How to assess...this is a problem that consumes academics. Currently I am asking each student to answer three open ended questions and one yes or no question at the end of each class or session. We call this the one-minute-essay. I then read the feedback and catalog the answers by class and subject. This is mostly a barometer of how well I did in the classroom, not what the students have learned or retained. While it is very helpful to me and provides me with some information I have future goals for a broader assessment that should give me an idea of what skills the student has retained.
The One-Minute-Essay: Take a minute to reflect and respond to these three questions. Don't edit, just write what comes to mind. There are no right or wrong answers.
A few responses that made me smile:
Question: What was the most important thing you learned today?
Response: I have sat through a librarian’s tutorial three times and this was by far the most explanatory.
I really appreciate the citation knowledge and Google Books.
Response: "The college library is not hard to navigate" and from the someone else in the same class, "the college library is so complicated."
Question: How will you use what you learned today outside of class?
Response: To help my children with their homework.
Response: For learning things just for conversational purposes in life.
The Plan: Starting in the fall of 2011, I plan to ask the professors to build three knowledge and skill based questions, based on the learning objectives of the library session, into the class structure through ANGEL. Before each session, as part of an assignment, the students would answer the three questions to the best of their ability and several weeks after the library session they would be given the same questions to answer again. This, along with the one-minute essay, should give me data on how well the library instruction works. It does not matter if they use tools to find the answers during the second quiz because those tools are there for that reason and that would be a measure of success as well. An added bonus to this type of assessment, having once answered the questions the savvy student may be alert to finding the answers during the library session.
Examples of possible questions:
The One-Minute-Essay: Take a minute to reflect and respond to these three questions. Don't edit, just write what comes to mind. There are no right or wrong answers.
- What was the most important thing you learned?
- How might you use what you learned today outside of class?
- Do you feel this class met your needs?
YES___________
NO ___________ (If no, please how can we meet your needs?) - I want more information on_________________________________________________
A few responses that made me smile:
Question: What was the most important thing you learned today?
Response: I have sat through a librarian’s tutorial three times and this was by far the most explanatory.
I really appreciate the citation knowledge and Google Books.
Response: "The college library is not hard to navigate" and from the someone else in the same class, "the college library is so complicated."
Question: How will you use what you learned today outside of class?
Response: To help my children with their homework.
Response: For learning things just for conversational purposes in life.
The Plan: Starting in the fall of 2011, I plan to ask the professors to build three knowledge and skill based questions, based on the learning objectives of the library session, into the class structure through ANGEL. Before each session, as part of an assignment, the students would answer the three questions to the best of their ability and several weeks after the library session they would be given the same questions to answer again. This, along with the one-minute essay, should give me data on how well the library instruction works. It does not matter if they use tools to find the answers during the second quiz because those tools are there for that reason and that would be a measure of success as well. An added bonus to this type of assessment, having once answered the questions the savvy student may be alert to finding the answers during the library session.
Examples of possible questions:
- In as much detail as possible explain how you would access an article in the library database.
- Name three way to evaluate an article or web page for use with your topic. Explain how each of these criteria determine the value of the article or web page.
- Name one way to narrow down a subject that creates too many results. Describe how your search strategy brought about better results.
- Give three examples of when you need to cite (give the author/creator credit) within your research paper or presentation.
- There are popular magazines, journals and periodicals and there are peer-reviewed or scholarly. Please give at least three examples of how they are different.
- Name five services or resources that are provided to you by your campus library and librarians.
These assessment techniques are a collaboration between Jennifer Gregor and Linda Reifler-Alessi, the full time, faculty librarians based on the Seminole Campus of St. Petersburg College.