PHASE TWO METHODOLOGY

As a follow-up to the Information Competence Student Survey conducted in Spring 2000,  the CSU Information Competence Assessment Task Force and the Social and Behavioral Research Institute (SBRI) proposed to conduct a multi-pronged qualitative study for AY 2000-01. This study would focus on CSU students, faculty and librarians in order to determine:

1. How students actually approach and complete information tasks within a given time period using computer and library resources.

2. How the processes students use are related to the products of student work.

3. What pedagogical needs might be uncovered through a close examination of students' information-seeking strategies in situ.

4. What similarities and differences may exist between faculty, librarians and students in their conceptualization, planning and execution of information-seeking strategies as they relate to information use.

While the survey gathers information on how students imagined they might proceed given hypothetical situations and then correlates their responses with class standing, major, GPA and other variables, the follow-up study would show how students approach and complete information gathering tasks in situ.

Proposed Methods:

• Four one-day assessments, 
• Students will  complete a specific information task designed by the Task Force and SBRI, and will have access to computers and University library resources.
• Student activity will be recorded through screen capture software, video tape, ethnographic observations, group discussion
• Demographic data to be collected on student participants
• Librarians and discipline faculty members will also be recruited to participate
• Desired Sample:  100 randomly selected students, 25 per one-day assessment; twenty librarians and 20 faculty members

Such data enables us to examine how patterns of activities used in information tasks are related to technological constraints, access to and familiarity with information resources, expertise in using specific information resources and other variables. For example, time spent at the computer, use of search engines, databases, paths followed, and efficiency could be correlated with educational level and quality of task products.

During the morning session, faculty and librarians will participate in a focus group designed to profile what they believe the students will do and what information they will access. This information will establish a “baseline” expectation for student information competency related to the tasks.

In the afternoon sessions following lunch, the students will participate in structured focus groups to address specific aspects of their experience in the morning. At the same time, librarians and faculty will participate in focus groups to elicit their perceptions of student competence, and barriers to competence, in accomplishing academic assignments. These perceptions can be compared to the actual experiences of the students.

Finally, librarians, faculty and students will participate in non-facilitated discussion groups to exchange ideas and experiences related to information-seeking behaviors and the use of information from a variety of resources. This will yield data enabling us to identify areas where these three groups have common understandings and areas, which show a divergence in understandings of information seeking.