As Horst mentioned, there exists intrinsic value for program improvement “there isn’t always an understanding ,” but, she says re-assuringly, “once people see the value, they become engaged.” In hopes to ensure students continue to learn these valuable and mandated skills and improve over the course of time, Clarke and team set up plans to make a major change to the online curriculum and assessment measures. In the past, data revealed that not many students were successful at mastering Information Literacy skills-which are part of General Education and are mandated by the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV). However, there is no traditional course that is structured around Information Literacy skill development, so Clarke and team have created an online curriculum: a series of six tutorial videos ( The Madison Research Essentials Toolkit) for students to watch and learn before taking a required direct measures assessment, the MREST: the Madison Research Essential Skills Test. In order to be deemed competent in Information Literacy, JMU students must: (1) recognize that information is available in a variety of forms including, but not limited to, text, images, and visual media (2) determine when information is needed and find it efficiently using a variety of reference sources (3) evaluate the quality of the information (4) use information effectively for a purpose (5) employ appropriate technologies to create an information-based product and (6) use information ethically and legally. Information Literacy skills are articulated through six student learning outcomes (SLOs) adopted from the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Tim Ball to create better learning opportunities for students. Christine DeMars, General Education Cluster One Coordinator Gretchen Hazard, and innovative Communication Studies professors such as Dr. Clarke, librarian and professor at JMU, enthusiastically collaborates with a dedicated team of supportive JMU administrators, “the powerhouse that is CARS ” which includes assessment liaisons Dr. The re-structuring of General Education, campus-wide implementation of measurable objectives, and a dedicated predecessor, Lynn Cameron, created for Clarke an ingrained work ethic centered on improved student learning. As with many programs on campus, the foundation for Information Literacy skills development and assessment was laid long before Clarke arrived at JMU.
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