Assessing Undergraduate Information Literacy Skills Using Project SAILS

Abstract

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) is a metropolitan institution that serves a large number of students from nontraditional, first-generation, and ethnically diverse populations in an increasingly online environment. One challenge for UALR is how the university can encourage student retention and graduation, as undergraduate student success is a major focus of current campus initiatives. Recognizing that information literacy skills contribute to student success, UALR conducted an assessment of undergraduates using the Project SAILS cohort test. Collecting data using a combination of the SAILS instrument, a Blackboard community, and WordPress forms, librarians at the Ottenheimer Library collected information literacy data for freshmen students in ten sections of lower-level courses and senior students in twenty-four sections of upper-level level courses. The results of the SAILS assessment indicate that students are arriving on campus without the research skills needed for academic success. Consequently, librarian and faculty partnerships are important to provide research intensive experiences throughout the curriculum to promote the development of research skills and student success.