Getting beyond both sides : A Faculty-librarian pilot to explore critical approaches to curriculum and assessment

Existing research (Howard, Serviss, & Rodrigue 2010; Serviss & Jamieson 2015) and initiatives like the Citation Project and Learning Information Literacy Across the Curriculum describe how students access and use sources, focusing on 1) scholarly sources and 2) instruction by writing faculty. The current fake news moment (Skinnell et al. 2018) highlights the need for 1) critical approaches to source use, 2) pedagogy informed by librarians as research experts, and 3) assessment practices rooted in critical approaches. We report preliminary findings from an FYC/library collaboration that supported research-based analytical writing by using information-literacy instruction modules based on the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and CWPA Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing. Early findings point to 1) student challenges with source evaluation in the current information landscape, 2) the importance of support structures in developing writing and information literacy skills, and 3) the influence of affective dimensions on student learning related to writing and information literacy. Additionally, we will explore the use of document-based interviews as a methodology for assessment based on critical practice