Assessment in Action

Demonstrating and Communicating Library Contributions to Student Learning and Success
A red logo of a white checklist and magnifying glass

Robust assessment practices are key to tracking and demonstrating your library's impact on student learning and success. Higher education institutions of all types are facing intensified attention to assessment and accountability issues. Academic libraries are increasingly connecting with colleagues and campus stakeholders to design and implement assessment that documents their contributions to institutional priorities. In this day-long workshop on strategic and sustainable assessment, participants will identify institutional priorities and campus partners, design an assessment project grounded in action research, and prepare a plan for communicating the project results. This workshop is based on the highly successful ACRL Assessment in Action program curriculum.

Participants

This workshop is intentionally designed for:

  • All librarians, library staff, or library administrators who seek to design and implement a student success assessment project
  • Library staff or administrators who want to identify and improve relationships with campus partners and stakeholders
  • Library staff or administrators who want to align library assessments with institutional priorities
  • Library staff or administrators who have little or no previous experience with the assessment cycle

Learning Objectives

Workshop participants will be able to:

  • Design and implement assessment practices to document and improve the impact of libraries on student learning and success.
  • Collaborate with key campus partners to align library outcomes and measures with institutional initiatives, priorities, and assessment activities.
  • Communicate results of assessment activities to engage library stakeholders and to sustain a culture of continuous improvement.

Format

Assessment in Action is available as an in-person or virtual RoadShow.

Learn more about hosting a RoadShow.

Sample In-Person Schedule

  • 1.5 Hours: Overview of Assessment Methodology; Institutional Priorities and Connecting to Campus; Student Learning and Success Outcomes
  • 1.5 Hours: Aligning Outcomes, Actions, Evidence, and Criteria
  • 1.5 Hours: Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Ethics
  • 1.5 Hours: Informing and Improving; Communicating Results and Articulating Next Steps

Total: Approx. 7-8 hours

Note: This is a sample schedule for example purposes; hosts will receive a final agenda including breaks and meal-times from their RoadShow presenter team.

Sample Virtual Schedule

The virtual Assessment workshop takes place across two half-days, and the schedule is flexible.

Day 1 (3 Hours):

  • Overview of Assessment Methodology
  • Institutional Priorities + Connecting to Campus
  • Student Learning + Success Outcomes
  • Aligning Outcomes, Actions, Evidence, + Criteria

Day 2 (3 Hours):

  • Data Analysis, Interpretation, + Ethics
  • Informing + Improving
  • Communicating Results + Articulating Next Steps

Total: Approx. 7-8 hours

Note: This is a sample schedule for example purposes; hosts will receive a final agenda including breaks from their RoadShow presenter team.

Meet Our Presenters

Brooke has short silver hair and is wearing a black sweater with white detailing. She is indoors and smiling.

Brooke Doyle, M. Ed (she/her) is a Program Manager with OCLC. Brooke's expertise in curriculum development and grant management serve her well at OCLC where her work includes being a co-author on the OCLC briefing New Model Library: Pandemic Effects and Library Directions and the OCLC report Improving Open Access Discovery for Academic Library Users as well as assisting in the Building a National Finding Aid Network project. Before joining OCLC, she taught middle and secondary school, developed curriculum, coached literacy programs, and managed education grants. She received her BA and MEd from the University of Virginia.

A black and white photo of Mariya, who has shoulder-length dark hair and glasses.

Dr. Mariya Gyendina (she/her) is the Assessment Librarian for the University of Minnesota Libraries Administration. She works with the UMN Libraries on developing the assessment plan and supporting the implementation of the strategic plan. Mariya thinks of assessment as a way to answer questions we have about our work and use the results to communicate with stakeholders and make changes to our programs. Before starting her position, she worked with the Libraries' teaching and learning program. Her background is in applied linguistics and writing studies. Before coming to UMN, she consulted at the writing center and taught ESL, writing studies, and linguistics classes.

Sara has shoulder-length dark curly hair and she is wearing dark-rimmed glasses and a grey cardigan; Sara is smiling.

Sara Lowe is Associate Dean for Educational Services at Indiana University Indianapolis University Library. Her research can be found at her Google Scholar or ORCiD profile pages.

Eric has long blonde hair and is wearing dark-rimmed glasses, a teal shirt, black patterned necktie, and grey coat. He is smiling.

Eric Resnis (he/him) is Head of Research and Scholarship for the Coastal Carolina University Libraries, managing teaching, research, engagement, and creative technologies. He has over 20 years of experience managing instruction, research support, and assessment initiatives. His research areas include liaison effectiveness and the role of creative technologies and virtual reality in enhancing student learning.

Brandy has shoulder-length brown curly hair and is wearing a bright green shirt, gold necklace, and goldenrod scarf. She is seated in a chair and is smiling.

Prof. Brandy Whitlock (she/her) is an Instruction Librarian at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, MD. Learn more about Brandy in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on the ACRL Insider.

Here's what participants say!

"If you are new to assessment, the ACRL RoadShow will inspire, prepare, and jump-start you toward assessment. If you have been practicing assessment, the RoadShow reinforces and expands upon what you know and are doing."

"I went into this workshop with little to no knowledge on assessment. After the workshop, I returned to work with a bunch of ideas on how we can implement assessment practices in our library."

“I was able to create outcomes for our information literacy class in the workshop. During the class, I emailed them over to be approved by my library director and they were approved and used by my library!”

"We are planning an assessment of information literacy skills project, and this will help us get off to a good, informed, start!"

“The organization of the workshop around the assessment cycle made the information easy to follow and showed exactly the steps that need to go into an assessment project.”

"I didn't realize how much I didn't know! I also now realize we need a librarian whose entire job is assessment."

Costs

Institutions pay a licensing fee to host an ACRL RoadShow workshop. ACRL organizational members receive a 10% licensing fee discount.

In-Person Workshop

  • Up to 40 participants: $5,000 licensing fee and travel costs for one presenter
  • 41-100 participants: $8,000 licensing fee and travel costs for two presenters

Virtual Workshop

  • Up to 24 participants: $5,000 licensing fee, includes one presenter
  • 25-60 participants: $8,000 licensing fee, includes two presenters

RoadShow Discounts and Savings

Bring Assessment in Action to your campus!

To schedule an Assessment in Action RoadShow, please contact us.