The Teaching and Information Services Department made a plan to assess student learning outcomes for each academic year. For this report, we are assessing two of our four learning outcomes. In 2024, we will assess the remaining two outcomes, and in 2025, we will assess all four outcomes together. In breaking up assessment on this timeline, we are hoping to make assessment more manageable and allow our instructors to take a deeper dive into the evidence of student learning for each outcome. In 2025, we should have a clear indication of how our courses impact student learning right before we go up for our next program review.
Our assessment strategy is both course-based and outcome-based. All of our courses have the same learning outcomes but LIBS 1704 is a general information literacy course, LIBS/EDUC 2604 focuses on education information, LIBS/BSAD 2704 focuses on business information, LIBS 2804 focuses on information in the social and behavioral sciences, and LIBS/HTHS 2904 focuses on health sciences information.
As part of our assessment strategy, we decided to assess student learning by asking instructors to complete a revised Evidence of Learning Rubric and provide a brief narrative description of their interpretation of their findings, connections to past changes (if any), and future plans to address issues and “close the loop.” See Appendix D for the complete revised rubric.
The revised EOL Rubric includes only four columns:
- Outcomes to be Assessed: Including “indicators” or specific sub-outcomes.
- Summative Assignment (one per indicator): Method of measurement - include title of assignment and whether it was a direct or indirect measure of learning.
- How did this assignment ask students to demonstrate mastery of this outcome, and how did you assess the assignment? Evidence of achievement.
- Threshold and Performance: How well did we want them to do vs. how well they did. Threshold: If 80% or more (i.e., 20+ out of 25) of students perform at mid-B-level (at least 83%) or better on this assignment, we feel they demonstrate reasonable mastery of these outcomes.
The narrative portion is intended to expand on the information included in the rubric and guide reflection and planning for course, assignment, and/or assessment improvements.
The methods used to assess each outcome vary because instructors use different methods to evaluate evidence of learning (e.g. assignments, quizzes, pre/post-tests). The outcomes assessed and threshold were agreed upon by the department, in order to facilitate big-picture interpretation and reflection in terms of student learning. It should be noted that the threshold used is an aspirational threshold: It is not expected that all students, or even all courses, will demonstrate mastery of the outcomes at that level, but rather that by aiming high, instructors will be able to re-frame assessment as goal-setting and a process of continual improvement, rather than an achievement to be acquired and box to be checked.
