Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success

Objective – This study was designed to identify the impact of standalone information literacy tutorials on student success indicators. The study was conducted in two different phases to compare findings across different modalities and to identify whether online, asynchronous delivery of substantive...

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Main Authors: Amanda Shannon, Aaron Skira, Ying Chen, Matt Shreffler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Alberta 2025-06-01
Series:Evidence Based Library and Information Practice
Online Access:https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/30698
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author Amanda Shannon
Aaron Skira
Ying Chen
Matt Shreffler
author_facet Amanda Shannon
Aaron Skira
Ying Chen
Matt Shreffler
author_sort Amanda Shannon
collection DOAJ
description Objective – This study was designed to identify the impact of standalone information literacy tutorials on student success indicators. The study was conducted in two different phases to compare findings across different modalities and to identify whether online, asynchronous delivery of substantively similar content affected outcomes.  Methods – Using institutional records from a mid-sized, Midwestern public university, and attendance and completion data from student participation in asynchronous library workshops, the authors used propensity score matching to construct a control group that mirrored library workshop participants based on like characteristics. Statistical analyses were then conducted comparing the GPA, semester completion, and retention rates between the two groups.  Results – Students who completed at least one information literacy workshop had significantly higher semester GPAs (M = 3.25, SD = 0.85, SE = 0.06) than non-participants (M = 2.99, SD = 1.13, SE = 0.07); significantly higher semester completion rates (M = 0.93, SD = 0.18, SE = 0.01) than non-participants (M = 0.87, SD = 0.27, SE = 0.02); and substantially higher odds (OR = 3.5) of returning to the university the following semester than non-participants.  Conclusion – The findings in this study provide evidence for librarians advocating for the benefit of information literacy instruction on student success, particularly for undergraduate student retention. Additionally, library instruction programs making decisions about where to focus resources will find the comparisons between outcomes for online and traditional methods of instruction informative. 
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spelling doaj-art-adc5a8e46e4b443396cdbd545cbf89722025-08-20T03:30:48ZengUniversity of AlbertaEvidence Based Library and Information Practice1715-720X2025-06-0120210.18438/eblip30698Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success Amanda Shannon0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0617-2191Aaron Skira1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9029-5476Ying Chen2https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6693-1051Matt Shreffler3https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4702-9608University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, United States of AmericaWright State University, Dayton, Ohio, United States of AmericaWright State University, Dayton, Ohio, United States of America Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, United States of America Objective – This study was designed to identify the impact of standalone information literacy tutorials on student success indicators. The study was conducted in two different phases to compare findings across different modalities and to identify whether online, asynchronous delivery of substantively similar content affected outcomes.  Methods – Using institutional records from a mid-sized, Midwestern public university, and attendance and completion data from student participation in asynchronous library workshops, the authors used propensity score matching to construct a control group that mirrored library workshop participants based on like characteristics. Statistical analyses were then conducted comparing the GPA, semester completion, and retention rates between the two groups.  Results – Students who completed at least one information literacy workshop had significantly higher semester GPAs (M = 3.25, SD = 0.85, SE = 0.06) than non-participants (M = 2.99, SD = 1.13, SE = 0.07); significantly higher semester completion rates (M = 0.93, SD = 0.18, SE = 0.01) than non-participants (M = 0.87, SD = 0.27, SE = 0.02); and substantially higher odds (OR = 3.5) of returning to the university the following semester than non-participants.  Conclusion – The findings in this study provide evidence for librarians advocating for the benefit of information literacy instruction on student success, particularly for undergraduate student retention. Additionally, library instruction programs making decisions about where to focus resources will find the comparisons between outcomes for online and traditional methods of instruction informative.  https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/30698
spellingShingle Amanda Shannon
Aaron Skira
Ying Chen
Matt Shreffler
Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice
title Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success
title_full Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success
title_fullStr Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success
title_short Evaluating the Impact of Information Literacy Workshops on Student Success
title_sort evaluating the impact of information literacy workshops on student success
url https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/30698
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