Assessing an Information Literacy Assignment and Workshop Using a Quasi-Experimental Design

To determine the impact of an assignment and workshop intended to increase students’ information literacy skills, we conducted a quasi-experiment using a pretest-posttest assessment with undergraduate students in four sections of an introduction to developmental psychology course. Two sections (N = 81) received the assignment and instructions only, acting as the control group; two sections (N = 76) received the librarian-led workshop in addition to the assignment and instructions. Results of an independent-samples t-test revealed a significant difference on posttest scores on students’ information literacy skills between those who participated in the workshop and those who did not. There was also a positive change in students’ subjective views of their ability to use the library and online library resources.