Assessment in the One-Shot Session: Using Pre- and Post-tests to Measure Innovative Instructional Strategies among First-Year Students

Many studies focus on the use of different assessment tools within information literacy instruction; however, there are very few that discuss how preand post-tests can be utilized to gauge student learning, and even fewer of those published deal with preand post-test assessment within the one-shot paradigm. This study explores the effectiveness of using nonlinguistic representations—kinesthetic, graphic, and physical models—in one-shot library sessions for first-year students in SLU 100 Introduction to the University Experience. As hypothesized, the findings suggest that the use of such representations can enhance student learning and assist in developing research skills that are essential to acquiring information literacy. Introduction Developing effective methods of teaching information literacy skills to first-year students is a continuing project; while many methods have been proposed, there is not one sure-fire technique that ensures students learn and integrate the skills they need in order to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively. Assessment is an important element of instructional design that enables librarians to gauge what students are learning and provides information that can be utilized in designing more effective lessons. Pre-and post-tests are especially useful in that they can demonstrate the degree to which specific instructional strategies affect student learning. This article will discuss the use of preand post-tests within one-shot sessions designed to introduce first-year students to basic elements of information literacy. In addition, we attempted to ascertain the usefulness of effective instructional strategies identified by Midcontinent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) Institute. CO LL EG E & RE SE AR CH L IB RA RI ES P RE -P RI NT