Lunch Discussion Notes: Assessment & Undergraduates

Here are the notes from one of the lunch discussion groups at our recent Putting Assessment into Practice: A Library Instruction Workshop. The topic of this discussion was: Assessment & Undergraduates

Thanks to John Holmes for moderating this discussion!

• We need to take a more systematic approach to UG assessment. Too much random and redundant instruction with no developmental arc. The role of the librarian as advocate is the key to articulating outcomes, both in general education curricula and within disciplines.


• Library outcomes need to be aligned with institutional curricula. And the vocabularies we use to discuss with faculty and administrators need to be customizable and built upon common goals.
• Scalability is the single biggest challenge to UG assessment.
• Undergrads seem to be more task-oriented than graduates, who are more career- and discipline-focused. Outcomes need to be more granular.
• Pre- and post-testing UGs seems to build higher motivation and confidence.
• Assessment is a strong marketing and advocacy tool. Faculty response to instruction by librarians can be used to broaden reach of programs.
• UGs should build a repertoire of approaches to solving information problems. Changes in technology change problem-solving strategies, which should, in turn, change our approaches to assessment.
• Perhaps the most important outcome, one that can be addressed both by librarians and course instructors, is increased metacognition in learners. The habit of reflecting on their own learning leads to better questions, better mental models, and more self-directed learning.