Research Guides: "The ability to navigate": Distance Students' Assessment of Library Instruction Sessions: Methods & Limitations of Study

Poster Information

This poster was created by Rebecca Hill Renirie, Global Campus Librarian at Central Michigan University. It was presented at the 2013 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was presented on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

Methods

After the one-shot library presentations are delivered by GCLS librarians (generally about 2-4 weeks post-visit) an invitation to complete a 6-question evaluation is sent to students of those classes via email. The GCLS Library Instruction Session Survey is distributed and conducted through the online service SurveyMonkey.

Data was analyzed from those surveys distributed over the course of the 2012 calendar year (January 2012 – December 2012). All responses are from courses that had a one-shot library instruction session presented by one of the five GCLS librarians.

Limitations of the Study

• Response to the survey was voluntary and restricted to those enrolled in classes which received a presentation.

• It is not mandatory for librarians to send out the evaluation, and some did not – especially since the staff person primarily responsible for sending out the evaluation retired mid-way through the year analyzed.

• Some centers and programs have higher enrollment than others and are visited more often – for example, the Master of Science in Administration (MSA) program has heavy enrollment and frequent class visits by GCLS librarians.