Assessing information literacy skills of graduate students at the Australian National University

Abstract

The objectives of the research project were to: • Provide information about entrance level skills so that information literacy courses for graduate students could be pitched appropriately. • Provide advice to students on their training needs. • Set in place a means of measuring the effectiveness of the Graduate Information Literacy Program measured against University goals. The results of the Skills Audit, completed by 31 students within the research period, show that students are not always reliable when assessing their skill levels. Many students did not know what they did not know. Of the 3 variables tested, students were strongest at information searching and weakest at information management. Every student who completed the Skills Audit received a training needs profile. All students were advised to undertake at least some additional information literacy training.