The ACRL Framework presents librarians with the opportunity to develop a deeper, more effective learning environment that encourages students to go beyond simply achieving the gold star. Measuring students’ mastery of threshold concepts for information literacy instruction presents a challenge to our assessment and accreditation-driven culture. Learn how librarians can use targeted student learning outcomes to develop innovative assessment initiatives to overcome the “making the grade” mindset, which can be an obstacle for both one-shot and for-credit information literacy instruction.
In this workshop, presenters will provide a brief overview of their institution’s for-credit research skills course, identify some of the unique challenges of working with adult learners in an online learning environment, demonstrate how assessments and feedback have been used to target this type of learner, and share long-term course improvement ideas. Presenters will then guide participants in applying these same assessment and feedback practices to one-shot, scaffolded, and for-credit instruction scenarios.
Participants in the workshop will be able to identify and design three types of learning assessments and use collaboration and interactive learning tools to carry out the assessments. Assessments in library instruction serve as a way for instructors to identify and overcome barriers to student learning and give students agency to apply threshold concepts and research skills to other courses. Constructive feedback plays a significant role in the success of formative assessment. Participants will learn and practice strategies for providing dynamic feedback for students’ improvement in multiple types of assessment and instruction delivery methods.
Bishop, Natalie and Mabry, Holly, "Shooting Down the Gold Star: Using the Power of Feedback and Assessment to Draw Students through the Threshold" (2016). Dover Library Faculty Professional Development Activities. 7.