NVCC

1
NVCC Assessment

• David Williams, Director
• Learning Resources Alexandria Campus
• Carol Sinwell, Acting Director
• Learning Resources Annandale Campus
• Northern Virginia Community College

2
NVCC LRS vs. LRC

• Learning Resource Services includes Library,
  Testing, IT, AV at each campus
• 6 campuses (Annandale, Alexandria, Loudoun,
  Manassas, Medical, Woodbridge)

3
NVCC - LRS

• Some campuses include other services open
  computer lab/s, writing center, tutoring center,
  math center, language center
• LRS Directors meet monthly to coordinate
  services, policies procedures

4
NVCC Assessment - Goal

•  Theory Improvements in teaching, learning and
  institutional effectiveness are signs of
  institutional vitality
• Reality How do we get from theory to
  meaningful, usable outcomes?

5
NVCC LRS - Assessment Prior to SACS

• Occasional unit surveys
• Library Instruction Sessions stats
• Library Suggestion Book
• No collegiate (cross campus) evaluative measures
• No collegiate goals and objectives

6
NVCC-LRS Assessment

• 1 st attempt at collegiate LRS assessment plan
• ALA workshop (2000) promoted use of template for
  developing assessment plan
• Plan would facilitate internal strategic plans
• Plan would facilitate preparation for SACS review
• Plan would provide 3-5 yr set of guidelines for
  LRS assessment
• Initial plan developed

7
SACS visit 2000 -2002

• 2 yrs of preparation for visit
• LRS staff served on college SACS report writing
  committees, including the Education Support Comm
• College Education Support Comm had 3 LRS members
  others members knew little about LRS 2 faculty
  members wrote this section of report for SACS

8
SACS visit 2000 2002

• Internal college committee and external SACS
  committee had difficulty in distinguishing
  between LRS and Library
• Reviewers also challenged by different LRS
  organizational structures at each campus

9
Findings of SACS Reaffirmation Committee

• Irregular and narrowly focused evaluations
• A number of one time surveys and evaluations
• Limited one time assessments
• No comprehensive overview of Learning Resource
  Services available

10
SACS Recommendation

• The LRS will be evaluated regularly and
  systematically to meet the needs of their users
  and the programs and purposes of the college

11
SACS Suggestion

• Evaluate the quality, relevance, use by
  students, accessibility, and delivery of Learning
  Resource Services

12
NVCC assessment practices

• Worked with Division Deans to undertake
  cooperative evaluation activities
• Designed college wide POS survey form
• Distributed the survey in LRS units and Student
  Services units during March 2005

13
NVCC other assessment activities

• Some LRS units designed and executed other
  assessment measures
• Feedback from students at end of instructional
  sessions (library)
• Feedback from faculty on instructional services
  and resources (AN)
• Focus groups with students or other audiences (AL)

14
Assessment activities cont.

• Feedback on website design
• Feedback on services via web
• Participation in Campus Student events solicit
  input on LRS services
• Campus-wide survey of faculty on LRS services
• Survey classes of LRS Committee members

15
Discipline evaluations and program
reaccreditations

• Staff serve on committee as resource persons
• Serve as reader/technical editor for program
  evaluation
• Follow up on recommendations made by discipline
  evaluation

16
NVCC - assessment

• What do we do with information gathered?
• Use for college, state and national reports
• Use for justifications for funding, staffing and
  organizational design
• Use to identify usage of facilities and resources
• Use for the self study
•  

17
Assessment

• Too many people have lived through the assessment
  phases and havent seen the follow through or
  improvement, so they are cynical, and sometimes
  non-cooperative.
• We need commitment to action and
• Follow through to improvement
• We need the whole cycle to produce positive,
  effective outcomes