Results

Quantitative Data

Familiarity with Library Tools/Services

The pre and post-test assessments administered to students posed questions related to both their familiarity with library tools and services and their cultural knowledge. A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test indicated the difference between pre and post-assessment responses was statistically significant for each of the 11 library skills/resource familiarity statements (p<.001-p=.004). The statistical significance between pre and post-assessment responses to the 11 statements related to cultrual knowledge was not calculated. It was decided that in-class discussion, homework assignments, and readings for the text would contribute to students' cultural knowledge over the semester. As a result, the pre and post-assessments would not be an appropriate measure of students' cultural learning. The results of the pre and post assessments are displayed below.

Usefulness of Specific Library Tools for Cultural Assignments

At the semester's end, the Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning administered assessments, collecting quantitative data about the usefulness of specific library tools and services. The majority of students characterized as the class LibGuide and learning management system links to library tools as either essential or helpful when completing each of their three cultural assignments. The majority of students listed one-on-one assistance from a librarian and learning management system communication with a library as being either essential or helpful when completing two of three cultural assignments. Those results are shown below.

Use of Course-Specific LibGuide

Another source of quantitative data was LibGuide usage statistics. Those statistics show the six pages on the course LibGuide received a total of 733 views over the course of the study period. Those statistics are represented below.

Qualitative Data

Students' Reflections on Cultural Learning Impact

After completing each of three cultural assignments, students were required to submit a reflection piece, writing about how the assignment impacted their cultural learning. Several themes emerged from an analysis of those assignments: the impact of library tools and services on cultural learning; strategies students devised to improve their comprehension of foreign newspapers and films and the impact of reading foreign newspapers and viewing foreign films on their cultural literacy. Those themes can be mapped to specific sections of the ACTFL standards as shown in the table below.

Students' Opinion of Enhanced Library Resources

The end of semester assessment conducted by the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning also offered students the opportunity to voice their opinions on the impact of library support on their learning. A sample of their responses is shown in the graphic below.