Digital literacy/Information Competency Assessment Instrument

Introduction

The Information Competency Assessment Instrument (ICAI) was designed to measure information competency, i.e. “set of abilities to recognize when there is a need for information and being able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information when needed (Marshall, R. K., 2006))”

There are 10 dimensions:

• Identifying the Topic: 1, 2, 3, 4
• Determining the Requirements: 5, 6, 7, 8
• Using Information Technologies: 9, 10, 11, 12
• Locate & Retrieve Information: 13, 14, 15, 16
• Information from Mass Media: 17, 18, 19, 20
• Evaluating Information: 21, 22, 23, 24
• Organize & Synthesize: 25, 26, 27, 28
• Presentation of Information: 29, 30, 31, 32
• Ethics & Legality of Information: 33, 34, 35, 36
• Evaluating & Learning from Experience: 37, 38, 39, 40

The following items must be reverted: 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 25, 28, 29, 31, 33, 34, 38, 40

List of items

All items are measured with a 7 point scale

• 1 = strongly disagree
• 7 = strongly agree

1.  When given an assignment for a research paper or a speech, I feel confident determining what topic I need to search. 
 
2.  Sometimes I feel lost because the topic I want to research is not very clear to me. 
 
3.  I can take a complex topic and break it down into more useful, simpler items. 
 
4.  "Confused" is probably the best term to describe me when starting a project. 
 
5. I am sometimes unsure of how much information I need for the assignment. 
 
6. I know the difference between "primary" and "secondary" sources. 
 
7. I get confused because of the many different formats (print, electronic, etc.) when searching for information. 
 
8. I am certain that I can use the information I find. 
 
 
9. I know how to broaden or narrow a search using Boolean operators (AND, NOT and OR) and truncation. 
 
10. It is easy to interpret the results of a search. 
 
11. I'm not sure how to use an index (e.g. catalog, database, etc.). 
 
12. I can confidently get my hands on the material (by printing, e-mailing, interlibrary loan, etc.) I need. 
 
13. I understand the organization of materials in libraries. 
 
14. Government documents are confusing to me. 
 
15. Web search engines are unreliable. 
 
16.  I know the difference between an abstract and an article. 
 
17. Sometimes I cannot figure out for whom the information is intended. 

18. I can use many different types of media (print, video, photography, etc.) confidently as information for my topic. 
 
19. At times, the producer of the information is not clear. 
 
20. I can confidently spot inaccuracy, errors, etc. in the information from mass media. 
 
21. The information I find is so confusing that I don't know if I can use it. 
 
22. I am not confident that the information I get is accurate. 
 
23. The information I use is complete and reliable. 
 
24. I am sure that the information I have answers my question or addresses my topic. 
 
25. A lot of the information I find is irrelevant or unnecessary. 
 
26. After collecting my information, it is easy to sort by content that is similar. 
 
27. Sometimes my question changes depending on what information I find. 
 
28. If my topical outline doesn't make sense, I get discouraged. 
 
29. I am not sure which communication medium (transparencies, slides, video, etc.) is appropriate for the delivery of this information. 
 
30. I know my audience and that the information I present meets their needs. 
 
31. I sometimes have doubts as to why I am communicating this information. 
 
32. I am confident that my information is clearly and confidently presented. 
 
33. I'm not sure how to record or cite all my sources. 
 
34. I have questions about the privacy of the information I receive. 
 
35. I can tell when information is biased. 
 
36. I know when material is confidential, should not be used. 
 
37. While preparing a project, I am certain how it will be received by others. 
 
38. Feedback is demoralizing to me. 
 
39. I am able to learn what processes would be helpful for finding information in the future. 
 
40. After the presentation of the information, I'm not sure how it was received.