Using a Rubric to Assess Freshman English Library Instruction

Loyola Marymount University’s (LMU) Reference Department redesigned their freshman English library instruction so that all freshmen get a consistent and measurable experience using the library. In order to move to a more outcomes-based approach that measures what students can do with the information literacy skills we teach them, the Department designed an interactive five-module introduction to the research process that can be evaluated. All teaching materials were inserted onto a “LibGuide” content management system. Students sequentially complete an “English 110 Library Research Worksheet” as they work through the five-module research process and receive library instruction.

The Department also designed a rubric that analyzes learning outcomes from parts of the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education1 to apply to collected student worksheets. The rubric ranks each student on a 1-3 point scale of beginning, developing, or proficient for all five modules. Overall areas of weakness were communicated to the Director of the Freshman English Program, and the worksheet and teaching materials were revised for the lower-scoring modules. The redesigned curriculum and rubric led to standardization in library instruction across all freshman English classes and new benchmarks for the next academic year in student worksheet scores.