Assessing the Value of Course-Embedded Information Literacy on Student Learning and Achievement

Sara Davidson Squibb is Head, User Communication & Instruction, University of California, Merced Library, e-mail: [email protected]; Susan Mikkelsen is Teacher Librarian, Merced High, (formerly, Instruction & Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of California, Merced Library), e-mail: [email protected]. © 2016 Sara Davidson Squibb and Susan Mikkelsen, Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) CC BY-NC 3.0. A team at the University of California, Merced, collaborated to evaluate the value of integrating information literacy into introductory composition courses through a curriculum developed by librarians and writing faculty. Using a mixed-methods approach, the team investigated the impact of the curriculum on students’ learning and achievement at the end of their first semester of college. Students participating in the curriculum demonstrated greater gains than their peers in using suitable sources and presenting arguments and multiple viewpoints with evidence. This learning did not translate to higher student achievement as represented by course grades and grade point average.