ERIC Number: EJ1111270
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jun
Pages: 41
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2330-8516
EISSN: N/A
The Assessment of Information Literacy: A Case Study. Research Report. ETS RR-08-33
Katz, Irvin R.; Elliot, Norbert; Attali, Yigal; Scharf, Davida; Powers, Donald; Huey, Heather; Joshi, Kamal; Briller, Vladimir
ETS Research Report Series, Jun 2008
This study presents an investigation of information literacy as defined by the ETS iSkills™ assessment and by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Information Literacy Scale (ILS). As two related but distinct measures, both iSkills and the ILS were used with undergraduate students at NJIT during the spring 2006 semester. Undergraduate students (n = 331), first through senior years, took the iSkills and submitted portfolios to be judged by the ILS. First-year students took the Core iSkills assessment, which was designed to provide administrators and faculty with an understanding of the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy of a student doing entry-level coursework (n = 155). Upper classmen took the more difficult Advanced iSkills assessment, appropriate for rising juniors (n = 176). Across all class levels, iSkills scores varied as expected. First-year basic skills writing students performed at lower levels than first-year students enrolled in traditional composition and cultural history courses; seniors performed at higher levels than sophomores and juniors. Because the NJIT ILS scores were designed to be curriculum sensitive, portfolio scores did not similarly follow grade levels. Analyses revealed weak correlations between portfolio and Core iSkills scores and moderate correlations between portfolio and Advanced iSkills scores. As two associated yet distinct systems of inquiry designed to explore undergraduate student performance, the ETS iSkills assessment and the NJIT ILS--taken both individually and together--yield important information regarding student performance.
Descriptors: Information Literacy, Information Skills, Skill Analysis, Case Studies, Undergraduate Students, Outcome Measures, Basic Skills, Portfolio Assessment, Performance Based Assessment, Writing Tests, Interrater Reliability, Scoring, Cohort Analysis, Correlation, Predictor Variables, Construct Validity, Achievement Gains
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Jersey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A