How to Improve Your Library Instruction in Five Minutes

Sarah SteinerJanuary 11, 2012ALA TechSource

Have You Already Done One-Shot Assessments?

a. Nope, not yet.b. Yeah, a little bit. c. Yes, regularly!

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Have You Ever Written Learning Outcomes or Objectives?

a. Nope, not yet.b. Yeah, a little bit. c. Yes, regularly!

During Today’s Class, We Will…

• Analyze the purpose and benefits of quick assessment in one-shot instruction sessions.

• Draft learning outcomes for a session using Bloom’s Taxonomy.

• Compose assessment questions based on our learning outcomes.

• Select appropriate assessment tool options based on instruction session goals.

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Our Focus

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• Classroom assessment (versus programmatic or institutional)

• Fast and free assessment tools– Polls– Quizzes/Questionnaires– Minute papers

• Formative (immediate) and summative (cumulative) assessment

What Can Quick Classroom Assessment Do?

• Identify misunderstandings• Identify instructional gaps or disconnects• Determine how you spend class time• Build your confidence• Be a basis for change• Provide evidence of efficacy and impact

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Don’t Be Afraid

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What Should I Assess?

• To assess:– Comprehension– Retention– Achievement of learning outcomes

• Not to assess:– Your personal shortcomings– Your speaking mistakes– Your hairstyle– Random things

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Learning Outcomes

“A Learning Outcome is a statement of what the student should understand and be able to do as a result of what she has learned ... ‘the essential and enduring knowledge, abilities, and attitudes or dispositions’ that enable a learner to practice and apply her learning in the real world.”

-Valencia Community College

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A Good Learning Outcome Will…

• Identify the audience.• Foster understanding of real world applications.• Be jargon-free.• Be easily measurable.• Be action-oriented.• Be brief and few in number—only three to five.• Be linked to learner needs.

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Determine the Class Priorities

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• Choose three to five– What must the students accomplish?– What must they know in order to

accomplish it?– What do they already know/find

obvious?• Broad=okay• Detail=okay

Write the Learning Outcomes

Stem + Verb + Product/Outcome

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Stem

By the end of this class, you will be able to…

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Verb: Bloom’s Taxonomy

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Image: London Deanery

Choose Verbs: Knowledge

Students will…define, describe, identify, know, label, list, match, name, outline, recall, recognize, reproduce, select, state

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

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Choose Verbs: Comprehension

Students will…comprehend, convert, defend, distinguish, estimate, explain, extend, generalize, give an example, infer, interpret, paraphrase, predict, rewrite, summarize, translate

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Choose Verbs: Application

Students will…apply, change, compute, construct, demonstrate, discover, manipulate, modify, operate, predict, prepare, produce, relate, show, solve, use

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Choose Verbs: Analysis

Students will…analyze, break down, compare, contrast, diagram, deconstruct, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, identify, illustrate, infer, outline, relate, select, separate

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Choose Verbs: Synthesis

Students will…categorize, combine, compile, compose, create, devise, design, explain, generate, modify, organize, plan, rearrange, reconstruct, relate, reorganize, revise, rewrite, summarize, tell, write

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Choose Verbs: Evaluation

Students will…appraise, compare, conclude, contrast, criticize, critique, defend, describe, discriminate, evaluate, explain, interpret, justify, relate, summarize, support

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Add Product or Outcome

What must they do? • Book on your topic in the catalog• Information into a thesis statement• Keyword search with advanced techniques

What is the context?• A class assignment• Better yet, a real-world context

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All Together Now!

Stem + Verb + Product/Outcome

By the end of this class, you will be able to construct search statements in order to locate useful books and articles.

By the end of this session, you will be able to locate books on your paper topic in the library using the online catalog, GILFind.

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What’s Wrong Here?

Today I’ll talk about…• The library website.• Database searching for peer-reviewed

journals using boolean logic and the thesaurus.

• How to find everything in the library.

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Consider Assessment Options

• How can students prove their understanding of your outcomes?

• Would you like feedback throughout the session, at the beginning and end, or just at the end?

• How specific do you want to get?

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Today’s Assessment Tools

• Polls• Quizzes• Minute papers

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Polls

Quizzes

Minute Papers

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Best Practices for Question Drafting

• Convert your learning outcomes to questions.

• Include three to five “meaty” questions, two or three general questions.

• Avoid overly easy or “all of the above” answers.

• Avoid nebulous questions.• Work in terminology to ensure it’s

understood.

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Poll Example Questions

• How many of you have had a library instruction class here before?

• Is this an article or a journal? • Is this source peer-reviewed? Is this source

scholarly or popular• Who is the author of this book? • Are you confused about topic x?

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Quiz Example Questions

Quiz Example Questions

Minute Paper Example Questions

UC Davis University Library– Intro questions on basic student

information and course information– “What is the most useful thing you

learned during this session?”– “What is still confusing you?”

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ucdminutepaper

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Review Responses

• On the spot? Yes!

• Look for…• Percentage of correct answers.• Trends in missed answers.• What to change next time.

• Keep your chin up.

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The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Verbal Setup

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Survey and Poll Tools

• SurveyMonkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com

• Zoomerang: http://www.zoomerang.com

• Poll Daddy: http://polldaddy.com/

• Poll Everywhere: http://www.polleverywhere.com/

• Google Forms: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/forms/

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SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang

PollDaddy

Poll Everywhere

Google Forms

Review

• Write learning outcomes• Base your questions on the

outcomes and on your needs• Be sure to review and reflect on the

answers you get

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Thank you!

Contact me at ssteiner@gsu.edu

Other Resources• “Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain.”

http://classweb.gmu.edu/ndabbagh/Resources/Resources2/bloomstax.htm

• Educational Oasis, “Framework of Learning Outcomes.” http://www.educationoasis.com/instruction/bt/learning_objectives.htm

• London Deanery, “Setting Learning Objectives.” http://www.faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk/e-learning/setting-learning-objectives

• Utah State University Library, “Assessment.” http://library.usu.edu/instruct/assessment/index.php

• “Virginia Tech Instruction Clearinghouse.” http://www.lib.vt.edu/RIS/clearinghouse/assessments.html