Using Formative Skills Assessment to Drive Staff Training Decisions and Organizational Change

Jeffrey LancasterEmerging Technologies Coordinator

Columbia University Librariesjeffrey.lancaster@columbia.edu

On the Future of Libraries:How? not What?

Our patrons have a broad range of software skill levels.

We are charged with providing tailored support for this software.

Change

What is the base level of knowledge the subject specialists ought to possess?

The Digital Science Center

The Digital Science Center

Let’s stay ahead of the wave!

Proactive change requires deliberate positioning

Legacy

New & Emerging

Stars

Cash Cows

Market Share ($$$)

Inve

stm

ent

/ D

evel

opm

ent

Innovators (2.5%)

Early Adopters (13.5%)

Early Majority (34%)

Late Majority (34%)

Laggards (16%)

Both via Rob Cartolano – left from Rogers, p. 247

The goals of the skills assessment to date have been fourfold:

• Determine a baseline for our division-wide technological acumen

• Determine our self-perceived desire to learn

• Establish an inclusive, supportive framework within which to improve

• Improve!

Surveys

Tasks

Conversations

Skills Assessment

Presentations

1. Software Survey

Skills Assessment

Why?To assess the self-determined skill levels to use the software

located in the Digital Science Center.

Who?The Director, Librarians, Emerging Technologies Coordinator, and Access Supervisors of the Science and Engineering Division.

What?The survey consisted of 3 questions about 64 pieces of software:

- Level of prior knowledge.- Current level of expertise in using the software.- Level of desire to learn about how to use the software.

Microsoft Word

Prior Knowledge

Expertise in Using

Desire to Learn

Designed to give you the finest document-formatting tools, Word 2010 also helps you organize and write you documents.

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Prior Knowledge

Expertise in Using

Desire to Learn

Adobe Acrobat Pro software lets you deliver professional PDF communications. Create and edit PDF files with rich media included, share information more securely, and gather feedback more efficiently.

Mathematica

Prior Knowledge

Expertise in Using

Desire to Learn

Mathematica is an application for computations and is the only development platform fully integrating computation into complete workflows, moving you seemlessly from initial ideas all the way to deployed individual or enterprise solutions.

A Step Back: ‘Expertise’ and ‘Desire to Learn’

Training?

Desire to Learn

(Survey)

Perceived Expertise

(Survey)

High Use (KeyServer)

Patron Population

(Lenel)

High # Questions (DeskTracker)

Service Ownership

(Digital Centers Working Group)

Emerging TechnologiesCoordinator

Recommends

Influential Factors

Skills Assessment

1. Software Survey

2. Learning Style Survey

Learning Styles (n = 9)

Gameplan: See. Do. Teach.

Phase 1: Overview of software programs- Two sessions led by ETC

• What is it?• What is it good for?

Phase 2: Homework assignments- Ongoing task-based activities

• How do I use it?• How does it relate to my subject area?• How does it relate to other software programs?

Phase 3: Seminar-style tutorial based problem solving- Subject-specialist led focused presentations

• Where did I get tripped up?• Where will my patrons encounter problems?

Phase 1: Overview of software programs

1. Day-to-Day Use/Problems• Adobe Acrobat Pro• Scanner Software

2. Raster vs. Vector• 2D Design Programs (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator)• Most subject-specific programs

3. Thinking in 3D• AutoCAD (with other 3D modeling programs)• 3D Mouse

4. Formatting a Thesis• EndNote (with other reference managers)• Microsoft Word

• What is the title of the book read by the student on the left in the attached image (homework_2a.jpg)?

• Crop the attached image to show only the left student’s book and coffee cup

• Resize that cropped image to be 500 px wide with a resolution of 72 px/in

• Convert the image to Grayscale

• Save the image as a .png file with the name ‘homework_2a_edit.png’

• Select just the title page of the book (Hint: magic wand, tolerance: 29), and copy and paste it into a new file with a transparent background

• Adjust the contrast of the image

• Save the image as a .png file with the name ‘homework_2a_edit_v2.png’

Phase 2: Homework assignments

So far….

1. Scanning and Adobe Acrobat Pro

2. Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator

3. Google Earth, .kml filetype, and ‘connect’ utilities

4. Reference management software, presentation skills

5. Subject-specific software

6. Social media

7. Emerging technology skills*

Feedback from Staff

“Overall, they were a great help to me in getting me to overcome my reluctance (and anxiety) about trying new software tools.”

“This effort had a lot to do with how much people trusted and liked you…”

“A side effect to this assignment was the knowledge that with not a lot of effort I can familiarize myself pretty quickly with these applications enough so that I can suggest them to patrons who are looking for specific tools, or answer general questions about their use.”

“I learned from it what software to pick while helping patrons.”

“However I’m finding it challenging to keep up with the skills I have gained since I’m not using all of them on a regular basis.”

“We still lack the technical skills.”

“I realized how far my interests, skills, etc. are away from the ever-changing role of technology in libraries.”

How to engage in organizational change?

- Formative assessment, with (some) influence on job performance

• Supportive environment to ‘not know’

- Iterative approach, never fully fleshed out

• Needs to be adjusted for any given group, environment, situation, etc.

- Re-skilling, reorganizing, retooling

- Operate within the strategic framework of the organization

• Embrace the changing landscape of professional librarianship

• New hires would have many of these skills

Organizational Change

Why Does This All Matter?

• We’re not alone in this process

• We need a vehicle

• We have something to offer

• We’re going somewhere

• Let’s stay ahead of the wave!

Let’s Discuss!Let’s Discuss!