Intended Student Learning Outcome #1

This assessment was for the first SUNY Learning Outcomes in Information Management.

  • Students will perform the basic operations of personal computer use.

Geneseo Learning Outcomes in Information Management

Students will demonstrate the ability to

  • Identify, access, and use the basic operating system features of a personal computer.
  • Identify, access, and operate the appropriate software for a given task.
  • Access and navigate the Intranet.
  • Access, navigate, and evaluate information and resources on the Internet.
  • Use a computer to communicate with others.

SUNY Learning Outcomes in Information Management

Students will:

    • perform the basic operations of personal computer use;
    • understand and use basic research techniques; and
    • locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from a variety of sources.
Alignment with institutional mission and goalsPlease type text in boxes below. They will expand as needed.
College Mission Reference


Relevant College Values ReferenceLearning: Embracing high expectations for intellectual inquiry, critical thinking, scholarly exploration, and personal growth.
Relevant Strategic Plan Focus Area
Relevant Program Goal or Learning OutcomeGeneral Education
First Means of AssessmentPlease type text in boxes below. They will expand as needed.

Procedures & Criterion for

Success

Under the heading of "Information Management,” Geneseo assesses only the first of the three SUNY learning outcomes listed above. Geneseo assesses the second and third SUNY outcomes under the heading of Basic Research.

To assess students' ability to perform the basic operations of personal computer use, Geneseo averages each student's score on the five Geneseo Learning Outcomes in Information Management listed above. In the 2017/2018 academic year, Milne Library administered a computer-based information literacy pre-test/post-test by the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) consortium. The assessment contained questions which directly assessed the students’ use of technology, which was used to assess this outcome.

In total, 112 first-year students participated in the assessment. The students took the pre-test in the week preceding the start of the fall semester. At the end of the Spring 2018 semester, they took a post-test, after which they have most likely taken in Basic Communication (INTD 105).

Assessment Results


 

Perform the basic operations of personal computer use

Exceeding

15%

Meeting

62%

Approaching

16 %

Not Meeting

7%

N=112 

Reflection on Results

This particular learning outcome is becoming increasingly difficult to measure as the definition of “basic computing” in the contemporary academic environment is ill-defined. Students seem to be entering college having utilized technology more in than in the past. It is also difficult to assess because there many technical skills involved in the assessment itself. For example, when the students take an online survey assessment, they need to be able to turn on a computer, use a keyboard to type, use a mouse or trackpad, and navigate a survey instrument with which they are unfamiliar. These procedures are common skills students need to be able to do in order to successfully navigate their academics, which increasingly use learning management systems to facilitate learning.

Where students seem to struggle is with more technical aspects of software programs. More students are entering college with an ability to utilize social media and use media creation tools. However, they are not being trained in productivity software, and may experience more challenges in formatting documents or developing tables in programs like Microsoft Excel.





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