INFORMATION LITERACY, CRITICAL THINKING, AND

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION ACROSS THE UNDERGRADUATE

YEARS: A RUBRIC STRATEGY

Carol Ann Gittens, Gail Gradowski & Christa Bailey

Santa Clara University

WASC Academic Resource Conference

Session D1

April 25, 2014

PROJECT GOALS

Assess Core Competencies across the

curriculum

Manageable assessment strategy

Leverage existing sources of evidence

Valid measurement across varied

disciplines / courses / contexts

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS: CTIL

Alignment of CTIL Core Competencies with existing learning goals and outcomes

Identifying performances

Rubric development

Setting performance standards

CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT RUBRICS: Assignment or Learning Outcome Holistic vs. Analytical Scale: How Many Levels? Exercise Info Literacy: Don’t reinvent the

wheel!

DEVELOPING A RUBRIC: 4 STEPS Reflection on expectations for student

performance Listing of needed skills and evidence of

mastery Grouping and Labeling dimensions and

scale Criteria with supporting explanation

LEVERAGING EXISTING SOURCES OF EVIDENCE

Already existing SLOs

CTW 1 & 2

Faculty Developed Performances

SCU CORE CURRICULUM: CRITICAL THINKING &WRITING (CTW 1 & 2)Critical Thinking & Writing 2 Objectives – Students will

2.1 Read and write with a critical point of view that demonstrates greater depth of thought and a more thorough understanding of the rhetorical situation than in CTW 1.

2.2 Write research-based essays that contain well-supported arguable theses and that demonstrate personal engagement and clear purpose.

2.3 Independently and deliberately locate, select, and appropriately use and cite evidence that is ample, credible, and smoothly integrated into an intellectually honest argument.

2.4 Analyze the rhetorical differences, both constraints and possibilities, of different modes of presentation.

2.5 Reflect more deeply than in CTW 1 upon the writing process as a mode of thinking and learning that can be generalized across range of writing and thinking tasks.

DEVELOPING AN INFORMATION LITERACY RUBRIC – PHASE 1

Drawing upon existing IL rubric examples

Modification and Calibration

CALIBRATION ON THE CT RUBRIC Holistic rubric Skills and

Dispositions Key features in

each level Break point(s)

APPLYING THE CTIL RUBRICS

Score the sample paper #73 (Handout 1)

Use both the CT and the IL rubric (Handouts 2 & 5)

Work independently! If time allows, compare

and discussion your scores

Debrief

WHAT MADE THIS DIFFICULT?

OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME Variability of assignment formats Rubric not developed for a specific

assignment Not having assignment prompts Necessary flexibility in the rubric language Ambiguity of phrases in rubric Scorers’ familiarity with course /

assignment / texts Insufficient training and calibration Alignment of assignment with learning

objectives

ESTABLISHING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Considerations – who are the students?

CT Performance Standards:Normal distributionModal performance: Level 3Average ≥ 3

IL Performance Standards: 100% Level 2 or higher 50% Level 3 or higher

RESULTS FOR CRITICAL THINKING

CT Performance Standards:• Normal distribution• Modal performance: Level 3• Average ≥ 3

RESULTS FOR INFORMATION LITERACY: DOMAINS 1 & 5

IL Performance Standards: 100% Level 2 or higher 50% Level 3 or higher

RESULTS FOR INFORMATION LITERACY: DOMAINS 2, 3 & 4

IL Performance Standards: 100% Level 2 or higher 50% Level 3 or higher

CLOSING THE LOOP: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED SO FAR? Greater attention to particular components

of Information Literacy Assumptions about performance standards

Limitation of using CTW with STS / new Core

Rubric revisions Findings require replication

LAUNCH OF PHASE 2

EXPANDING TO INCLUDE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Natural extension of CTIL project

Opportunity to refine rubrics

CTW and Advanced Writing

Faculty Developed Performances across disciplines!

ePortfolio initiative

SCU CORE CURRICULUM: ADVANCED WRITINGAdvanced Writing Objectives – Students will

1.1 Read and write with a critical point of view that depth of thought and is mindful of the rhetorical situation of a specific discipline.

1.2 Write essays that contain well-supported arguable theses and that demonstrate personal engagement and clear purpose.

1.3 Independently and deliberately locate, select, and appropriately use and cite evidence that is ample, credible, and smoothly integrated into an intellectually honest argument appropriate for a particular discipline.

1.4 Consciously understand their writing processes as modes of learning and intentionally manipulate those processes in response to diverse learning tasks.

Rubric scoring – CTIL plus written communication

Core Competencies at additional points in the curriculum?

Faculty development in CTIL Assignment design workshops

ALIGNMENT OF ASSIGNMENT WITH LEARNING OBJECTIVES / RUBRIC

THANK YOU!