Assessing the Research Process Improves the Product: Results of a Faculty-Librarian Collaboration

Abstract

When an education professor and a reference librarian sought to improve the quality of undergraduate student research skills, their partnership led to a new focus on assessing the literature review process in addition to the product. In this study, we reflect on our collaborative experience introducing information literacy as the foundation for undergraduate teacher education research skills. We examine the outcomes of this collaboration, focusing on the assessment of the process. Using a mixed methods approach, we found that direct instruction supporting effective literature review research strategies positively impacted student projects. Our data also suggest that undergraduate students benefit from not only sound literature review strategies, but also organization strategies.

Keywords

• Information Literacy
• research process
• skills development