Information literacy in a freshman learning community.

Abstract

This article describes the library information literacy component of San Jose State University's Metropolitan University Scholar Experience (MUSE), a freshman learning community program first implemented in Fall 2002. Although information literacy programs existed prior to MUSE, there was no library program directed at entering freshman. Students often went through many years of college without gaining an understanding of library research or developing necessary skills in finding, evaluating, and using information ethically and legally. MUSE was created to fill that gap and infuse information literacy into freshman learning with library sessions teaching freshman such essential research skills as where to look for information, how to evaluate it, and how to incorporate it into research.

Introduction

Learning communities have been a part of university life since 1927, but they have enjoyed an exciting renaissance in the last ten years as more colleges and universities have implemented their own unique teaching and learning strategies (Naretto, Noel, Levitz, Saluri et al). In their various manifestations, learning communities are gaining currency through successful assessment results and the use of powerful teaching models which include interdisciplinary linked courses, peer learning, experiential learning, and a focus on learning rather than on teaching. Alexander Astin's finding that "the single most powerful source of influence on the undergraduate student's academic and personal development is the peer group," has also been revolutionary and is helping to provide needed ammunition for peer learning (6). Libraries have increasingly become involved in learning communities although the library literature does not yet reflect a widespread involvement. San Jose State University (SJSU) launched its own learning community Fall 2002 with the Metropolitan University Scholar Experience (MUSE) program Prior to MUSE implementation, SJSU's Clark Library had a well-organized information literacy program consisting of several required classes both involving library components but there was of yet no information literacy training given to entering freshman, the most crucial group at the university in terms of need. To implement MUSE, faculty collaborated from the beginning of the planning stages with librarians to teach freshman skills such as critical inquiry and exploration, basic learning skills, and responsibility as students and learners. Library statistics gathered from MUSE students, faculty, and librarians on the efficacy of library involvement in MUSE and information literacy skill building indicate that MUSE classes significantly improved the information literacy skills of freshmen. This paper will evaluate the library program and propose future improvements.

Literature Review

In spite of the recent efflorescence of learning communities and the voluminous amount of current literature in the field of education which includes several excellent online resources such as The National Resource Center for the First Year Experience http://www.sc.edu/fye/ and the National Learning Communities Directory http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/06_directory_entry.asp, "the number of articles that include the academic library as a key element of the learning community is surprisingly small" (Frank et al 1008). How involved is the academic library in the university learning community? Most articles on the subject acknowledge that libraries play an important part in learning communities. Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) President Mary Reichel who chose "ACRL: The Learning Community for Excellence in Academic Libraries" as her 2001-2002 presidential theme, states:

   Academic librarians know that learning how to search for information
   and ideas and how to evaluate the worth of the information found is
   crucial for an educated person. Information literacy also focuses on
   the learner and the process of learning as well as the ideas,
   knowledge, and facts to be learned (818).

What exactly can the academic library contribute to learning communities? The goals of learning communities can be said to encompass these crucial concepts: 1) The creation of smaller groups in which students can more easily make the transition from small high school settings to large college classes which foster intimacy and ease of learning, 2) Student socialization facilitated by peer-learning, and 3) Facilitation of critical thinking through interdisciplinary ways of looking at classes. Librarians can work as collaborators in the facilitation of critical thinking and in the development of student research skills. They can aid in the development of strategies used in critical thinking and teach students how information is both structured and organized. Joan Lippincott sees librarians transitioning to a much more collaborative role in learning communities. Her table of contrasting traditional library instruction and learning community library collaboration shows librarians moving from roles of "guest lecturer" to "librarian as faculty partner" and from the position of "librarian as expert" to "librarian learns and teaches" (192). The library literature offers many examples of successful collaborations between faculty and librarians (Brodsky, Burtle, Frank et al, Meulemans, St. Clair, and Sugarman) and freshman learning communities where librarians have worked in partnership with faculty to facilitate freshman critical thinking and information literacy skills exist at the University of Hawaii, the University of Utah, and Georgia State University. These model programs show that librarians can collaborate effectively with faculty in the design of and integration of information literacy into freshman learning programs.

San Jose State University Demographics

SJSU is a highly diverse commuter campus. Out of a total of 30, 350 students enrolled in 2002, 17, 821 of those students, or more than half, were minority students. Among the minorities, Asians numbered highest. SJSU is one of the largest campuses of the California State Universities and the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast. In 2002 there were 5065 freshman. The university offers more than 134 bachelors and masters degrees with over 110 concentrations. 622 freshman students took MUSE for the first time in Fall 2002 semester and 698 students served as a control group.

University MUSE Program

SJSU Freshman Needs

MUSE was created by Provost Marshall Goodman who was previously involved in learning communities at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee to address problems of freshman retention and a perceived lack of campus community at SJSU. SJSU is an urban college located in downtown San Jose. Many students commute to college and often spend little time on campus outside of class. Students are also overwhelmed by large classes and a large campus. MUSE was formed to help create small communities of learners who would feel comfortable with each other and their professor and who would develop a sense of university community through group activities on campus. Class size consisted of 15 students or less in order to decrease the feelings of intimidation caused by large classes with limited opportunities for student teacher interaction. A peer mentor center was created and a variety of MUSE activities designed to further student bonding and a sense of community were offered to freshman.

SJSU Freshman Information Literacy Needs

Because SJSU students were often entering with minimal or insufficient research skills the library component of MUSE was designed to improve the research skills of entering freshman and make the research experience less intimidating. The Fall 2003 opening of the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, a revolutionary and exciting combination of the San Jose State University library and the main branch of the San Jose Public Library (SJPL), also increased the need for library guidance and orientation exponentially for SJSU students. The brand new state of the art library has eight floors, forty group study rooms, four teaching classrooms, and 100 laptops for student in-house use, and combines the print and online collections of the SJSU library and the largest branch of SJPL (1). Librarians were involved in planning for the MUSE program from the very beginning and attended a faculty retreat where they gave presentations on information literacy to future MUSE faculty. The information literacy goals of ACRL's Standards of Information Literacy Instruction which can be summarized into the following five components: 1) recognize when information is needed, 2) locate information efficiently, 3) evaluate information effectively, 4) use information effectively, and 5) understand the legal and ethical uses of information (2) were integrated into the goals of the program. MUSE was taught for the first time in Fall 2002 and librarians collaborated with faculty by conducting 95 hours of library related sessions. Approximately 622 freshmen students registered for MUSE classes and 100 faculty were involved in instruction. MUSE classes were used to fulfill Core General Education courses which provided incentive for students and faculty were given the freedom to design the seminars around areas of interest which generated faculty incentive.

MUSE As A Learning Community

The MUSE program does not fit into any of the traditional learning community structures such as freshman interest groups, learning clusters, or federated learning communities but is instead composed of small groups of 15 students or less and provides opportunities for student bonding and peer mentoring through workshops and the use of peer mentors. Workshops scheduled for fall 2003 include sessions on academic writing skills, test taking skills, selecting a major, and using the library. Peer mentors who provide models of successful students close in age to the average age of first-year students are used to help create a supportive environment for freshmen. A peer mentor center staffed solely by peer mentors which provides research help, technology assistance, campus information, and life skills advising was created to be a resource for freshman students outside of class. Many of the MUSE faculty included experiential learning in their coursework which enabled students to relate more personally to their community. MUSE 2002 program director Annette Nellen offered a variety of opportunities for both students and faculty to assess and provide comments and suggestions on the MUSE classes and was rewarded with positive feedback.

MUSE Goals and Objectives

MUSE has two primary goals for students: 1) to create strong foundations for students to become university level students and scholars, and 2) to help acclimate students to both the intellectual and social activities of university life. The key abilities of a university scholar are four pronged and consist of: 1) Basic skills for learning, 2) Ability to lay a foundation to understand a subject, 3) Ability to engage in critical inquiry and exploration, and 4) Responsibility as a student and learner (3). Students are given A Spartan Scholar From The Start: A Guide to Academic Success and University Life for SJSU Students which is a handy guidebook on how to succeed in the university environment. The contents include both history and background on the university, tips to campus success such as selecting courses, taking notes, studying dos and don't, and guides to using the library and being information literate which were authored by librarians.

MUSE Class Format

MUSE instructors are given the freedom to design courses on subjects they are most interested in. There is no required format for classes but faculty must fill out a MUSE Course Design and Evaluation Checklist several months before instruction begins. This checklist requires faculty to describe how they will fulfill various general education and MUSE requirements, what the student learning objectives will be, and how student learning will be assessed. The checklists are designed to fulfill general education requirements. Each checklist is focused on a specific area of general education such as physical sciences or humanities and arts. The completed checklist must then be approved by the Undergraduate Studies Department. Some of the titles of classes taught Fall 2002 include "Frankenstein and Popular Myths of Genetic Engineering in Film," "Catastrophic Events: Impacts, Solution and You," and "From Insects to Jumbo Jets: The Science of Flight." A complete list of Fall 2003 MUSE offerings can be found online (4).

Information Literacy at San Jose State University

San Jose State University's library department rose to meet the challenge of instilling information literacy skills in students under the umbrella leadership of library dean, Patricia Breivik, past president of ACRL and board member of the National Information Literacy Committee. San Jose State is involved in information literacy at two levels: one is a library component to English 1B, which is a required class of all students, while the other is a library component to Writing 100 classes, which are required writing classes for most majors. Librarians generally teach 10-20 library sessions of Writing 100 classes which students normally take in either their junior or senior year. English 1B is especially effective since students must first complete an information literacy module called InfoPOWER, which assesses their information literacy skills, and pinpoints areas which students need more work in. Statistics from InfoPOWER are tabulated and librarians then focus in on areas of needed improvement during the teaching session. InfoPOWER was adapted from the Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT) information literacy module and teaches information literacy through a chosen subject of interest.

In spite of the success of the library component of both English 1B and Writing 100 classes, the group most needing information literacy skills was not being addressed. Although English 1B was set up to be taken early in the academic year, many students generally did not take the class until later. Writing 100 classes were often not taken until right before graduation so freshman who were most in need of research skills and an understanding of the library and information literacy skills, were not being addressed. Since most students who drop out of school do so in the first year, learning communities can be especially effective in instilling a sense of community and belonging to students who are overwhelmed by a new and different environment, large classrooms, and the impersonal feeling a large campus can create. The library also felt it was important to give this crucial group of students important guidance on how to use the library and how to understand and use information resources effectively. The advent of the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library has also increased the need for library guidance and orientation.

San Jose State University MUSE Library Sessions

Librarians collaborated with faculty in a variety of ways to help students learn valuable research skills. Since freshman generally came to SJSU with limited research and library skills it was important to teach not only where information was found but also what kinds of information sources were used in college research. While there was no set format for library sessions all sessions were guided by the basic need to show freshman where to find information sources, how to evaluate them, and how to use them properly. There were a total of 95 hours of library sessions taught with the most common library session consisting of a lecture on basic library services, resources, layout, and appropriate subject databases followed by a hands-on session during which students practiced searching in the databases taught. Library sessions were taught in one of the two library computer labs which have computer stations for each student. The library employs Altiris software which allows the library instructor to control the computer screens of the student during the lecture. When the librarian finishes the lecture the software is turned off and students are at liberty to practice using the databases learned. The students see the same screens that the instructor brings up on their computer. A typical session lasted 1.5 hours and begin with an introduction to the physical library and where the materials were located, a short 5 minute lecture on various SJSU library services, and basic database search instructions as well as how to search in Infotrac, an interdisciplinary database which covers most subjects. Many librarians then incorporated the MUSE course content into the session with instruction on searching in various subject related databases. This was followed by a hands-on session of typically thirty minutes during which students had time to practice searching for sources for an assignment in one of the databases covered. Some library sessions consisted of MUSE homework assistance and research assistance to classroom faculty while other librarians combined their lecture with a library tour. One particularly innovative approach to MUSE consisted of two parts; 1) the completion of San Jose State University's InfoPOWER module, and 2) a class session with the librarian during which students filled out worksheets evaluating books, journals, and websites. Another innovative approach was a two-part class session during which library basics (resources, login procedures, and layout) were taught the first session and more advanced searching during the second session. Many librarians limited their information to database use, login procedures, library resources, and library layout, but some librarians also included sections in their handouts on note taking and other research skills.

San Jose State University Muse Assessment

Assessment of the MUSE program was conducted by the university MUSE assessment team as well as by librarians and consisted of both pre and post course surveys and library session evaluations. The MUSE assessment faculty team administered a pre-course and post course survey to MUSE students and the control group of non-MUSE freshmen students. The pre-course survey was administered during the second week of classes and students were asked a total of 20 questions. Four out of the twenty questions addressing information literacy and libraries. Student search competency and ability to evaluate resources showed a marked improvement after MUSE completion. Students who felt competent searching for coursework increased from pre-course survey scores of 33.8% to post-course survey scores of 38.9% while students who always felt competent searching for coursework increased from 9.4% on the pre-course survey to 15.3% on the post-course survey. Data collected by the University MUSE Assessment Team also shows that students who took MUSE courses felt better able to identify reliable information when doing research then students taking Writing Courses (Courses Taken to Fulfill SJSU Writing Requirements) or First Year Courses (Courses Taken During the First Academic Year). See issue's website <http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/fal2003.htm>

San Jose State University Library Assessment Data

Librarians involved in teaching MUSE submitted evaluation forms to both MUSE professors and students and also filled out a self-evaluation form. Faculty and students were both asked the following questions: 1) What part of today's hands-on session was most informative, 2) What changes would you have liked to see incorporated into today's session, and 3) Topic of library session. In addition, students were asked to list problems encountered while using the library. MUSE teaching librarians were asked to fill out forms specifying 1) Method used to contact faculty, and 2) What was done to support the MUSE program and also asked to turn in any handouts used to facilitate the class. Faculty found the instruction on pin numbers and databases most useful in the library sessions. An interesting finding was that approximately one third of faculty wanted changes incorporated into the session (16 of 59). Ten out of fifty-nine faculty thought that working with librarians on developing assignments and incorporating library information into the syllabus would result in a more successful integration of information competency into their MUSE class. Eight out of sixty-six librarians answered that they would either collaborate with faculty or prepare an assignment prior to doing the MUSE library session which indicates a desire for greater faculty/librarian collaboration similar to that of faculty. These results indicate that both faculty and librarians felt that greater collaboration involved in preparation for the library session would result in a more successful session.

Outcomes

The MUSE Program at SJSU is still in its infancy and work needs to be done in a number of areas but assessment results show that MUSE students learned more about campus resources, gained a greater sense of campus community, and developed better skills at identifying reliable information than students in both First Year Courses and in Writing Courses. Assessment also indicates that students felt better able to search for and evaluate information as a result of their MUSE library experience.

Future goals include revision of pre and post surveys to encompass each ACRL standard and the creation of online modules on library orientation, plagiarism and citation dos and don't, basic database use, and how to find books and articles. This will free librarians to spend their library session on more course-integrated instruction and to focus on concepts of information literacy rather than on library services and resources. The most ambitious goal of all is to better integrate information competency into the MUSE course curriculum. In a close study of the MUSE 2002 course syllabi SJSU librarian Christina Peterson found that most MUSE syllabi met basic levels of ACRL information competency standards but only a few met advanced levels. The study can also serve as an assessment tool to further librarian faculty collaboration on integration of information literacy skills into the curriculum. SJSU assessment from the first year of MUSE clearly shows greater levels of information competency in freshman and a willingness for greater librarian/faculty collaboration. The task of building university scholars capable of critical thinking and other information literacy skills at SJSU is succeeding.

Notes

(1.) Additional information about the new joint SJSU and SJPL Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library can be found at http://www.sjlibrary.org/

(2.) Association of College and Research Standards can be found at http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Standards_and_Guidelines/ Objectives_for_Information_Literacy_Instruction_A_Model_Statement_for_ Academic_Librarians.htm

(3.) Additional-information about San Jose State University's MUSE Program can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/muse/.

(4.) The 2003 MUSE class list and a description of the classes can be found online at http://www.sjsu.edu/muse/new_page_10.htm.

References

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St. Clair, Linda. "The LEAPing Librarian's Role in A Campus Learning Community: Helping Students Get Through Their Freshman Year." College and Research Libraries News. Vol. 63 no. 1 January 2002: 24-26.

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Toby Leigh Matoush, San Jose State University, CA

Matoush is Reference/Instruction Librarian and Assistant Professor. She is currently MUSE Coordinator for the SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. Her research focus is information literacy for minority and at risk groups.