Using assessment data to investigate library instruction for first year students

Abstract

Seeking ways to develop information literacy skills among first year college students, librarians at our institution developed a pilot program to measure the effects of a multiple library instruction session module on students' research skills in the first semester. The pilot program incorporates a substantial assessment model consisting of a pretest, posttest, and a citation analysis of final papers. Results demonstrate that students who had multiple library instruction sessions during the first semester report higher levels of confidence and greater use of library resources than students who had only a single instruction session.