Course Syllabus - Fall 2011 LI 811XO Community Needs Analysis 10/7-8, 11/4-5, & Internet

Faculty: Email: Primary Phone: Fax: Biography: Online Course Login: Credit Hours: Note: Karen Diller kdiller@emporia.edu (360) 546-9179 (360) 546-9043 https://sites.google.com/site/karenrdiller/ https://elearning.emporia.edu 3.0 Course Syllabus May Change

Important Dates for Fall 2011

8/17: First day of class 8/30: Last day to drop 10/13: Midterm grades 10/26: Last day to available withdraw 12/9: Last day of 12/17: semester Commencement 9/5: Labor Day Holiday (ESU closed) 11/11: Veteran's Day Holiday (ESU closed) 12/20: Final grades due 10/11: Midterm grades due 11/23-11/27: Thanksgiving Break

Official Course Description

Survey and utilization of the tools, resources, and research methodologies for the purpose of analyzing, designing, implementing or modifying, and evaluating library and information systems and services. Students learn about community analysis, needs assessment, and other tools of analysis and assessment.

Course Aims
Accurate and continuous community analysis and assessment play a key role in enabling libraries of all kinds to be responsive, through both services and collections, to their unique service communities and assists library leaders to make wise, evidence-based decisions for their libraries. This course is designed to introduce you to specific tools, resources and methodologies that you can employ to understand the information needs of your communities and to assess the effectiveness of current systems and services. This course will build on the knowledge that you have gained in LI810, Research in Library and Information Science, allowing you to apply good research practice to specific situations and to become more knowledgeable about specific research

questions and methodologies. The major questions that will guide our exploration of this topic are: Why is community analysis and assessment important? Why is there resistance to community analysis and assessment? What are the most current and credible ways to analyze the information needs of a community? What are the most current and credible ways to assess the effectiveness of services? How can the data gathered be presented and used most effectively? This course is based on the following assumptions: Libraries are learning communities. The librarian's role is one of change agent. Libraries exist to assist patrons/clients with their information needs. Accurate diagnosis (analysis) of patron/client information need is one of the most important steps in the cycle of professional service.

Official Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to: Describe the central concepts, principles and models of community analysis and assessment of services. Identify a community to analyze and select an appropriate methodology by which to do the analysis. Identify a service/program to assess for impact and effectiveness and select an appropriate assessment methodology. Critique a research methodology. Build a persuasive argument for the need to conduct a community analysis or program/service assessment.

Learning Activities
Students will have the opportunity to reach these outcomes through the following learning activities: (See Assignments in Blackboard for more details.) Readings: Each assigned reading has been selected for its applicability to the course aims and objectives. Students will have opportunities to discuss readings in class, in small groups, and on-line. In addition, readings will help students with other learning activities. (20 points) (Assignments 1, 2, 3, 7, 8) Community Analysis: Students will work in small groups. Each group will select a community (or sub-community) and hand-in one project consisting of: A description of the community and suggestions for needed services/programs. This will be written by the group. A series of short papers analyzing different methodologies (documents; interviews; focus group; survey, etc) used to do a community analysis. Each individual in the group will contribute one of these short papers. The short paper will include a sample instrument, a literature review on the pros/cons of the method, and a discussion of how to analyze and use the data from this method. (30 points) (Assignment 4) Persuasive argument: Each student will do a short presentation during the second weekend to

persuade stakeholders to fund and support the community analysis from Assignment 4. (15 points) (Assignment 5) Assessment of service/program: Each student will select a service/program, appropriate to his/her community from Assignment 4, to assess and then write a short research proposal detailing how to assess this service or program. (25 points) (Assignment 6)

Required Readings
Grover, R. et al. (2010). Assessing Information Needs; Managing Transformative Library Services. Denver, CO: Libraries Unlimited. Other readings will be available via the Internet or on Course Reserves. See Course Documents and Assignmentsfor more details.

Outline of Course Topics and Activities

Aug 17- Oct 7: Readings and Online Discussions Sep 3 - First Discussion Due (Assignment 1) Sep 17 - Second Discussion Due (Assignment 2) Oct 1 - Third Discussion Due (Assignment 3) Oct 7 - Readings for Weekend One Oct 7/8 - First Weekend Discussion of course and assignments Review of online discussion topics Community Analysis Small group work on Assignment 4 Oct 8- Oct 29 - Work on Assignment 4 Oct 19 - Draft of Group Paper for Assignment 4 Due Oct 29 - Assignment 4 Due Oct 30 - Nov 4: Readings and Assignment 5 Nov 4 - Readings for Second Weekend Nov 4 - Assignment 5 due in class. Nov 4/5- Second Weekend Presentations (Assignment 5) Discussion of your Community Analysis Project Culture of Assessment Assessment Methods

Nov 5-Nov 19 - Work on Assignment 6 Nov 13 - Draft of Assignment 6 Due Nov 19 - Assignment 6 Due Nov 20- Dec 10 - Readings and Online Discussions Dec 3 - Fourth Discussion Due (Assignment 7) Dec 10 - Fifth Discussion Due (Assignment 8)

Grading
Each student will come to the course with more or less expertise with the content of this course. Individual final grades should indicate both the amount of growth in student learning throughout the semester and the level of success each student has had with accomplishing the course objectives. As the instructor, I will: provide feedback on student writing early in the semester so that students can calibrate my expectations for graduate writing. build in formative assessment so that students have the opportunity to revise major assignments. provide evaluation criteria with each assignment which will explain grading criteria. Graded Activities: 10 points: Participation 20 points: Reading Activities 30 points: Community Analysis 25 points: Assessment Proposal 15 points: Oral Presentation

Grading Criteria and Scale

A 100-96 points. Outstanding achievement. Participant's work consistently demonstrated a scholarly understanding of course content as well as creativity and originality in approaching all course activities. Excellent achievement. Participant's work demonstrates thorough understanding of course content and exceeds requirements on all assignments. Very good work. Participant's work demonstrates understanding of course content and exceeds requirements by on all or most assignments. Satisfactory work. Participant's work demonstrates understanding of course content and meets or exceeds requirements on all assignments. Marginal work. Participant's work demonstrates incomplete understanding of the course materials and does not meet requirements on one or more assignments. Unsatisfactory work. Participant's work demonstrates substandard C+ 79-77 points.

A- 95-90 points. B+ 89-87 points.

86-84 points.

B- 83-80 points.

C+ 79-77 points. understanding of course content and does not meet requirements on one or morework. Participant's work demonstrates incomplete Unsatisfactory assignments. understanding of course content and generally does not meet requirements of assignments. Unacceptable work. Failing grade

76-74 points.

D 73-70 points. F 69-

SLIM Grading Scale

96 -100 A 90 - 95 A87 - 89 B+ 84 - 86 B 80 - 83 B77 - 79 C+ 74 - 76 C 70 - 73 D 0 - 69 F

SLIM Attendance Policy

Students must attend all face-to-face classes. In cases of emergency, see SLIM's Policy and Procedures for Absence from a Class Weekend due to Illness or Personal Emergency (PDF).

SLIM Grade Policy

All graduate courses included in the SLIM MLS and doctoral programs' required curricula or their approved substitutions must be passed with a final grade of B- or better to receive academic credit. If a student does not receive a final grade of B- or better in any or all of SLIMs required classes, then the student will be placed on academic probation and notified by the office of the director of program administration that he or she must retake that course or those courses. When a student has been placed on academic probation, an administrative hold will be placed on the students record to block future enrollment. The administrative hold can only be released by the students academic advisor or by the SLIM dean or director of program administration. Before enrollment can be done, the student is required to meet with the students academic advisor with the goal of developing an academic improvement plan. If a student has a semester GPA of less than 3.0 for two semesters or is on academic probation for two semesters, then the students academic progress will be reviewed in light of the academic improvement plan by the students program director, the SLIM dean, and the SLIM director of program administration, and a decision will be made regarding whether the student should be academically dismissed from the SLIMs graduate program. This policy goes into effect fall 2009 semester. This SLIM Grade Policy applies to all SLIM students, including those students who entered SLIM under the 42-credit-hour MLS program, the 36-credit-hour MLS program, or the

entered SLIM under the 42-credit-hour MLS program, the 36-credit-hour MLS program, or the SLIM doctoral program. It will also apply to all those who have passed into MLS or doctoral degree candidacy.

SLIM Incomplete Grade Policy

SLIMs Incomplete Grade Policy upholds the Emporia State University Incomplete Grade Policy (for full policy, go to: http://www.emporia.edu/grad/docs/policyhandbook2.pdf). SLIMs Incomplete Grade Policy further stipulates that an incomplete request will not be considered approved without an Incomplete Request Form having been submitted by the instructor and approved by the SLIM dean within two weeks after the issuance of the incomplete. If the incomplete grade is being requested for reasons of health, then documentation must be submitted to the SLIM deans office before the final grade change is made. If a SLIM students request for a single incomplete grade is approved by the instructor and dean, then the student will be limited to enrolling in six credit hours in the immediately succeeding semester. If a SLIM student requests more than one incomplete grade to be issued at the conclusion of a semester, then an administrative hold will be placed on the students record to block future enrollment until all incomplete grades are finished and the final grade changes have been submitted by the instructor(s), signed by the SLIM dean, and accepted by the ESU Registrars Office.

Faculty-Initiated Student Withdrawal Procedure

Students should be aware that your instructor follows the universitys policy of faculty-initiated student withdrawal. It reads as follows: If a students absences from class or disruptive behavior become detrimental to the students progress or that of other students in the class, the faculty member shall attempt to contact the student in writing about withdrawing from the class and shall seek the aid of the office of Vice President of Student Affairs to help insure contacting the Student. The Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs shall provide the student information about the existing appeals procedures. Upon receiving a written report from the faculty member, the Vice President of Student Affairs may initiate a student withdrawal from the class. None of the above implies or states that faculty members are required to initiate the student withdrawals for excessive absence. [Policy and Procedures Manual 43.11]

Academic Dishonesty
At Emporia State University, academic dishonesty is a basis for disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to activities such as cheating and plagiarism (presenting as one's own the intellectual or creative accomplishments of another without giving credit to the source or sources.) The faculty member in whose course or under whose tutelage an act of academic dishonesty occurs has the option of failing the student for the academic hours in question and may refer the case to other academic personnel for further action. Emporia State University may impose penalties for academic dishonesty up to and including expulsion from the university.

Disabilities Policy
Emporia State University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented

disabilities. Students need to contact the Director of Disability Services and the professor as early in the semester as possible to ensure that classroom and academic accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. All communication between students, the Office of Disability Services, and the professor will be strictly confidential. Contact information for the Office of Disability Services: Office of Disability Services 211 S Morse Hall Emporia State University 1200 Commercial Street / Box 23 Emporia, KS 66801 Phone : 620/341-6637 TTY: 620/341-6646 Email: disabser@emporia.edu
Copyright 2010-2011 School of Library & Information Management Emporia State University 1200 Commercial Campus Box 4025 Emporia, KS 66801 voice: (800) 552-4770 voice: (620) 341-5203 - other numbers fax: (620) 341-5233 Content comments for the instructor: kdiller@emporia.edu Technical questions: slimhelp@emporia.edu