EMERGING DIALOGUES IN ASSESSMENT

September 18, 2025

• Jillian Collier, MS, LIS, Assessment and Patron Experience Librarian, Georgia Gwinnett College, Daniel J. Kaufman Library and Learning Center

This case study will describe the strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts the library has taken to establish better alignment of library assessment and library SLOs with institutional assessment of information literacy. 

Introduction

When trying to implement student learning outcomes (SLO) assessment, academic libraries face several challenges. One issue is the alignment of library impact with institutional learning outcomes (ILOs). It is crucial for libraries to demonstrate their impact on student success, but also to show how library programs are aligned with the institution’s larger educational goals for students. This case study describes the strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts undertaken by our library, led by the Assessment Librarian, to ensure that our library instruction program complies with and contributes to institutional outcomes, specifically regarding information literacy as an ILO.

Literature Review

A recent review of the literature notes that the contributions of libraries to student learning are not connected with broader institutional outcomes (Goss, 2022). Despite this challenge, there are numerous opportunities for academic libraries to enhance their role in institutional assessment activities. The growing demands for accountability in higher education present libraries with an opportunity to step in. Libraries can potentially influence the selection of assessment tools used by institutions, ensuring that these tools effectively capture the library's contributions to student learning and campus support (Lewis, 2010). The information gathered through these assessment projects can aid libraries in their strategic planning and quality improvement processes, creating a beneficial situation for both the library and the institution.

However, academic librarians often face difficulties in describing the impact of their services and resources on desired institutional outcomes and goals. Two major difficulties were defined by Bonnie Gratch Lindauer in a 1998 article and still persist in 2025. One problem is the lack of strategic focus on broader learning outcomes when, often, librarians are primarily focused on providing daily services to students (Lindauer, 1998). Additionally, librarians often do not organize their data and supporting documentation in ways that are meaningful to academic administrators. Using language that aligns with campus-wide goals is crucial for collaboration with campus leaders and those outside of the library who are unfamiliar with library jargon. Library annual reports and program reviews typically present data but fail to explicitly explain how the library’s resources and services make a qualitative difference to student learning at the institutional level (Lindauer, 1998). These challenges persist for a variety of reasons, but libraries are beginning to devote more time and resources to the project of assessment, with alignment to institutional goals in mind.

Institutional Context

Georgia Gwinnett College is a 4-year, public college and part of the University System of Georgia. Located in Lawrenceville, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta, GGC is the college of choice for Gwinnett County residents. In fall 2024, GGC enrolled over 12,000 students, about 76% of whom are from Gwinnett County (GGC, 2024.) Daniel J. Kaufman Library onboarded their first Assessment Librarian in the summer of 2024, with the clear goal of aligning library student learning outcomes to the college’s best practices for program assessment and institutional outcomes.

The institutional learning outcomes model used by the institution is called Integrated Educational Experiences (IEEs). There are eight IEEs, each of which are integrated throughout a student’s educational experience at the college over four years. The IEEs cover broad concepts and skillsets, such as IEE #3 - using technology, IEE #8 - quantitative reasoning, and of course, IEE #5 - information literacy. Each IEE is assessed with a different measure or test, which is administered annually to a sample of students in three groups. Incoming first-year students are assessed in the fall semester, and in the spring, students completing their general education curriculum are assessed along with graduating seniors (GGC, 2023). This sampling method gives insight into students’ skill development at each stage of their academic journey, and year-over-year results show broader trends of how students are learning. College-wide administration of IEE assessment is directed and operationalized by the GGC Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation. Once the results have been collected, this office makes the data available to faculty for analysis and discussion.

The library is most interested in IEE #5 – information literacy, which is assessed at the institutional level using the Threshold Achievement Test for Information Literacy (TATIL). Like the other IEE assessment measures, the TATIL test was chosen and is administered by the institution’ s Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation. Every year, the TATIL is administered to a sample of incoming first-year students, general education completers, and graduating seniors. The full TATIL test is comprised of four modules: evaluating process and authority, strategic searching, research and scholarship, and the value of information (ACRL, 2018). For our college-wide assessment, the value of information module is the only module used. Each module takes about 50 minutes to complete, so the entire test would be time-prohibitive for students, especially when this assessment is voluntary. Students are encouraged to participate in the assessment, but it is not specifically associated with a course grade. The yearly results of the TATIL assessment show how students build their information literacy skills. The library faculty are now helping to analyze the TATIL data to identify where gaps in library instruction may be, as well as identifying ways that the library may be able to provide support to faculty as they teach information literacy skills in their own classroom.

Case Study and Analysis

As the first Assessment Librarian at GGC’s Kaufman Library, one of my stated goals was to develop new student learning outcome (SLO) statements for the library and align them with institutional goals. This would also serve to bring the library into better compliance with the college’s program assessment practices. Having the library participate in this college-wide assessment process was also a goal of [institution]’s Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation because the library is a “program” on campus, and this office wants all programs to participate. This created a positive environment for collaboration, because the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation was willing to provide support for the library as we developed new SLOs and worked towards better alignment with institutional outcomes. They supported the library’s efforts by sharing the data and results from each year’s TATIL test. Having access to this institutional data helps the library analyze how students are developing their information literacy skills throughout their college experience. The Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation faculty also provided their expertise in the form of training and consultation to help the library faculty understand what was needed for us to bring the library into alignment with their work at the institutional level.

One of the key recommendations was for the library to develop new SLO statements. The previous SLOs that the library had submitted to the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation were too broad, undefined, and generally not well written. To facilitate this, the Assessment Librarian led a series of discussion-based meetings with all the library faculty who teach library instruction sessions. These meetings allowed us to brainstorm new SLOs based on the library instruction priorities of our librarians. It was important that we not impose new learning outcomes but rather create definitions of the learning outcomes that we were already focusing on in our library instruction sessions. The process of brainstorming, drafting, and editing new SLO statements took about nine months. At the end of that process, we had developed five student learning outcomes that address a range of information literacy skills. The new library SLOs were approved by the Provost and submitted to the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation, which was a major accomplishment as the first step of a long-term project to align the library’s assessment practices with institutional goals. Not only did we specifically define how library instruction contributes to information literacy skills development, which is one of our institutional IEE outcomes, we also updated the language of our SLOs to comply with institutional practices. Now, the library’s SLOs are formatted with the same structure as other academic programs across campus.

The next step will be developing new assessment measures, such as quizzes and formative assessment activities, that we will use to collect data on our new SLOs. By systematically collecting and analyzing data from students’ work, we will be able to demonstrate the library's contribution to student learning and success not only through our library learning outcomes but also contributing to institutional outcomes.

Conclusion

The strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts we have begun will significantly advance the library's role in institutional assessment. By developing new Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) statements and aligning them with the college's Integrated Educational Experiences (IEEs), the library has positioned itself as a real contributor to student learning and success. The collaborative relationship with the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation has been instrumental in this process, providing valuable support to ensure the library's efforts are in sync with institutional goals.

Moving forward, the development of new assessment measures will be pivotal in demonstrating the library's impact on information literacy and broader institutional outcomes. By systematically collecting and analyzing data, the library will be able to provide actionable insights into student learning, thereby enhancing its contribution to college-wide goals. This ongoing commitment to assessment and alignment with institutional goals underscores the library's dedication to its role in the educational mission of the institution.