While the TAL instructional program is not credit-bearing with full-time equivalent students (FTES), the department does have shared student learning outcomes (SLOs) for various aspects of our activities. All TAL faculty participate in the first year experience curriculum and provide general reference/research help. These areas most clearly lend themselves to shared learning outcomes.
Subject specialist library faculty are responsible for partnering with particular academic programs to provide students with learning experiences focused on inquiry, research, and curiosity. There is more variability here in terms of learning outcomes. Subject specialists can use departments’ shared SLOs as a framework for their subject specific work. In addition, library faculty have worked with college faculty on drafting and revising SLOs related to information literacy, critical thinking, and other major learning outcomes. These partnerships have resulted in not only learning experiences and materials but also assessment efforts within majors.
Drafting learning outcomes that are applicable to all aspects of TAL is especially challenging since the curriculum exists out of the typical boundaries of credit-bearing, degree granting programs. However, TAL’s focus on developing the student-scholar as both an information consumer and knowledge producer indicates that the primary focus is not merely the development of research skills or information literacy. Instead, research skills and information literacy are the manifestation of the habits of mind, dispositions, and approaches of a student-scholar. With this in mind, TAL’s learning outcomes are divided into two categories: the development of the student-scholar (and beyond the academy, the lifelong learner) and the skills and abilities needed to use and create information.
Becoming a student scholar/engaged community member
As a result of learning experiences from TAL faculty, CSUSM graduates will have the dispositions and habits of mind of engaged members of their regional and global community. They will:
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Demonstrate engagement in the scholarly process
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Display characteristics of a student-scholar identity
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Describe actions of a lifelong learners
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Above Standard |
Meets standard |
Approaching standard |
Emerging |
|
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Engagement in the scholarly process |
Pursues scholarly inquiry as an engaged actor in the scholarly process |
Participates in the scholarly inquiry process |
Articulates the variations of the scholarly inquiry process |
Describes common steps in the scholarly inquiry process |
|
Student-scholar identity |
Values role as participant in knowledge creation as student-scholar |
Participates in knowledge creation as student-scholar |
Articulates the characteristics of the student-scholar.
May demonstrate characteristics of student-scholar. |
Demonstrates awareness of student-scholar as user and creator of knowledge |
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Dispositions and habits of mind as student-scholar |
Consistently approaches inquiry as a student-scholar
Critical user of information as well as knowledge creator. |
Inconsistently demonstrates a variety of characteristics of student-scholars |
Describes a variety of dispositions/ habits of mind of student-scholars.
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Awareness of dispositions/ habits of mind of students-scholars (e.g. research doesn’t happen in one sitting) |
Information use and creation
As a result of the learning experiences from TAL faculty, CSUSM graduates will:
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Identify issues, perspectives, or problems clearly and in multiple contexts.
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Distinguish between relevant/credible sources, ideas, and information.
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Analyze and consider multiple points of view, perspectives, or solutions with a comparative approach.
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Formulate clear and well-stated plans, solutions, or outcomes using logical conclusions.
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Act ethically when using information.
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Above standard |
Meets standard |
Approaching standard |
Emerging |
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Identify |
Clear method of distinguishing between fact/opinion and credible/relevant
Sophisticated understanding of multiple perspectives |
Distinguishes between fact and opinion
Evaluates sources/ideas as credible/relevant
Recognizes multiple perspectives |
Recognizes fact and opinion as categories
Awareness of multiple perspectives
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Limited ability to distinguish fact from opinion
Limited understanding of credible/relevant sources/ideas
Unable to recognize multiple perspectives |
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Analyze |
Articulates sophisticated arguments, plans, or solutions using inductive/deductive reasoning skills and methods |
Articulates logical arguments, plans, or solutions using inductive and/or deductive reasoning skills and clear method(s) |
Articulates possible arguments, plans, or solutions with imprecise reasoning |
Articulates possible arguments, plans, or solutions with little or not logical approach |
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Formulate/ |
Provides logical conclusions/finished ideas informed by a full range of evidence from multiple and suitable sources
Reasoning reflects complexity and avoids fallacies |
Provides logical conclusions/ finished ideas informed by multiple sources
Avoids fallacious reasoning |
Provides logical conclusions/ finished ideas that are loosely tied to evidence from sources of varying credibility
Demonstrates some fallacious reasoning |
Provides logical conclusions/ finished ideas that are not tied to evidence
Limited range of evidence/sources
Demonstrates fallacious reasoning |
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Ethics |
Provides appropriate attribution of information |
Appropriately attributes information sources, but with some inconsistencies |
Provides attribution of some information sources in some instances |
Provides minimal attribution of information sources |
A sample of research published by TAL librarians on assessment in academic libraries is below.
Sonntag, G. and Meulemans, Y.N. (2004). “Planning for assessment.” In B. Avery (Ed.) Assessing Student Learning Outcomes for Information Literacy Instruction in Academic Institutions. Chicago, IL: American Library Association Publishers.