Course Assessment Team - 2016

Kathleen Bearden, Gary Maixner, and Kristy Motz

Each year, one team and one individual are recognized as leaders in their use of assessment data to improve student learning. FLITE instruction librarians Kathleen Bearden, Part-time Professional; Gary Maixner, Assistant Professor; and Kristy Motz, Associate Professor, have been chosen as this year's recipients of the 2016 Excellence in Course Assessment Team Award.

This distinguished team was recognized for their work with approximately 100 FSU Seminar courses in multiple disciplines. In 2015, they compared their data to the data collected in Fall 2013 and Fall 2014 after they switched from a librarian-led tour to an active-learning instruction called the Amazing Library Race. They focused on eight specific learning outcomes in 2013. Following coding of 200 student team handouts each year, looking for completion and accuracy, they then used the Big Data comparison tool, Weka (University of Waikato), to run comparisons, look for trends, and assess the eight learning outcomes. These analyses have contributed to continuous improvement of library instruction. 

Bearden has been the supplemental faculty member for the Reference and Instruction Department as well as the Biology Liaison. She provided library instruction for the biology department as well as Ferris State University Seminar (FSUS). She retired in Spring of 2016. Maixner is the Emerging Technologies Librarian. He oversees user-experience testing, works the reference desk, and acts as a liaison with the areas of Information Security, Psychology, and Digital Animation and Game Design. Motz is liaison to the School of Education and the School of Digital Media, with concentrated work in collection development and in-depth instruction for those areas.