Summary of Workshop in Ontario on November 2, 2005 |
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Summary of Student Learning Outcomes & Accreditation Workshop, Ontario 11/2/05 sponsored by the Council of Chief Librarians Bonnie Gratch Lindauer, librarian at City College of San Francisco, was the featured speaker in the morning. She wrote the guide Measuring what matters: a Library/LRC outcomes assessment manual.We have it in our [Grossmont College] library. She has also generated a 2004 update that sells for $79. Bonnie stressed that the key thing to be looking for as accreditation documents are composed and compiled is EVIDENCE. We, in the Library, need to demonstrate our role in academic support.Another big focus for the accreditation visitation team will be DIALOGUE so it is vital to keep meeting minutes and/or summaries in a place where they can be accessed.Part of the definition of OUTCOMES involves benefits and changes experienced by library users (whether students, staff, faculty, administrators or community members).She feels that the major area in Library/Learning Centers for measurable benefits and changes is the Library Instruction program; but it is up to all the librarians and staff to find the ways to tie SLO’s to the mission of the college. Grossmont College will provide educational leadership through learning opportunities that anticipate, prepare for, and meet the future challenges of a complex democracy and a global society. To begin to articulate specific student learning outcomes in each area of the LTRC, we all need to “evaluate the quality of our policies, processes, and procedures for providing students access and movement through the institution.” This quote comes from the August 2004 Guide to Evaluating Institutions published by ACCJC/WASCHer 26slide PowerPoint presentation went into great detail with examples from several of the “standards” used for accreditation and encouraged library staff to consider where they have an important role beyond Standard II c. In her list of “selected sources“ on Accreditation, Assessment and Student Learning Outcomes, [See Appendix 1 blue] she recommended visiting the website < http://www.accjc.org/>of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) The entry in their directory for Grossmont College shows:GROSSMONT COLLEGE Pres. Ted Martinez, Jr. 8800 Grossmont College Dr., El Cajon 92020. (619) 644 7000; Fax: (619) 6447922; www.grossmont.edu Public (district) junior. 1963/2002/2007. Sem. plan. Degrees: A.A.,A.S. Total enrollment: 16,175 Prof. Accred.: Associate Degree Nurse; Cardiovascular Technology; Culinary Arts; Diagnostic Medical Sonographer; Occupational Therapist Assistant; Respiratory Therapist A handout labeled “Excerpt from Standards for Libraries… [See Appendix 2 green] came from the ala.org website listing ACRL standards for Services and Resources and giving 9 questions under each section. An SLO document from the Accreditation SelfStudy at Antelope Valley College = 4page handout [not yet scanned--will be Appendix 3 cream] gave examples of student learning outcomes for the Library Program generally, various credit library courses (correlated to the five ACRL standards), and for Library Student Employees. Also from Antelope Valley College, a [not yet scanned--will be Appendix 4 pink] 3page handout gave a timeline, several mission statements, and a draft of their institutional outcomes submitted to their Strategic Planning & Budget Committee (SPBC). This was compiled by Diana Gonzalez who can be reached at dgonzalez@avc.edu or (by phone) at (661) 722-6453.A copy of the September Library Issues [v.26, no.1] had been made for each participant in the 11/2/05 workshop. The lead article, entitled “Meeting the Accountability Challenge,” [See Appendix 5 white] was written by Kathleen Hoeth.A “Group Activity #1” [See Appendix 6 bright orange] gave participants practice in restating a standard into a performance objective, identifying evidence, and giving sources of data/documentation. An excerpt from the Guide to Evaluating Institutions filled two sides of a handout entitled “Questions & Evidence – Standard IIC” [See Appendix 7 yellow] which Bonnie told us some visiting teams use as a checklist.Another two-sided handout [See Appendix 8 lavender] was a copy of two pages ( both numbered 20A) from her book, Measuring What Matters.After lunch, a 5-page handout entitled: “Student Learning Outcomes at Mt. San Jacinto College Libraries” was distributed [See Appendix 9 white] It was divided into sections with the following labels: 1 Independent Learning and Information Literacy 2 Student Learning Outcomes and Accountability 3 Criteria for Assessing Information Literacy 4 Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes 5 Implementation of Measures for Improving Library Effectiveness 6 Examples of Library Surveys o Cal Poly Pomonahttp://www.csupomona.edu/~library/InfoComp/instrument.htm o Seton Hall Universityhttp://library.shu.edu/cdi4/infosearchprocess.htm Some copies of Mary Ann Laun’s article “You have been invited to serve…reflections on the accreditation team experience” from vol. 13, number 1 (2004) of Community & Junior College Libraries were made available at the end of the workshop. She recommends that librarians volunteer to serve on accreditation teams.Hopefully, this summary (along with copies of the various handouts) will be helpful to librarians who were unable to attend but are interested in the SLO and Accreditation topics.Michelle Blackman Grossmont College
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