Using a Template to Create Rubrics and Worksheets for Library Instruction Assessment

This talk was presented as part of the 2nd Biennial Kathleen A Zar Symposium at the University of Chicago. For more about the symposium visit:

Utilizing worksheet and rubric templates to create assessment tools to measure student learning outcomes in library instruction is both effective and efficient. Librarians need not reinvent the wheel in designing assessment instruments when common student learning outcomes are the goal. A template for a worksheet or a rubric can be created and then modified for the specific needs of the librarian. At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, a template for a "research strategy worksheet" was developed to use as an assessment instrument for multiple library instruction sessions. This worksheet has been used for several semesters to assess students' abilities to identify appropriate databases and keywords and to locate books and articles after library instruction has been delivered. Worksheets provide a means for direct assessment and require students to demonstrate achievement of relevant student learning outcomes. In addition, they serve as an active learning exercise for students and help reinforce library instruction concepts. A rubric was also developed to score this worksheet. Using rubrics to score worksheets provides consistency in scoring and helps librarians determine what constitutes student "achievement" after library instruction. Student learning outcomes, the worksheet and rubric templates, and selected assessment results will be shared. A discussion of how the worksheet, rubric, and library instruction activities have been modified over time ("closing the loop") will also be discussed. Attending librarians can modify the worksheet and rubric to meet the needs of their library instruction program and can easily begin to assess the effectiveness of their library instruction activities.

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