Information Literacy Competency

General Introduction | Tech Level I | the ISST
Freshman Information | Transfer Information

See Testing Lab Schedule for lab operating hours.
Contact Dale Kennedy at (540)568-6855 or kennedad@jmu.edu

PHOTO - Harrison HallGeneral Introduction

There are two exams all Freshman students and incoming Transfer students are required to successfully complete by the end of their first academic year at JMU. The first exam is the Tech Level I exam which is to be completed by the end of the first semester. The second exam is the Information Seeking Skills Test (ISST).

Tech Level I

Introduction to Tech Level I

Beginning with the Fall 2002 semester, we are introducing the Excel competency test as a requirement of all Freshman students and certain Transfer students entering JMU. If you entered JMU prior to Fall 2002, you are only required to successfully complete the exams that comprised the Tech Level I exam at the time of your entry.

All tests are administered in Ashby Lab 7, for details see schedule. Students failing to successfully complete the exams by the deadlines will have a registration hold placed on their academic record.

Technology is around us. The fact that you are reading this ‘on-line’ rather than as a hand out illustrates that, and we believe that it is essential for all students to feel comfortable with computers from the beginning of their college experience.

In today's increasingly technological society, the ability to use computer technology effectively is essential. During the academic year 1998-99 a Technology Task Force defined the basic computing and information handling skills that are necessary for students. We recognize that students come to JMU from a variety of backgrounds and different school systems and that not all will have had the same exposure to technology. By defining this set of basic competencies we will be ensuring that students and instructors will have a shared understanding of the computing skills necessary for the successful completion of this Cluster One requirement.

Your professors will expect you to prepare papers and presentations, communicate via e-mail, search the Internet and appreciate the nature of the information you may find there. You may have these skills already, but then again, you may not – in which case we will provide you with the help you need to make computers work for you.

The assessment of all students' technology capability will be performed using an on-line assessment package that will test students' proficiency using actual applications. The software assesses the responses to the tasks and the grading and reporting takes place automatically. Students who have not completed the exam by the end of their first semester will receive a hold on their registration for the next semester.

? Information about Tech Level I test resources

Online Tutorials

Students who would like additional assistance can find it on the online tutorials page and there will be labs/workshops scheduled during the academic year for any students that may need them.

For additional information, contact Catherine Mahoney, the Technology Coordinator for the General Education program, at mahonect@jmu.edu.

Information Seeking Skills Test (ISST)

Introduction to the ISST

James Madison University believes that the fundamental knowledge and skills you need to find good information are necessary both for successful completion of your university classes and for life after graduation. The ISST requirement helps to ensure that all students develop the necessary knowledge and skills early in their university career. All students enrolled in General Education Cluster One are required to pass the Information-Seeking Skills Test (ISST) during the freshman year.

Information-Seeking Competencies

Students are required to demonstrate the following competencies by passing the ISST:

  • Identify and locate library services and collections.

  • Formulate and conduct an information search that includes a variety of reference sources, such as encyclopedias, library catalogs, indexes, bibliographies, statistics sources, government publications, and resources available on the Internet.

  • Evaluate information in terms of accuracy, authority, bias, and relevance.

  • Employ efficient database searching techniques, such as use of Boolean operators, truncation, phrase searching, nesting, and field-specific searching.

  • Identify the bibliographic elements essentials for properly citing an information source.

  • Apply appropriate ethical guidelines to the use of information.

Information-seeking skills are taught in Cluster One courses. Students will learn these skills by completing:

  1. Go for the Gold, a web-based instruction program consisting of eight self-instruction modules with online exercises. (http://www.lib.jmu.edu/library/gold/modules.htm) The Go for the Gold exercises are not the ISST.
  2. Course-related assignments that require students to find information.

Passing the ISST

After you have completed Go for the Gold, you must go to Ashby Lab L7 to take the ISST. It is a web-based test that is composed of 53 questions. The standards for passing are:

  • Advanced: a score of 595-800
  • Meets Standard: a score of 513-594

Successful passing of the ISST will be noted on your transcript. Students who fail may study Go for the Gold or attend a library workshop and then retake the test. Students who do not pass by the deadline will have a registration hold placed on their academic record.