getting started with assessment project management & writing good questions
DESCRIPTION
Presentation at METRO, 2010TRANSCRIPT
GETTING STARTED WITH ASSESSMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT & WRITING GOOD QUESTIONS
Jennifer Rutner
Assessment & Marketing Librarian
Columbia University Libraries
assessment = change = scary
What is assessment?
Data-informed decision making
Quality, actionable
data
Information transparency
Culture of Assessment
Culture of assessment
A Culture of Assessment is an organizational environment in which decisions are based on facts, research and analysis, and where services are planned and delivered in ways that maximize positive outcomes and impacts for library clients.
A Culture of Assessment exists in organizations where staff care to know what results they produce and how those results relate to customer expectations.
Amos Lakos: www.usc.edu/.../locations/leavey/news/conference/presentations/presentations_9-16/Assessment/UCLA_Lakos.ppt
PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR LIBRARY ASSESSMENT
What not to do.
Form a representative
committee
Write survey questions
Get a really low response
rate
Make the same
decisions you would have
anyways
1. Develop a project plan
2. Understand your team
3. Identify your information needs
4. Write good questions
5. Act on the results
What will help!
Project scope
What is the purpose of this project?
What will this project produce (deliverables)?
What will not happen during this project?
Project objectives
Specific Measurable Aggressive
RealisticTime-
sensitive
Identify decision makers
Who needs to use the information produced by this assessment project to make decisions and produce results?
Do you need a team?
Understanding your team
Team
Project manager
Client
Leader
Commun-icator
Expert
Worker
Decider
Understanding your team
Team Member
Role Skills Interests Authority(What you get to decide)
Responsibility(What you have to do)
Jennifer Project manager, Expert
Writing good questionsIRB processFacilitation
Space planning Methodology
Tool development
Implementation
Assign work to team members and sub-teams
Set meeting agendas
Ensure that milestones are met
Michael Worker, Expert Programming, Usability studies
Usability Website layout Build/manage survey tool
Kimberly Client, Decider Managing, Content expertise
Quantitative data analysis
Approve project plan
Attend meetings, general oversight
Project timeline
Assessment project plan
Everyone signs-off on the project plan.
Your team:
• Members
• Roles
• Authority
• Skills & Interests
Project Scope
Project Objectives
Decision Makers
Information Needs
Methodology
Project Timeline
WRITING GOOD QUESTIONS
“I want to do a survey.”
Assessment process
Environmental scan
Available information
(knowns)
Information needs
(unknowns)
Establish priorities
Assign methodology
Develop toolsTest the toolsIRB
Conduct assessment
Analysis ReportingDecision making!
Staff brainstorming session
Getting organized
Good questions…
• are clear
• are easy to answer
• are not biased
• are not leading
• allow the participant to express their perspective
Test the test!
• Is there anything that doesn’t make sense?• Are any of the questions too personal?• Is there terminology that you don’t know?• Are you able to answer each question?• Are you able to give the answers you want to give?
THANK YOU
More information: https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/libraries/bookmarks/