A rubric approach to assessing information literacy competency in tertiary curricula

Synopsis

Systematic analysis of undergraduate curriculum design and assessment is required to ensure real world experiences are embedded in a degree structure for a high level of information literacy (IL) attainment. IL competencies and skills are critical for successful graduate outcomes. In this presentation, we describe a framework we developed using a constructive alignment approach to develop the Student Attributes for Information Literacy (SAIL) and accompanying rubric with outcomes that categorize depth of application over degree progression. The rubric was used to audit IL in core units of a multidisciplinary Bachelor of Environmental Science degree before and after a cycle of curriculum design. SAIL’s rubric provides educators with a practical and repeatable approach to identifying IL development in units of learning. The SAIL rubric found that IL, for most core units, was taught, practiced, and assessed at the foundational level. At the advanced level, however, students had limited opportunities for literacy training, practice, and assessment in a digital context. The rubric approach to mapping IL attribute achievement highlighted where the critical student competency in information literacy is lacking at the advanced levels of the program since curriculum change. In this presentation discuss how this can be addressed in current iterations of the course, and applications of the rubric beyond the exemplified discipline.

Uplift Element

Rubrics and Feedback