Learning to Assess: A Professional Development Model for Librarians - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Learning to Assess: A Professional Development Model for Librarians Dr. Corinne Laverty Teaching & Learning Specialist & Librarian Queen’s University Centre for Teaching & Learning

Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario: 25,000 students, 1,000 faculty

I support: • Educational research • Inquiry and undergraduate research • Information literacy development Teaching and Learning Working Group - 20 librarians - Four years - Learning to assess

Teaching and Assessment Challenges • Quality assurance: requirement for programs to document how learning outcomes and assessment are aligned to meet degree level expectations; library must demonstrate VALUE • Changing delivery models (flipped, blended, online) – Backwards design approach (outcomes – assessment – activities NOT outcomes – activities – assessment) – Active learning – Multimedia (interactive video tutorials and animations)

Outcomes What librarians need to do Student Learning Assessment & Teaching Learning What librarians Improvement need to Feedback from demonstrate to Assess assessment Learning from Curriculum & Assessment Activities What librarians put Content and into practice approach Based on: Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

TO-LEAD: A Curriculum Framework for Librarian Professional Development Application of backwards design principles for active learning and T eaching assessment in physical and virtual classrooms. Strategies Demonstrating standards set within the quality assurance O pen environment in teaching and learning initiatives. Accountability Working with multiple partners (other librarians, faculty, educational L earning developers, technology specialists, writing and learning specialists). Partners E ducational Technical expertise in the creation of online tools (e.g. videos, LibGuides, quizzes, tutorials, rubrics, accessibility requirements). Technologies Tactical skills and knowledge to engage in teaching and learning A dvocacy debates, initiatives, planning, and partnerships. D eveloping Becoming a reflective educator who plans, monitors, and sets goals for professional teaching practice. Self-regulation

Sample Workshop Topics Learning outcomes: Educational technologies: write and evaluate; analysis of Camtasia, Jing; online video; LibGuides; level; group writing learning management systems Curriculum mapping: Collections: course, program, discipline; e-reserves; open educational resources; undergraduate, graduate database evaluation tools Forms of assessment: Accessibility: multiple choice quiz; rubrics; different formats; closed captioning exemplars; round tables Student engagement: Quality assurance: clickers; case study; peer review; how librarians participate; report group work templates; data collection Designing assignments: Working with partners make checklists; exemplars; educational developers; instructional alternative assignments designers; library systems

Professional Development Programs Professional Information Literacy Development Model (Queensland University of Technology, Peacock, 2001) – Mandatory, eight 3-hour modules Framework for Teaching Excellence (Oregon State University, Hussong-Christian, 2012) – Monthly workshop series on instruction Professional development program (University of Auckland, Moselen & Wang, 2014) – Year long, five modules

Communities of Practice Framework Groups of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn to do it better as they interact regularly. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Focused on a topic of shared interest where participants gradually absorb and are absorbed in a ‘culture of practice,’ giving them exemplars, leading to shared meanings, a sense of belonging and increased understanding. Stoll, L. (2010). Professional Learning Community, International Encyclopedia of Education , (pp. 151 – 157). London: University of London.

Analyzing Outcomes

Improving Quiz Questions Identify whether the item is a primary or a secondary source: a. An article about architecture from http://www.ebuild.com/ for a research paper on libraries b. Statistics from the Statistics Canada website for a research paper on international students c. The book called Modern philosophy from Descartes to Nietzsche: an anthology for a research paper on philosophy. d. A speech by John F. Kennedy for a research paper on famous speakers in American politics e. Photographs in a newspaper or magazine with pictures of the Vietnamese conflict from 1961-1975 for a study of journalism during the Vietnam War.

Basics: Cognitive Skills Rubric Builder

http://www.queensu.ca/qloa/assessment-tools/basics/

http://library.queensu.ca/webedu/Research-Assignment-Handout-Checklist.pdf

What Makes a Learning Community? Three components: • Shared domain of interest • Interact and engage in shared activities as a community • Members are actively engaged in practice Key assumptions: • Knowledge construction about teaching and learning emerges from reflection on practice • Individuals benefit from sharing expertise during common pursuit • Knowledge constructed transactionally richer than in isolation

Pennington, F. (2011). Communities of practice: A framework for learning and improvement. https://convcme.wordpress.com/tag/communities-of-practice/

Impact Face-to-Face Classes Course • Action plans Class size • Map courses Learning outcomes – are they set? Shared with with IL dept.? Assessment goals • IL campus Teaching strategies plan Blended/Online Courses • Common Course development team membership tools Learning outcomes for information literacy – set? Shared? • Share ideas Assessment goals Teaching strategies • Assessment data Support needed?

Research Study: Quality Assurance 67 Ontario academic teaching librarians:  49% of respondents stated that they are unsure how the library is integrated into the quality assurance process.  71% of respondents were uncertain about what policy documents had been written in the library regarding the role and programming of information literacy.  More than half (53%) of survey respondents do not assess student information literacy outcomes.

91% of respondents are not required to assess information literacy outcomes .

Research Study: Learning Gaps  More than half identified learning how to design authentic and reliable information literacy assessment instruments and analyzing assessment data as priority learning.  Preferred methods of learning about assessment are online courses/webinars (53%) and face-to-face workshops (46%).  Approximately 50% learned to assess through learning on their own, through webinars, readings, campus workshops.

Research Study: Confidence  Of those who do assess student information literacy outcomes, 64% are somewhat confident in the accuracy of their measurements, 23% are not confident, and 14% are confident or very confident.  36% reported that their libraries did not arrange for any professional development on assessment, while 41% noted that support services provided workshops on their campus.  29% have had no formal training in assessment.

Your Experience Do you think a community of practice is an option for your library? • Learn from action • Develop tools • Sustained learning • Work together • Motivation to belong • Opportunities for reflection • Expertise distributed • Knowledge socially constructed