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Actionable Assessment:

How Assessment Leads

to Change

Co-sponsored by ACRL Assessment Discussion Group and ACRL Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey Editorial Board

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Format for Session

Introductions by moderator (5 min)

Lightning rounds (8 min each)

Brief panel discussion (15 min)

Table sharing (15 min)

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Accountability in Assessment

Emily Guhde, Director of Library Assessment at Georgetown University Library

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Plan

Implement

Analyze & Report

Take Action

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Plan

Implement

Analyze & Report

Take Action

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To what extent do you feel empowered to hold library colleagues accountable for outcomes or recommendations resulting from assessment projects?

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1 2 3 4 5

Not at all empowered

Very empowered

29%

26%

19%

23%

3%

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Plan - Articulate specific project objectives
Implement - Collaborate on data collection
Analyze & Report - Offer training to spread skills
Take Action

Assessment Project To-Do List

But it does present challenges and it affects the way that we approach our projects. For instance, thinking about the assessment cycle as a checklist of sorts, we can create a plan with specific objectives laid out in advance, so that everyone knows, and agrees, why we are bothering to do the assessment project. And we can increase buy-in during implementation by inviting colleagues to be involved in the data collection; and likewise with reporting, we can offer to teach someone within the department how to use Excel, or Tableau, or Google Data Studio, and invest in those library-wide assessment skills that will contribute to our library’s culture of assessment. What about taking action, though? That often happens outside of my department, and it is the step that I have the least control over. What strategies can help us feel empowered to hold colleagues accountable for that step? I will toss out a couple of ideas that have worked for me and I hope that they will be helpful for you too.

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Reframe using language that speaks to your colleagues

“Recommendations” into “Potential Actions”

Recommendations

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“Recommendations” into “Potential Actions”

Potential Actions

Reframe using language that speaks to your colleagues

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Rewrite potential

actions using SMART language

#1

Expand assessment efforts for library instruction and use the results to continuously improve library instruction services.

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Rewrite potential

actions using SMART

language

#1

Expand assessment efforts for library instruction and use the results to continuously improve library instruction services.

Librarians will gather post-instruction feedback

^

all courses receiving

with librarians and their supervisors

^

Library Assessment will share

^

in spring 2019

^

by designing customized instruction improvement plans at the beginning of April

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Require a response to potential actions

Assessment Project Response

Potential Action
Decision to take action
Responsibility
Timeline for action

And speaking of accountability, the final idea that I will share is Requiring an Assessment Project Response. As assessment professionals, we put so much effort into designing studies, cleaning and analyzing data, creating data visualization, collaborating with stakeholders, and I think the least our colleagues can do for us is to read our reports and respond to our findings and our potential actions. The assessment project response is simple. When my project team completes our report, the last section has the potential actions, and we send the report and an Assessment Project Response template to the department head who requested the project. And I ask them to meet with their department, look at the report, and fill in a couple of items on the Assessment Project Response. The potential actions are copied over from the report, so all they have to do is say whether or not they plan to move forward with the potential action, who will be responsible for the action, and what is the timeline or due date for the action.

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2016-2017 Academic Year

Assessment Project Actions (n=55)

Complete In-Progress Not Started Changed Our Minds

47%

31%

16%

5%

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2017-2018 Academic Year

Assessment Project Actions (n=29)

Complete In-Progress Not Started Changed Our Minds

66%

7%

14%

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Using Instruction Statistics to Guide the Instruction Program

Leslie Hurst, Head of Teaching & Learning / Literature & Humanities Librarian

University of Washington Bothell / Cascadia College Campus Library

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UW Libraries Instruction & Research Consultation Reporting form

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Engaging Librarians with the Data

Sample prompts for data review and discussion:

Based on the data what are adjustments we may want or need to make at the program level? At the individual level?

What questions does the data raise for you? Is there anything you found surprising, interesting, concerning, etc?

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Case Study: �Managing Instruction at Cascadia

Image: http://www.cascadia.edu/current/onyourteam.aspx

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Case Study: �Managing Instruction at Cascadia

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Case Study: �Managing Instruction at Cascadia

Engaging stakeholders to develop the path to action:

Library and Cascadia College administrators

Instruction Coordinators and Librarians

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Case Study: �Managing Instruction Cascadia

Image: https://www.spreadsheetweb.com/excel-iterative-calculation/

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Wrapping up

Image: http://www.ravepubs.com/avphenom-launches-electronic-gift-giving-service/

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From results to action at

UW Libraries

Jackie Belanger, Director of Assessment & Planning

University of Washington Libraries

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Involving staff at all stages of cycle

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Making data less daunting

Targeted & multi-faceted strategy:

reports & dashboards

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Collaborative analysis, recommendations & decision making

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Making next steps less daunting

Iterative, rapid, small-scale follow-ups

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Recommendations

Reframe recommendations (SMART goals)
Build in accountability
Involve colleagues in all aspects of cycle
Focus on building capacity for decision-making
Break up complex results
Encourage small-scale, rapid, iterative follow-ups

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Table Discussion Questions

What ideas do you have for designing assessment processes to create the most opportunities for action?

What ideas do you have for engaging colleagues (and/or external stakeholders) in the assessment process to ensure greater willingness to act on results?

How might you take the ideas you heard today & apply them at your organization?

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Please provide your feedback:

https://goo.gl/8KZcf6