CofC Libraries Instruction and Assessment: FYE Synthesis, 2015-2016

In collaboration with the College of Charleston's First Year Experience Program (FYE), the CofC Libraries offers a Library Synthesis Workshop that provides an introduction to library services and information literacy skills (such as generating effective keywords and finding relevant sources in the library). This program and workshop is developed to meet the needs of all students attending their first year of college.

The format of the Library Synthesis Workshop is updated and reworked every year to address the changing trends in the ACRL Information Literacy Standards/Framework and technology. This year, the workshop consisted of three components:

• Utilizing an online Word Map tool to generate subtopics and keywords on a general theme
• Using keywords to find relevant sources in the library catalog and Academic Search Complete database
• Evaluating sources to determine their academic standards

This interactive workshop utilized Google Docs, where students were able to work in groups and synthesize the session's theme together. Not all FYE courses are alike, so each class had a Library Synthesis Workshop theme that applied to their particular subject. This gave students the chance to be involved in a research activity that was relevant to their future FYE coursework. At the end of the session, each student in the group was able to print their own copy of the work and submit it in their FYE Portfolio.

Assessments on the workshop were provided to FYE students, library instructors, and FYE Peer Facilitators. Feedback has been generally positive, with many individuals appreciating the interactivity the workshop provided.

Possible FYE adjustments for the future:

• individual work instead of group work to increase productivity
• a pre-workshop assignment for students to explore library services on their own before meeting with a library instructor
• more general templates for easier customization with differing FYE courses