Easy Student Learning Assessment for Busy Librarians Mary Moser Learning Commons Librarian Oxford College of Emory University mary.moser@emory.edu

1. Me 3. The A-Word 2. You Welcome! Who am I, what do I do Who are you? Turn to someone you don’t know: Introduce yourselves, where you’re from and what you do, one thing your library does by way of assessment Outline for today’s session: The Assessment Cycle (with apologies to Megan Oakleaf) 2. You

Assessment! Assessment Feedback Pragmatic Approach Institutional Effectiveness Reflection Critical Consideration Learning Assessment Don’t fear assessment (but use different vocabulary, if that helps) Evaluation; Feedback; Reflection; Reflective Practice; Critical Consideration; Learning; Pragmatic Approach; Institutional Effectiveness; Evidence-Based-Services Evaluation Reflective Practice Evidence-Based Services Evidence-Based Decision-Making

Assessment… Is not a separate process from teaching—it’s integrated Involves everyone, not just library staff Is not as scary as it sounds. In fact, get excited! Demonstrates value Assessment is NOT a separate process from the information literacy instruction planning and implementation. Assessment is integrated. Assessment involves everyone, not just us The word “assessment” is scary—the idea of assessment is exciting. Assessment demonstrates value Assessment is about asking ourselves, Are we doing what we say we’re doing? We’re not justifying our existences or filling out performance reviews. We’re trying to get an honest look at what we say we do and what we actually do. Assessment is about “closing the loop”—using the information we gather to improve student learning Asks, “Are we doing what we say we’re doing?” Closes the loop

Your Turn Think of a class you’ve taught recently: What 2-3 things are absolutely necessary for students to know when they leave your class? And, get your cell phones, laptops, and iPads ready…. Open Internet window to Poll Everywhere: “What methods have you used to assess your class in the past?”

“Writing Learning Objectives” from Marquette University Before Class Learning Outcomes “Writing Learning Objectives” from Marquette University Assessment is something we think of as happening AFTER. Really, it happens continuously, starting with class planning. Write learning outcomes: 2-3 things your students absolutely have to know how to do Writing Learning Objectives: Marquette University LibGuide http://tiny.cc/learning_objectives Or, Google “writing learning objectives” or “writing learning outcomes” http://tiny.cc/learning_objectives

Before Class Talk with the professor: Decide on the outcomes together, and how they’ll be assessed. Jointly develop questions for your one-minute paper Start a rubric: What competencies will you emphasize and how will you judge whether or not students master those skills? These are conversations that we need to be having with each other. We all teach students—what do we want for them?

During Class Ask Questions! Multiple Choice: Check comprehension Poll Everywhere Q&A is great, but not everyone is comfortable asking questions or can think of them right away Polling services allow for time, anonymity, and people to see classmate’s responses—allow them to be inspired by each other Multiple choice questions: Check comprehension. Open-ended questions: See what they’re confused about or what questions they have Easy to create on the fly—consult with the professor during the class, create in less than 30 seconds Poll: Have you used in-class assessment checks before? (Go to Poll Everywhere: Have You Used In-Class Assessment Checks Before?) Open-Ended: What questions do they have?

Your Turn Write down 2 questions you could ask during your library class: 1 multiple choice 1 open-answer Now that you’ve seen how both types of questions work, try writing your own.

End of Class One-Minute Surveys One-minute papers Do these electronically—better feedback! Embed. Decide if you want to collect quantitative or qualitative data. Do you want to measure learning or ask about impact? Adding to LibGuides makes assessment-or reflection—a natural part of the research and learning process

End of Class Our questions: What is one thing you will do differently in research after today’s class? What helped you learn today? What was boring, repetitive, unnecessary, or did not help you learn? What are you still confused about? Would you like a librarian to follow up with you and offer help? Develop questions with the faculty member Trial and error to get feedback that works for you

Your Turn Write down at least 2 questions that you would like to ask at the end of your class Mark your calendars: ACLR Webinar: July 19, 2011 Are They Learning What You’re Teaching? http://tiny.cc/acrl_webinar Webinar about using one-minute papers

After Class One-Minute Surveys Review Make notes 1 thing you did well 1 thing you could improve Share with professor: What would they do differently? Save PDF—Google Forms makes this easy. Save with the rest of your documents from the class.

After Class Assess the AUTHENTIC TASK Define levels of competency Evaluate application, not memorization RUBRICS Define levels of competency Also, work with your institutional research associate, if possible—can you make this part of a larger curricular assessment project? Develop with professor http://railsontrack.info

After Class Talk to faculty: What do your students do well? What do they struggle with? What surprises you about what your students know when they come to your class? What do you expect students to know before they come to your class? What do they need to do or know in order to succeed in your class—and at this school? What learning environments and activities do students respond well to? What must they know before they graduate from this program? How can we work together to make that happen? We are experts in our patrons, but they see these students every day for a semester, or years. Use their expertise. Start conversations that can build bridges When we start to have these conversations with them, they start to see us as teachers and allies.

After Class Talk to students: What do you like about library instruction classes? What do you not like? How could they be more relevant to you? What could we do to make the classes better? What do you need in order to complete your assignments, and how can the library provide that? What research skills come easily for you? Where do you start to get confused? Help them to be participative in their education. Show them that critical reflection is part of the academic life. Let them know that you value what they say and that you’re using it—creates buy-in and makes them more open to sharing opinions with you in the future

Your Turn Write down 2 questions you would ask students in a focus group that would help you plan your class Write down 2 questions you would ask faculty in a focus group that would help you plan your class

Closing the Loop Collecting the data isn’t enough—you have to do something with it. THAT’s the hard part. Don’t be the only one who sees this data. Share with faculty, administrators, your institutional research expert, students, all library staff. Decide together which results are meaningful and how you should move forward—but MOVE FORWARD! Communicate the changes you make based on the data you get. Let people know that you are using the data to inform your practice. It takes several different types of assessment data to complete the cycle. Don’t be satisfied with just one assessment effort.

Closing This Presentation PARTING THOUGHTS: Sorry! Align Make the time Sorry about the misleading title. Collecting data is easy—doing something with it is hard. Align your teaching and assessment priorities with institutional goals and objectives. Libraries do not exist in isolation. Where do we fit in the big picture? Always make time for assessment: It has never been more critical that we communicate our value. Work with multiple people to save time and increase efficacy. Professors will be happy to find other venues to demonstrate learning and impact. Always, always, always close the loop Close the loop

Mary Moser: mary.moser@emory.edu Thank You! Mary Moser: mary.moser@emory.edu