Publications

2020
Kerri A. Douglas, Senay Purzer, Todd Fernandez, Michael Fosmire, and Amy S. Van Epps. 9/24/2020. “Self-Directed Information Literacy Scale: A Comprehensive Validation for Diverse Engineering Learners.” Journal of Engineering Education, 109, 4, Pp. 685-703. Publisher's Version
Jason Reed, Margaret Phillips, Amy S. Van Epps, and Dave Zwicky. 2020. “An Early Look at a Scoping Review of Systematic Review Methodologies in Engineering.” In Frontiers in Education. Uppsala, Sweden (virtual): IEEE. Open Pre-printAbstract
This research work-in-progress paper is a scoping review of published systematic literature reviews (SLRs) in engineering. SLRs are considered one of the highest levels of proof for evidence based decision making, but they are only as good as the methods used, starting with the search strategy. With studies described as “systematic literature reviews” proliferating through engineering disciplines, including engineering education, it is necessary to examine how well these studies reflect a methodologically sound understanding of established SLR processes. The initial search returned 4,992 results, after removing duplicates. After completing the abstract review, we included 2,674 results for full text review. A preliminary analysis of the citations included for full text shows that SLRs have increased dramatically over the past decade in engineering education and approximately 14.1% of included results for full text analysis contain an education related term in the title, abstract, or publication title. This trend implies that more education on the SLR research method may be needed in engineering education graduate programs and through professional development opportunities.
Jeremi London, Walter C. Lee, Canek Phillips, Amy Van Epps, and Bevlee Watford. 2020. “A Systematic Mapping of Scholarship on Broadening Participation of African Americans in Engineering and Computer Science.” Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 26, 3, Pp. 199-243. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Trends in broadening participation of African Americans in engineering and computer science have not significantly improved despite significant investments and efforts of educators, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. Given the lack of progress, it is imperative for the field of engineering education to synthesize and use insights from existing literature to readjust its strategy for addressing this persistent problem. Unfortunately, the work that has been done in this area is fragmented in disparate bodies of literature. The purpose of this study is to describe the landscape of existing scholarship germane to broadening participation in engineering and computer science, particularly as it relates to African Americans. The guiding research question is: What are the salient characteristics of literature on broadening the participation of African Americans in engineering and computer science? Using a systematic mapping methodology, we identified and screened 1180 scholarship records. We categorized and tabulated the 470 that met our eligibility criteria after extracting data on publication year, publication type, population race, population gender, segment, study type, and methods. Our results revealed numerous trends in this scholarship, dealing with both the focus of the scholarship as well as the manner in which it has been produced. As stakeholders continue working towards broadening participation of African Americans, we hope that this mapping review not only raises awareness of the current state of efforts dedicated to each segment of the K-12-to-workforce pathway, but also illuminates gaps in the literature yet to be filled.
2019
Amy S. Van Epps and Robyn Rosenberg. 6/18/2019. “Engineering Source: How Robust is the Coverage of the Engineering Literature?” In American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. Tampa, FL: ASEE. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Background: In June 2013, EBSCO launched Engineering Source, a new database that is touted as the “premier collection of engineering-related content” [1]. The authors encountered this database 5 years after it was released after moving to new institutions, and investigating the engineering resources available. Upon learning about the database, the authors asked a few engineering librarian colleagues, many of whom had also not heard of the database, and none had used it.

Purpose: Given the claim of a premier collection and the lack of knowledge on the part of engineering librarians at flagship engineering schools, the authors decided to do a comparison of the indexing coverage of Engineering Source with Compendex. The goal is to determine how the breadth and depth of coverage in Engineering Source compares to the acknowledged top resource for engineering literature [3].

Scope and Method: The authors elected to use the method developed by Meier and Conkling [2] to compare relative coverage of Google Scholar with Compendex. In this case, the same searches will be completed in Compendex, and a random selection of articles from the results in Compendex will be searched for inclusion in Engineering Source.

Results: The total number of results per subject were smaller for Engineering Source than for Compendex, which is expected just from considering the number of resources included in the databases, as outlined in the indexing scope. An apparent English language bias was found in the content that is indexed by Engineering Source.

Conclusions: For very small schools offering selected engineering disciplines that match the strengths of Engineering Source, it could be a good resource. The inclusion of some full text would also be a strength for schools without the ability to purchase many of these publications. In addition, the ability to do searches across multiple databases on the EbscoHost platform could work really well if complementary information is already in an Ebsco database.

2018
Margaret Phillips, Amy Van Epps, Nastasha Johnson, and Dave Zwicky. 11/23/2018. “Effective Engineering Information Literacy: A Systematic Literature Review.” Journal of Academic Librarianship, 44, 6, Pp. 705-711. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The objective of this study was to investigate effective methods of teaching information literacy to engineering undergraduate students. The authors searched several databases (e.g., Compendex, Scopus, ERIC) for English language studies published between January 2000 and January 2016 that contained both an information literacy intervention for engineering undergraduate students and an assessment method for evaluating the intervention's effectiveness. Thirteen studies were included in the final data set, of which eleven studies reported effective results based largely upon descriptive statistical analysis. The strongest indicator of effectiveness that emerged in the data was collaboration with disciplinary faculty. With few articles in the final results set containing inferential statistics, the authors were only able to draw limited conclusions regarding effectiveness. The low use of such statistical methods highlights a need for librarian researchers to develop skills with research design and statistical analysis. This study is one of few systematic reviews on the topic of information literacy and the first systematic review on engineering information literacy effectiveness. It intends to serve as a baseline for future work.
Michael Fosmire and Amy S. Van Epps. 2018. “Competency-Based Education, Badging, and the Library.” In Teaching with Digital Badges: Best Practices for Libraries, Pp. 131-146. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Kerrie A. Douglas, Todd M. Fernandez, Şenay Purzer, Michael Fosmire, and Amy S. Van Epps. 2018. “The Critical-Thinking Engineering Information Literacy Test (CELT): A Validation Study for Fair Use Among Diverse Students.” International Journal of Engineering Education, 34, 4, Pp. 1347–1362. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Information literacy and lifelong learning are essential for engineers as they constantly renew and expand their knowledge and skills to keep abreast with the development of new technologies.  However, the lack of validated information literacy assessments relevant for engineering students makes it difficult to determine how well those students are acquiring needed information literacy skills.  We describe validity evidence for the Critical-Thinking Engineering Information Literacy Test (CELT), an instrument designed to assess students’ information literacy associated with critical thinking in an engineering context.  By examining psychometric properties of CELT through Rasch modeling applications, we present evidence of appropriate and fair use of CELT among first-year engineering student populations.  From our analysis, we find that CELT is appropriate for use in the classroom to assess information skills associated with critical thinking among first-year engineering students, when students’ experience with English language is part of their score interpretation. We discuss specific recommendations for use with students who have little experience learning in an English language environment.
Margaret Phillips, Amy S. Van Epps, Dave Zwicky, and Nastasha Johnson. 2018. “Effective Methods of Engineering Information Literacy: Initial Steps of a Systematic Literature Review and Observations about the Literature.” ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. Salt Lake City, UT: ASEE. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Background – There is a body of information literacy (IL) literature applied to undergraduate engineering students, much of which discusses different methods for teaching, such as classes/one-shots, online tutorials, gaming, and other interventions. It is important for librarians to know which methods of teaching engineering information literacy (EIL) are most effective for student learning, in order to make efficient and effective use of student and librarian time.

Purpose/Hypothesis – The authors reviewed the existing literature to find indications of the most effective methods for teaching and/or integrating EIL, both in face-to-face and online instruction.

Design/Method – The authors have completed the first stages of a systematic literature review (SLR), through the creation of the final dataset. The initial searches generated a set of 1224 papers prior to duplicate removal. Duplicate removal and multiple rounds of review, using authors-created inclusion and exclusion criteria, narrowed the final dataset to 13 papers.

Scope/Method – The lessons learned in the process around searching, tools for data evaluation, and articulation of criteria are presented. As a result of this portion of the SLR process, the authors identified characteristics of the undergraduate-focused EIL literature that are shared.

Results/Discussion – A brief summary of the process to arrive at a final dataset of 13 papers, the challenges in the process, and the refinements made at each step how many showed an effective intervention, and typical types of assessment are outlined.

Conclusion – There are several preliminary conclusions to be drawn, many of which will not be surprising to the engineering librarian community. The dataset came down to just 13 items because much of the EIL literature is based on student self-report data on how the class went, or was it enjoyable, rather than on actual student learning gains. As such, these papers did not meet the criteria for demonstrated learning gains as a measure of effectiveness. In addition, some papers were excluded for lack of clarity about methods. In these studies it is not evident how either the intervention and/or the assessment was conducted, with regard to timing, instrument used, etc. Some additional papers were excluded because a control or comparison group was not included to establish “effectiveness” of the intervention. Overall, the authors note the EIL literature frequently reports descriptive statistics, showing that data has been gathered, but sometimes falls short of a full analysis that allows the researchers to draw meaningful/well grounded conclusions from the data.
2017
Amy S. Van Epps. 2017. “Information use in design: what should we be teaching?” Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, 7, 2, Pp. 309-318. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Librarians are regularly working to understand how students make decisions around information use to inform the development of more relevant learning activities. The more relevant the activities when students are learning any new skill, the more likely they are to understand the task and incorporate the learning into future design decisions and writing. The need to build connections and understanding is critical in adoption of information literacy. In this study, the researcher analyzed the transcript from an end of semester focus group with students in a design class about their information use during the semester project. The transcript was analyzed using deductive thematic analysis while simultaneously staying open to emergent codes.
2016
Amy S. Van Epps, Iryna Ashby, Colin M. Gray, and Marisa Exter. 2016. “Supporting Student Attainment and Management of Competencies in a Transdisciplinary Degree Program.” ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition . New Orleans, LA: ASEE. Publisher's Version
2015
Chad Laux, Abe Walton, Amy Van Epps, Darrel L. Sandall, and Delana Cooper. 2015. “Gateway Experiences to Engineering Technology: Development of an Introductory Course.” Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 50, 1, Pp. 91-103. Publisher's Version
Kerri Anna Douglas, Amy S. Van Epps, Brittany Mihalec-Adkins, Michael Fosmire, and Şenay Purzer. 2015. “A Comparison of Beginning and Advanced Engineering Students’ Description of Information Skills.” Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 10, 2, Pp. 127-143. Publisher's Version
2014
Amy S. Van Epps and Monica Cardella. 2014. “Scout the Lay of the Land: Understanding the Broader Context of a Design Project.” In Integrating Information into Engineering Design, Pp. 101-113. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. Publisher's Version
2013
Amy S. Van Epps and Megan Sapp Nelson. 2013. “One-shot or Embedded? Assessing Different Delivery Timing for Information Resources Relevant to Assignments.” Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 8, 1, Pp. 4-18. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Objective – This study aims to determine if the timing of library in-class presentations makes a difference in the type and quality of resources students use for each of four assignments in an introductory speech class. This comparison of content delivery timing contrasts a single, 50-minute lecture early in the semester with four approximately 12-minute lectures offered just before each assignment. 

Methods – First-year engineering students taking Fundamentals of Speech Communication provide the study group. Each speech assignment requires students to turn in an outline and list of references. The list of references for each student was given to the librarians, after the assignments were appropriately anonymized, for analysis of resource type, quality of resource, and completeness of citation. Researchers coded a random sample of bibliographies from the assignments using a framework to identify resource type (book, periodical, Web, facts & figures, unknown) and quality, based on intended audience and purpose (scholarly, entertainment, persuasion/bias), and compared them to each other to determine if a difference is evident. The authors coordinated what material would be presented to the students to minimize variation between the sections.

Results – The study found a statistically significant difference between groups of students, demonstrating that the frequent, short library instruction sessions produce an increased use of high-quality content. Similarly, the sections with multiple library interactions show more use of periodicals than websites, while completeness of references is not significantly different across teaching methods.

Conclusions – More frequent and timely interaction between students and library instruction increases the quality of sources used and the completeness of the citations written. While researchers found statistically significant differences, the use of a citation coding framework developed for specific engineering research and design tasks means the analysis done in this study is not as accurate as it might be with a framework designed for analyzing the resources required for researching and writing speech assignments.

Selected by ALA Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) as a Top 20 for 2013 Information Literacy article.