Instructional Services Mission Statement
Instructional Services at the Pace Library
“Information Literacy and Library Research” is one of the twelve Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes at Pace University. Information literacy workshops and research skills group instruction sessions are conducted by members of the Instructional Services (I.S.) Team on both the New York City and Pleasantville campuses. Sessions and workshops are offered in-person and online, both synchronously and asynchronously. In-person or synchronous online instruction may include librarian presentations, interactive search activities, online search worksheets and/or online collaboration activities using platforms such as Padlet and Kahoot. Asynchronous instruction may include pre-recorded instructional videos; screen capture step-by-step “handouts” or slide presentations; online interactive research tutorials; online search activities and worksheets; and/or discussion boards in the Classes LMS where Librarians can post information and students can ask questions. I.S. Team members facilitate group instruction not only for students across all levels, but also for full-time and part-time staff, adjunct instructors and full-time faculty members. Learn more about Instructional Services: https://libguides.pace.edu/instructionalservices
The Mission of the Instructional Services Team is to:
- Help members of the Pace community to acquire information literacy skills and become critical thinkers who are able to identify, retrieve, and evaluate information for use in academic pursuits as well as lifelong learning.
- Assist members of the Pace community to adapt intellectually and technologically to an increasingly dynamic environment.
- Teach with attention to learning styles, technological skills levels, and the increasingly diverse student population.
The Instructional Services mission aligns with Pace University Library's mission to "sustain a physically and virtually appealing environment that promotes learning and supports effective teaching and scholarship"; Pace University's mission to "impart to our graduate students a deep knowledge of their discipline and connection to its community"; Pace's Strategic Priorities "for outstanding academic growth"; Pace University Undergraduate Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO), specifically that "students are equipped to thoughtfully discuss, analyze, and apply discipline-based subject matter in writing and verbally"; and ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.
Student Learning Outcomes in Information Literacy
In 2016 as part of an assessment project in partnership with Dyson College in which Information Literacy skills in the ENG curriculum was measured, the members of the Instructional Services Team identified and defined the following learning outcomes. In general, these learning outcomes can also be applied to all our instruction activities. Course, session or class learning objectives may vary, but all can be mapped back to these overarching learning outcomes. The Instructional Services Team will revisit and evaluate these learning outcomes in 2025.
- LO 1: Identify and select appropriate and relevant databases or search tools for the academic assignment at hand. Locate discipline-specific library resources, including subject specific databases and individual journals by title.
- LO 2: Identify keywords on a research topic in order to perform successful information searches. Discover additional search terms (including subject headings) in order to perform more targeted searches.
- LO 3: Demonstrate best practices in searching (including but not limited to filtering tools and Boolean searching) relevant library databases and web search engines.
- LO 4: Distinguish between source types (including but not limited to primary, secondary, popular, scholarly, opinion, and evidence-based sources) in order to select the most appropriate information sources for their research projects.
- LO 5: Evaluate and choose sources (e.g. articles, websites) with regard to their general characteristics (topic relevance, currency, authority, bias, etc.) and their appropriateness for a particular task.
- LO 6: Cite information sources completely, appropriately, and in keeping with the norms of scholarly writing or presentation. Explain why careful citation practice is necessary in order to avoid plagiarism.
Beyond Definitions: Diving into the Difference Between Learning Outcomes, Objectives, & Competencies
Student Learning Outcome Maps
