Assessing Information Literacy for Transfer Student Success

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Karen Stanley Grigg, Science Liaison Librarian (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: While University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Libraries has an extensive first-year library instruction program, our significant population of transfer students have not taken part in this initiative. Librarians often teach 300- and 400-level courses to students who have a diverse range of educational experiences, and it became clear that this meant students came to UNCG with just as diverse a variety of information literacy skills. We were unable to identify how much information literacy instruction transfer students have had or how skilled they are with library research when they arrive on campus. A literature search on transfer students and information literacy skills yielded scant results at that time that we could use as a basis for our understanding of this population. Since we wanted to serve this population in a more focused manner, three librarians in the Research, Outreach, and Instruction department formed a research team and surveyed all incoming transfer students in the fall of 2014. The goal of the research study was to identify the information literacy skills and needs of our incoming transfer students to find opportunities to provide needed outreach and instruction to help these students succeed. We asked basic demographic questions, gave several “test” questions related to information literacy, and asked the students what skills they believed they needed help obtaining.

Additional Information

Publication
Language: English
Date: 2017
Keywords
Academic libraries, Information literacy, Transfer students, Library instruction

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