Evolution of an

Assessment Program

Amy GratzInstructional Services Librarian

Mercer University, Jack Tarver Library

Spring/Summer 2012• Looked back at

previous assessment tools• Student Feedback

Form• Peer Observations

Spring/Summer 2012Created new

student form Continued peer

observations

Your Class Level (circle one): First-year Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate Student Other

1. Please rate the amount of hands-on work time allotted in this session (circle one)

Too Much About Right Too Little

2. Please rate your confidence with using the tools demonstrated today

Confident Somewhat Confident Not Very Confident

3. How helpful will the skills and concepts discussed today be for your assignment (check one)? □ Absolutely essential – I could not complete the assignment without

them □ Useful – they will make the assignment easier □ Somewhat helpful – some of the skills/concepts will be helpful, but not

all □ Barely helpful – most of the skills/concepts I already knew or won’t use □ Useless – I already knew everything, or the skills/concepts won’t help

with my assignment

4. What concept from today’s class are you still working to understand?

5. What skills/concepts discussed today were already familiar to you?

6. What didn’t work well about today’s session, and how can we improve? Other comments?

Fall 2012Began article about assessment at Tarver

Library1

Delved into past practices at TarverStarted in 2002 Primarily student feedback

Learned about best practices from the literature

1For a full overview and references to specific articles and other literature: Gratz, A. and Olson, L. T. (2014). doi: 10.1080/10691316.2013.829371

Best Practices for AssessmentMust be tied to Library and University

goals Gilchrist & Oakleaf, 2012. An Essential Partner: The Librarian’s Role in Student Learning

Assessment. http://www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/documents/LibraryLO_000.pdf

Should be done on multiple levels Radcliff, et al., 2007. A practical guide to information literacy assessment for academic

librarians. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

Should use multiple methods Tancheva, Andrews, & Steinhart, 2007. Library instruction assessment in academic

libraries. Public Services Quarterly, 3(1/2), 29-56. http://doi.org/10.1300/J295v03n01_03

Also recommended: Instruction & Program Design

Through Assessment by Gilchrist and Zald, 2008

Problem with Attitude Surveys“At most, it provides information about

how the student perceives the librarian’s presentation… What [it] has not provided is any indication of whether the student

participants have actually learned anything.”

Colborn, N. W. & Cordell, R. M. (1998). Moving from subjective to objective assessments of your instruction program. Reference Services Review, 26(3/4), 125-137. doi: 10.1108/00907329810307821

2013-2014: Designing the Program

Mission Statement: The Tarver Library Instruction Program supports the mission and curricula of

Mercer University by teaching the information literacy skills essential for

creating well-researched papers, presentations, and other projects,

empowering all of our community members in their academic, professional, and

personal lives.

2013-2014: Designing the ProgramStudent Learning Outcomes (SLO’s)

Upon degree completion students will:Determine the nature and extent of the

information needed.Access needed information effectively and

efficiently.Evaluate information and its sources critically

and investigate differing viewpoints. Understand various economic and social issues

surrounding the use of information and access and use information ethically.

2014-2015: Creating SLO’s

Focused on our most commonly taught courses

Decided not to develop any for subject area classes

Scaffolded SLO’s

Selected Finalized SLO’sINT 101 Instruction

Students identify appropriate academic sources

Students generate an individual list of applicable key search terms

Students access and use multidisciplinary resources to locate information

Summer 2015Needed to get colleagues more

interested in assessmentAdapted an instruction activity for

use in a meeting

Instruction Program Assessment“Ultimately, the goal of all instruction and assessment

efforts is to engage in reflective practice” (Oakleaf)

How frequently should we use that assessment method?Assign each method you’ve

been given to one of the different cycles posted

Color-coded:Green = studentsYellow = facultyBlack = internal

Add your own if desired!

Instruction Program Assessment Cycle, 4-year Rotation

2015-2016 2016-2017Full Year Student in-class survey Full Year Student in-class survey

  

Faculty in-class survey   

Faculty in-class surveyPilot pre/post tests Pre/post tests (students)

Fall OnlyStudent end-of-semester survey Fall Only

Student end-of-semester survey

Faculty end-of-semester survey  

Faculty end-of-semester survey

Spring Only Preceptor Focus Groups

Spring Only

Faculty interviews/focus group

2017-2018 2018-2019Full Year Student in-class survey Full Year Student in-class survey

    

Faculty in-class survey   

Faculty in-class surveyPre/post tests (students) Pre/post tests (students)

HEDS Annual Survey  Fall OnlyStudent end-of-semester survey

Peer ObservationsFaculty end-of-semester survey

 Fall Only Faculty end-of-semester survey

Spring Only  Student focus groups

2015-2016 Successes

2015-2016Full Year

Student in-class survey

  

Faculty in-class surveyPilot pre/post tests

Fall Only

Student end-of-semester surveyFaculty end-of-semester survey

Spring Only

Preceptor Focus Groups

Student in-class survey

Faculty end-of-semester survey

Focus Group with Preceptors

2015-2016 Challenges

2015-2016Full Year

Student in-class survey

  

Faculty in-class surveyPilot pre/post tests

Fall Only

Student end-of-semester surveyFaculty end-of-semester survey

Spring Only

Preceptor Focus Groups

Faculty in-class survey

Pre/Post TestsStudent end-of-

semester Survey

Closing the LoopInternal feedbackInformal sharing with faculty colleagues

Future Plans

Continue Evolving

Images UsedSlides 1 and 20: Mills. (2014). Tree of life. https://flic.kr/p/rcu88bSlide 2: Mibby23. (2013). Looking back. https://flic.kr/p/iMJAfr Slide 3: Cornwall, N. (2013). New life. https://flic.kr/p/ejeMh6 Slide 4: Accheri, C. (2014). Ta Prohm. https://flic.kr/p/oXzeiT Slide 5: Mennerich, D. (2013). Bikaner IND – cenotaphs devikund sagar 04. https://flic.kr/p/jC6cQu Slide 6: Jutte, T. (2013). National Geographic, Ter Apel Monastery, Groningen, Netherlands – 1551. https://flic.kr/p/jKjfTU Slide 7: Tazewell, C. (2007). Spiral. https://flic.kr/p/3f5vcq Slide 8: Delp, J. (1999). Mount Katahdin, Maine. https://flic.kr/p/5rXe7c Slide 9: kc ma. (2016). Seedling. https://flic.kr/p/Eni9Rh Slide 10: Holzman, L. Ladder. https://flic.kr/p/ApJ9 Slide 11: bambe1964. (2011). Scaffold. https://flic.kr/p/aB3wdc Slide 12: Kleinfield, A. (2008). Girl runs up San Francisco’s 16th Avenue tiled steps. https://flic.kr/p/58rHHw Slide 13: JogiBaer2. (2011). Post-It. https://flic.kr/p/9jp2qo Slide 14: chaseiv57. (2012). 6172004275_b8dcba694d_b-1. https://flic.kr/p/dcjiJx Slide 15: Cheng, B. (2014). Light tunnel. https://flic.kr/p/qPWPgZ Slide 16: Scott, G. (2007). Positive thoughts, Mr. Glen. https://flic.kr/p/3RbWwn Slide 17: Eric. (2005). Frustration. https://flic.kr/p/5Y57G Slide 18: when_night_falls. (2013). Loop. https://flic.kr/p/ffi186 Slide 19: Clark, T. (2013). The open road. https://flic.kr/p/h6FC2E