Listening to the customer

Assessment that makes a difference Student learning

Catherine HarasInformation Literacy Coordinator California State University, Los Angeles

ALA Annual, Chicago 2009

Library Facts•Total volumes 1,205,256

•Total number of teaching librarians 12

•Students attending Library instruction 2007-2008 17,343 (684 sessions)

•Robust information literacy program

Our customersFirst generation college students

Transfer/commuter population

Latino

Graduates of the LAUSD, where information literacy is unmandated

Why assess?•To increase the quality of the Library’s instruction

program

•To ensure compliance/instruction across the Colleges

•Accreditation and WASC reviews

•Do we know what our students know?

In placeSystem-wide

CSU Information Competence Initiative

Information Literacy Coordinator

Liaison model of IL: faculty and librarian cooperation

Library SLOs adapted from ACRL

Participants on iSkills beta testing to assess ICT literacy

What did we do?We used several assessments based on our

constituents.Homegrown and standardized (iSkills/IC3)Direct and indirectQualitative and quantitative

We assessed librarians, faculty, and students.

We took advantage of CSU participation in the ETS iSkills project.

We were prepared to learn from our mistakes.

2 homegrown examplesWe assessed students and faculty

Students, via quizFaculty, via focus groups and an indirect survey

Assessment of the students: homegrown (direct)

•Tested student research skills levels

•Created questions based on the ACRL Standards outcomes

•Targeted a gateway freshman experience course that all incoming freshmen/transfers must take

•Created a 27-item quiz in WebCT/Blackboard

•Administered quiz 5 consecutive quarters, Fall 05-Fall 06, whether faculty wanted to or not

Sample questionCampbell, S. (2006). Perceptions of mobile phones in

college classrooms: Ringing, cheating, and

classroom policies. Communication Education,55,

280-294.

Direct assessment Results•N=2,934

•Mean score = 71.5% or a C average

•2-point difference between freshmen and transfers

•Colleges performed equally poorly

•Questions a student was most likely to get wrong:

•Reading citations

•Topic formulation

•Database search logic

Assessment Results•Students found the pretest reflective

•They are gamers

•They are reading averse

•They are affective learners

Assessment of the faculty: homegrown (indirect)

•Held a series of faculty focus groups

•Created information literacy advisory of 18 key faculty

•Advisory created a 20 Q survey

•Surveyed entire campus by email, reaching a generalizable 30% of tenured faculty on students’ research habits (N=235)

(Indirect) Assessment Results

My students can:

Strongly disagre

eDisagree Agree

Strongly agree

Don't know

a. Narrow or focus a

research topic3% (6) 14% (28) 62% (125) 11% (23) 9% (19)

b. Formulate a search

query3% (6) 15% (30) 57% (114) 10% (20) 15% (31)

f. Read or trace a

bibliographic citation

3% (6) 17% (34) 53% (107) 8% (16) 19% (38)

Changes based on (student) assessment

Based on the student scores, campus FYE curriculum was changed.

•New IHE 101 model with strong IL emphasis piloted and adopted by campus colleges.

•Library created an information jeopardy game; with virtual assessment

Indicators of success Information literacy is now assessed at

program review

Increase in type and kind of library session

Increased collaboration: consultation on programmatic IL and assignment design

CSULA IL program commended by WASC

GE overhaul; campus considering a mandated IL course

Continuous improvement•Approval of new IHE 101 pilot

•Program Review self-study 2006-2007

•WASC accreditation 2006-2010•Institutional proposal Fall 2006•Capacity and preparatory review Fall 2008•Educational Effectiveness review Spring 2010

Work with your culture•Accept legacy issues particular to your Library and campus

•Take advantage of the administration you have•Grow your program locally•The process may not look formal

•Find influential faculty who can advocate for you

Develop your culture•Cater to any unique constituencies

•Understand (G 1.5) learners and adjust your teaching

•Recognize the reality of part-time instructors

•Listen to the needs of instructors and work with them-- but help guide them

•Develop the pedagogical skills of librarians

Take away for public libraries•Cater to your unique constituencies

•Find the gatekeepers for your particular communities and work with them to develop outreach

•Partner with K-12 schools—their students are using your library

•Literature on Millennials is helpful

•Develop the pedagogical skills of your librarians

•Reference librarianship is teaching and yours is a teaching library

Take away for public libraries•Decide as a library how much you can or want to change

•Hold focus groups for your librarians first

•Dialog with your influential librarians; allow everyone who wants to to become part of the process

•Query the community at large and find out what your community needs and wants from the library.

Catherine HarasCSU, Los Angelescharas@calstatela.edu