News & Blog

We’re proud to report that the Information Literacy Modules are being used in courses and programs across the university! Since the initial release of the modules in June 2008 to April 30, 2011, the modules have been used by 184 faculty members in 176 unique courses or programs. There have been 1520 instances created (or instructor-assigned versions) that have been accessed by 12,069 (unduplicated) students who have completed 47,215 assessments (includes multiple module topics) with an average score of 88.04%.

The modules are being used both in undergraduate and graduate courses. Interviews with frequent users of the modules indicate that faculty use the modules as individual assignments, as part of a larger assignment, as extra credit, or as an optional resource for students.

As always, please let us know if we can answer any questions regarding the modules!

Since the new Information Literacy Modules have recently been released, and as you begin a new semester, we want to remind you that you will need to create new instances for your classes so that scores from this semester will not be co-mingled with scores from previous semesters. You may also consider downloading any old scores you might need and then deleting old instances to avoid any confusion.

Also, you can use this link to view a brief module demo that highlights what is included in a module, if you would like more information!

We are pleased to announce that the Information Literacy Modules have been updated. Eleven of the twelve modules now have a 2nd set of assessment questions so that students will be tested with different questions upon their second attempt. Only one module remains unchanged. The RefWorks module will be updated in the next month to reflect features in the new version of RefWorks that was released on May 4th. As soon as the module is updated to the new version, you will be notified.

New features that make assigning the Information Literacy Modules even easier now allow you to send student scores directly to your Webcourses. To use this new feature when you create an instance, simply select your course from a drop down list, and then select the option to sync scores. A grade book column will be created and assessment scores will go directly into that column. Another new feature adds the date and time when students submit assessments. This feature can help you determine more accurately when students submit their assessments. Also, students will now receive an e-mail confirmation with their scores each time they complete a module assessment.

New versions of the information literacy modules will be available in May. The new versions will include an additional set of assessment questions for each module, and this new test bank will improve the rigor of each module. We’ve also updated content and graphics as needed for each module.

A system upgrade will also occur on May 5 and the system inaccessible. With this in mind, please make new instances of modules for your classes starting the week of May 9th to take advantage of this new test bank and new content. Note: You may want to delete old instances from previous semesters at the time you create new ones to eliminate confusion.

Yes, students receive an assessment completion email from the Obojobo system. Each time you submit an assessment score, you will receive an email notice. Emails are sent to your email address on record with UCF, which is usually your Knights email.

Yes, a new feature now allows you to see the date and time that students submit assessments.

UCF’s Information Literacy Modules are designed to support skills and concepts that enhance students’ information competencies. They include a range of topics such as avoiding plagiarism, the differences between scholarly and popular sources, applying search strategies, how to use Google Scholar, and criteria for evaluating websites. Module content is designed to aid students in interacting with a rich variety of diverse sources and to foster skills about how to identify, access, and use information.

To see what’s included in a module, please link to our Module Demo — or see our FAQ to learn more about the modules and assigning them in courses.

For additional questions or comments, please contact us at infolit@mail.ucf.edu

Information Literacy Modules Demo

We’ve created a brief video to give you an inside look at some content and features included in the Information Literacy Modules. You’ll see an overview of content, practice, and assessment screens from three of the modules. You’ll also see examples of student assessment scores that may be download for your courses.

Currently, there are twelve modules covering topics that are designed to help students learn skills for accessing, evaluating and using information sources.

Click the Play arrow in the module demo screen to begin viewing the demo!

Preparing for the 2011 Spring Semester ?

While you’re planning for the upcoming semester, please consider adding Infolit Modules to your courses.

We have twelve module topics that offer students an opportunity to learn and practice concepts related to finding and using information for their assignments.  Each module is designed to foster skills about how to identify, access and use information sources.

If you have questions about using the modules, please contact us.

End of semester reminders:

Due to upcoming system maintenance and updates, the Infolit Modules will not be available on the following dates:
12/17 10am-12pm, 12/19 9am-6pm, 12/20 (upgrade), 12/27 7am-12/28 5pm

We’d also like to draw your attention to a few recommended procedures related to saving scores for your current module instances and creating new module instances for the spring:

1. Download scores from the last term and save to your computer. If you have not already done so, we would suggest downloading scores from your instances and maintaining them with your student records. Reminder: you may use this same download process at any point in the term as the basis for uploading scores into MyUCFGrades, Webcourses@UCF, or any other grade book program that supports importing.

2. Make new instances. We recommend creating new instances each term since scores are permanently associated with a specific instance. Having spring term students using instances from a previous term will result in both sets of student data appearing on your score sheet.

To make new instances, begin here: http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty/getting-started/

3. Update any URLs that link to the old instances. Each instance URL ends with a unique ID number,so you may simply change this number in order to update URLs.

4. Delete old instances. In order to de-clutter your “My Instances” area, you might find it helpful to delete instances from previous semesters.

5. Provide the link to log-in information when you provide instance URLs to students. Detailed information on logging in to the information literacy modules is available for students at http://infolit.ucf.edu/students/help/#article457

6. Provide tech support links to students when you provide instance URLs. Tech support for students (and faculty) is available through the Ask A Librarian service (http://library.ucf.edu/ask). Please encourage students to make contact with Ask A Librarian via phone, email, IM, or chat if they encounter any difficulties with content or technology. You might also refer students to the Frequently Asked Questions at http://infolit.ucf.edu/students/help. (If you choose to help students yourself, you might also find the faculty FAQs useful in addressing student issues: http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty/faq.)

Happy Holidays!