SLO4 at Cuyamaca College Library

Cuyamaca College Library

Student Learning Outcomes

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INTRODUCTION TO SLO 4

CC Library is a "teaching library" with a mission to increase student information competency skills. CC Librarians are collection development specialists who have the responsibility of anticipating student information needs. We select materials based on what the students need, not so much on what students want. Students depend on librarians to decide the best way to obtain the information they need. We hold to this philosophy because it the only way to build student information competency skills. The purpose of this SLO assessment is to improve library instruction program. The surveys we have chosen to use will allow us to identify student users and their specific information needs.

In order to develop student IC skills, it is important that CC Library develop library collections that meet the research needs of the CC students. Collection development involves evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of current collections, carefully selecting new materials in all formats, promoting the use of library materials, and continuing the effort to find the most effective means of providing information. The gateway to navigating the student use of the library collections is through Cuyamaca Library's website which provides links to library systems such as the catalog, electronic books, reference e-books, databases, tutorials.

SLO 4 : Students will demonstrate the ability to independently access and use library collections made available from the Library homepage.

Expected Outcomes: The outcomes will be used as feedback to identify changes CC Library has to make in the ongoing effort to improve student information competency learning outcomes.

Question 1: Student report use of library resources listed on the library homepage.
Question 2: Student circle number of library resources they use. Expected outcomes is 7 out 13 circled.
Question 3: Student report librarian intervention in questions 1, 2, and 3, 50%.
Student will report no librarian intervention in questions 4, 5, 6, and 7, 50%.

Methodology and findings for Spring 2012

Spring 2012 semester data collection hand out forms to students from reference desk and in Living Room, when student return a completed form to the reference librarian, they get a piece of candy. Numbers of students expected to assess 200 students.

Eight (8)out of 192 students (i.e. 4%) who filled out the SLO 4 survey claim to use 7 to 13 of the links (library sources) listed on the library homepage. However, 61% of students of the students surveyed are independently using some kind of resources on the library homepage. Statistics show 110 students checked 1 to 6 links (library sources) listed on the library homepage. This suggests that perhaps these students needed to use only certain resources. Expecting a result of using 7 to 13 sources on the library website was perhaps unreasonable, as 4% is very low and implies that most students don't understand what we offer. Also, 8 students filled out the form incorrectly which suggests an assessment tool design flaw or that they didn't understand the survey.

Recommendations and changes we will make

In the spring of 2013, the form will be re-designed to be more simple and streamed-line. The check all that applies will not be used. The students will be asked about the usage of no more than four library resources with only three possible responses. This will give tighter results, better interpretation of the data and more accurate assessment of independent learning and usage of the library's website resources.

Go to SLO Matrix for surveys, data results and more

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