Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)

Target Audience

Higher Education

Presenter Information

Jolene Cole, Georgia CollegeFollow

Location

Room 1005

Abstract

Being an academic librarian comes with many challenges. Very few of us are privileged enough to come into the profession with a background in education and knowledge in assessment practices. For those of us running instruction programs it is our duty to prepare librarians to not only teach but also assess their own work.

Over the last year, Georgia College has implemented a new training and assessment program for the library staff. This program is grounded in reflection practices and encourages self-improvement. The reflection program includes but is not limited to departmental/personal teaching philosophies, peer-review of instruction, reflection journals and student/faculty feedback.

The key to the programs success is allowing librarians the freedom to focus on self-improvement by implementing a level of structure to assessment that had previously been missing. Librarians work with the library instruction coordinator as a peer-coach for instruction rather than being evaluated by a supervisor. This allows for more genuine reflections and authentic conversations among librarians. Although the program does not replace yearly evaluations it does serve as an additional method of assessment and training that librarians can use to further their efforts in the classroom. The program also helps library faculty prepare and organize documentation for tenure and promotion.

The development, implementation, failures and successes of the program will be covered.

Presentation Description

Is your instruction program stuck in a rut? Are one-shots draining your soul? Maybe it is time to re-engage your instruction team by implementing a new training and assessment program designed for reflection and self-improvement. Very few of us enjoy assessment but implementing a program doesn’t have to hurt. This session will introduce Georgia College’s new reflection program for librarians. The development, implementation, failures and successes of the program will be covered.

Keywords

Reflection, Assessment, Instruction Programs, Training

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Sep 30th, 2:45 PM Sep 30th, 4:00 PM

Re-Engage Your Instruction Team Today

Room 1005

Being an academic librarian comes with many challenges. Very few of us are privileged enough to come into the profession with a background in education and knowledge in assessment practices. For those of us running instruction programs it is our duty to prepare librarians to not only teach but also assess their own work.

Over the last year, Georgia College has implemented a new training and assessment program for the library staff. This program is grounded in reflection practices and encourages self-improvement. The reflection program includes but is not limited to departmental/personal teaching philosophies, peer-review of instruction, reflection journals and student/faculty feedback.

The key to the programs success is allowing librarians the freedom to focus on self-improvement by implementing a level of structure to assessment that had previously been missing. Librarians work with the library instruction coordinator as a peer-coach for instruction rather than being evaluated by a supervisor. This allows for more genuine reflections and authentic conversations among librarians. Although the program does not replace yearly evaluations it does serve as an additional method of assessment and training that librarians can use to further their efforts in the classroom. The program also helps library faculty prepare and organize documentation for tenure and promotion.

The development, implementation, failures and successes of the program will be covered.