Student Learning Outcomes Assessment and LIS Program Presentations

Abstract

American Library Association (ALA) standards for the accreditation of library schools emphasize the assessment of student learning outcomes; this is part of a broader accountability movement in higher education. This study reviews accreditors' statements on program assessment, past methods of evaluating library schools, and general definitions of measures of student learning. It then examines fifteen publicly-available "program presentations," self-study documents prepared for ALA-Committee on Accreditation visits and review, for descriptions of direct or indirect measures of student learning outcomes and their use for program-level assessment and improvement. Only seven of the fifteen presentations describe the use of "direct" measures of student learning. Further research on program-level use of outcomes measurement would strengthen the profession and address external pressures for concrete accountability.