Instruction: May 2014 Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

This month's installment features a summary of the Assessment Panel Presentation held in March 2014 as part of the IACRL Preconference.  Thanks to all who attended, and the Instruction Committee looks forward to seeing you on June 18, 2014, for the Instruction Showcase at Illinois Valley Community College!

Instruction Assessment Panel and Breakout Session

As part of the “Assessment in a Day: IACRL Preconference,” the Instruction Committee hosted a panel presentation entitled: “Evidence-Based Library Instruction as an Assessment Tool.”  Panel presenters included: Set One: Stefanie R. Bluemle, Amanda Y. Makula, and Margaret W. Rogal of Augustana College; Set Two: F. Elizabeth Nicholson and Aimee Walker of North Central College; and Set Three: Wendell Johnson of Northern Illinois University.  The format of the session included a brief introduction of the panel, followed by three ten-minute presentations from the librarians, then thirty minutes of breakout discussion related to assessment as the panel presenters moved between attendees’ tables.  The session concluded with individuals at each table summarizing the discussions.  
Each of the sets of panel presenters discussed a unique aspect of assessment.  The librarians from Augustana College discussed their experiences in launching a performance assessment methodology in mandatory first-year library research instruction sessions. The representatives from North Central College (also members of the Instruction Committee) spoke about integrating user experience with instruction via a task-based scavenger hunt across the library’s website.  The final panel member from Northern Illinois University discussed his approach to assessment, which encompasses the importance of designing assessment tools to match the course objectives in his for-credit “Introduction to Information Research” course.
After the thirty minutes of panel presentation, the speakers moved throughout the room to discuss library instruction assessment ideas with attendees.  The Instruction Committee created the following list of questions to guide the discussions as needed: 

1.    What is good evidence for instructional assessment? 

2.    How do we use this evidence to assess our effectiveness in library instruction? 

3.    How do we use the evidence to support student learning?  How do we use the evidence to measure student learning? 

4.    What tools are you using in your libraries to assess/measure student learning? 

5.    From what you heard during the panel presentation, what is one tip/detail/approach that you could take back and use at your institution?

Breakout discussions, monitored by the Instruction Committee members, covered a wide range of topics.  Many participants were eager to learn how other institutions were implementing, or thinking of implementing, instruction assessment.  For example, one table discussed that assessment of student learning improves faculty-librarian partnerships by demonstrating to subject faculty the need for instruction. This bridge with faculty, in turn, improves librarians’ abilities to ensure they teach relevant information to each class through gaining access to the course syllabus and involving the faculty in choosing pertinent topics for the instruction session. Additionally, sharing the in-class activities’ rubrics with faculty empowered them to teach the library instruction themselves, and later report back to the library. 
Time passed quickly, and when it was time to shift to the session summary, many participants expressed the desire to continue their conversations. This sentiment was reflected in the preconference evaluation forms.  Several attendees specifically mentioned the afternoon Public Services/Instruction block and stated that the panel was informative, but that more time for both presenters and discussion would be a nice addition to future planning.

Elizabeth Nicholson, North Central College