSU Libraries for the 21^st Century." This plan identified Information Competence as a critical skill for all students, stating that the CSU needs to "establish basic competence levels in the use of recorded knowledge and information and processes for assessment of student competence." The CSU Commission on Learning Resources and Instructional Technology (CLRIT) approved the strategic plan and identified the area of information competence as a high priority. CLRIT requested the Office of Academic Affairs to form a work group to address information competence in the CSU. The Information Competence Work Group was formed in April 1995. The initial charge to the group was to recommend basic competence levels on the use of recorded knowledge and information and processes for assessment of student competence. The IC Work Group activities are available at the following URL: http://library.csun.edu/susan.curzon/

    To begin the process of identifying basic competence levels and other issues relevant to information competence, The Information Competence Work Group sought input from CSU faculty and librarians at a retreat held in November 1995. One result of the retreat was a preliminary set of eleven core competencies:

In order to be able to find, evaluate, use, and communicate information, students must be able to demonstrate these skills in an integrated process:

• State a research question, problem, or issue

• Determine the information requirements for the research question, problem, or issue

• Locate and retrieve relevant information

• Organize information

• Analyze and evaluate information

• Synthesize information

• Communicate using a variety of information technologies

• Use the technological tools for accessing information

• Understand the ethical, legal, and socio-political issues surrounding information and information technology

• Use, evaluate, and treat critically information received from the mass media

• Appreciate that the skills gained in information competence enable lifelong learning

This set of competencies was later refined to seven competencies:

A SET OF CORE COMPETENCIES

In order to be able to find, evaluate, use, communicate and appreciate information in all its various formats, students must be able to demonstrate the following skills:

• Formulate and state a research question, problem or issue not only within the conceptual framework of a discipline, but also in a manner in which others can readily understand and cooperatively engage in the search.

• Determine the information requirements for a research question, problem or issue in order to formulate a search strategy that will use a variety of resources.

• Locate and retrieve relevant information, in all its various formats, using, when appropriate, technological tools.

• Organize information in a manner that permits analysis, evaluation, synthesis and understanding.

• Create and communicate information effectively using various media.

• Understand the ethical, legal and socio-political issues surrounding information.

• Understand the techniques, points of view and practices employed in the presentation of information from all sources.

In 2001 the Information Competence Work Group and the Task Force adopted the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education published in 2000. Five standards are explained in detail with performance indicators and outcomes. They are very similar to the Competencies identified by the CSU.  The five ACRL standards are:

Standard One: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

Standard Two: The information literate student selects the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.

Standard Three: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

Standard Four: The Information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

Standard Five:  The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

The CSU-Wide Information Competence Assessment Task Force

In late 1998 the CLRIT Information Competence Work Group formed a Taskforce to develop and conduct a system-wide assessment of basic information competence skills. Key purposes of the assessment are: 1) to establish a baseline of information competence skills in the CSU; 2) to gather reliable data as support for programs of information competence on all campuses; 3) to provide data to create targeted information competence instructional experiences; 4) to provide support for the next phase system-wide strategic plan for libraries which includes an ongoing emphasis on instruction and assessment.

The Task Force believes that it is essential for the assessment to have creditability as valid and reliable social science research. A well-designed and defensible methodology allows us to use the results with confidence to promote information competence programs and to support requests for funding. We have, therefore, contracted with the Social and Behavioral Research Institute in San Marcos to design and conduct the assessment, analyze the results, and prepare the survey report. The Task Force will provide the instruction expertise that is the backbone of the assessment.

This project is unique. We know of no other university or community college system that has conducted a system-wide assessment of information competence or information literacy skills. The Council of Library Directors (COLD) and the relevant Chancellor's Office areas (Information Technology Division/Academic Technology Services/Library Support) are fully supportive of a system-wide information competence assessment.  

Phase One and Phase Two of the Assessment Project Now Complete

     Phase I conducted in Spring 2000 used information scenarios as part of a questionnaire-based quantitative study 3300 student to study breath and depth of responses to the scenarios.  Phase II conducted in Spring 2001 studied information competence through qualitative methods designed to uncover how students seek, evaluate, analyze, and use information. The qualitative methods used included video tape of focus groups and discussions, video and screen capture of computer activity, ethnographic observations and conversations with students working on the  information tasks, and task sheets requiring students to fill out answers to essay questions regarding their research and to provide information about their background and experience with the subject of the task and with the library in general.  The Social and Behavioral Research Institute (SBRI) at CSU San Marcos conducted both studies with input and guidance from the CSU Information Competence Assessment Task Force.  Summaries of both studies are available from this website. 

   For additional on the information see this recently published article on the CSU Assessment Project.  Dunn, Kathleen.  "Assessing Information Literacy Skills in the California State University:  A Progress Report."  Journal of Academic Librarianship, January-March, 2002, 26-35.

Kathleen Dunn
Chair, CSU IC Task Force
11/23/99
Rev. 2-20-2002