Assessment in Action
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 of 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
Sara Lowe is Educational Development Librarian at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis. Learn more about Sara in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider
Eric Resnis is Head of Instructional Services at Coastal Carolina University's Kimbel Library. He participated in ACRL’s Assessment in Action program both as a team leader (year 1) and as a co-facilitator (year 3). Eric is Vice President/President-Elect (2017-2018) of the Academic Library Association of Ohio, the Ohio chapter of ACRL. He regularly publishes and presents on the value of assessment in meeting information literacy outcomes, strengthening liaison roles, and demonstrating library impact towards institutional outcomes. Learn more about Eric in his ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider.
Brandy Whitlock 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: $3,500 licensing fee and travel costs for one presenter
- 41-100 participants: $6,000 licensing fee and travel costs for two presenters
Virtual Workshop
- Up to 24 participants: $3,500 licensing fee, includes one presenter
- 25-60 participants: $6,000 licensing fee, includes two presenters
RoadShow Discounts and Savings
Bring Assessment in Action to your campus!
To schedule an Assessment in Action RoadShow, contact Ari Zickau at azickau@ala.org
