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Given that there exists in the literature relatively little research into the effectiveness of writing centers at universities, the purpose of this paper is to show the impact of university writing centers on first-year business seminar student writing.

This quantitative study involved 315 first-year undergraduate business students. Logistic and quantile regression analysis was used to test two hypotheses.

Results indicate that student intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors positively influenced the likelihood that a student visits the center. Student grades on writing assignments were significantly higher for students who visited the writing center but only for students who scored in the top 40th percentile of the grade distribution.

Writing centers should try to reach all students not only those who are naturally motivated. Most importantly, centers should find ways to help students in the lower portion of grade distribution since these students presumably require sustained help.

This paper suggests that writing centers helped only students at the top of the grades distribution which may be valuable to universities in assessing impact of writing centers and help in the efforts to improve student writing. However, this effect can only be uncovered using quantile regression. Therefore, this research has demonstrated the potential usefulness of quantile regression as a predictive and explanatory tool in assessment.

Leadership behaviors of undergraduates (n=1103) were examined using the Student Leadership Practice Inventory (SLPI). The practice of leadership behaviors increased significantly from freshman to juniors and from juniors to seniors. However, each class was significantly less likely to practice the Challenge the Process behavior and significantly more likely to practice the Enable Others to Act behavior. Experience with different types of leadership roles were related to higher SLPI practice scores. Age, race, transfer status and taking a freshman experience seminar did not influence SLPI scores or the number of different types of leadership roles. Unexpectedly, women had significantly higher SLPI scores than men at each class level.

First‐year experience (FYE) courses are excellent venues for introducing freshman students to information literacy concepts. The authors, librarians and FYE instructors at their respective institutions, conducted a nationwide survey to determine whether FYE course curricula contained a library component and, if so, to what extent. Survey results indicate that the majority of FYE programs contain some type of library unit, though results varied broadly depending on institutional factors. Details the presence of a library unit in the overall curricula of FYE courses, who is developing the library component, who is teaching it, and what is being taught. Examines current practices within FYE courses and the results can be used by librarians and FYE professionals, as well as the larger academic community, to expand understanding of the role that libraries, and librarians play in this particular type of course. It will serve as a foundation for future development of FYE course curricula and can be used as documentation for conversations promoting further integration of information literacy.

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine if participation in a four-year ethics curriculum strengthened college students’ confidence in their own ethical reasoning ability. A longitudinal cohort of college students was followed over four years from their freshman (n = 779) to senior year (n= 545). Students’ confidence in their own ethical reasoning abilities were assessed before and after completion of the curriculum with results indicating an increase in students’ confidence.

In tandem, tiered instruction and assessment offer the opportunity to analyze the outcomes of specific levels of information literacy. Tiered library instruction establishes a framework to meet the instructional needs of students at all levels of enrollment. Assessment offers a value‐added dimension to a library instruction program. It provides a beginning point to ascertain the program’s effectiveness and to guide direction for future instruction. Although assessment is considered essential to program development, a review of the literature found little information on the use of a Web‐based evaluation tool. This paper describes the development of a curriculum‐integrated and tiered instruction program over the course of five years and the implementation of a Web‐based assessment tool as a mechanism for establishing levels of information literacy.

Films, besides serving as an important instructive means to deliver sociological content, have also recently made their way into more structured courses on Media Sociology. It becomes particularly pertinent for cultivating global sociological imagination in the classroom. This chapter is a pedagogical reflection discussing the potentials of integrating Bollywood films into a first-year seminar, the content of which at many levels is comparable to basic sociology classes. The reflection is based out of the experience of teaching a freshmen class on Bollywood to a body of students with little past exposure, or knowledge of this movie industry. The chapter will initiate a dialogue on strategies of introducing the content, encouraging engagement and critical thinking, how to build on essential global sociological imagination along with a summary of what works and what does not. For this chapter, I will detail on the three contemporary Bollywood films (Ishaqzaade, Monsoon Wedding, and Dor), which I use to engage in a dialogue on family, class, and gender. Next, I will apply Sutherland and Fetley’s (2013) framework to explore the sociological relevance of these films (thus validating my choice of these works for pedagogical purposes) and also demonstrate possible hegemonic versus oppositional ways of reading these texts, which students are supposed to decipher and apply. Contemporary Bollywood films in many ways mirror aspects of the life course experienced in the United States and can be instrumental in encouraging a diverse undergraduate curriculum.

In response to the large number of students needing library instruction, the Digital Information Literacy Office at the University of Texas at Austin created TILT (Texas Information Literacy Tutorial). Designed to teach a progression of skills, students learn and practice basic information literacy concepts through problem‐based interactions. Integrating TILT into the existing freshman library instruction programs required adjustments by both faculty and library staff. Composition students take the tutorial before attending an assignment‐driven library session; as a result they are more prepared for advanced research. TILT is promoted by the administration as a library initiative to support both undergraduate and distance education. While there have been some drawbacks, overall benefits and positive impacts are discussed. Suggestions for future development of the tutorial in collaboration with other individuals and institutions are included.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

Introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2013.

Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

This paper aims to present recently published resources on information literacy and library instruction through an extensive annotated bibliography of publications covering all library types.

This paper annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2017 in over 200 journals, magazines, books and other sources.

The paper provides a brief description for all 590 sources.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

This paper aims to provide an introductory overview and selected annotated bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy across all library types.

It introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2014.

It provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.