Advancing the Reference Narrative: Assessing Student Learning in Research Consultations

Abstract

Abstract
 Objective – As reference services continue to evolve, libraries must make evidence based decisions about their services. This study seeks to determine the value of reference services in relation to student learning acquired during research consultations, by soliciting students’ and librarians’ perceptions of consultation success and examining the degree of alignment between them.
 Methods – The alignment of students’ learning outcomes (reported skills and knowledge acquired) with librarians’ expectations for student learning during consultations was assessed. An online questionnaire was conducted to gather responses from students who had sought consultation services; 20 students participated. In-person interviews took place with eight librarians who had provided these consultations. The online questionnaire for students included questions about students’ assessments of their self-identified learning goals through consultation with a librarian and their success at applying the knowledge and skills gained. Librarian interviews elicited responses about students’ prior research experience, librarians’ objectives for student learning, librarians’ perceptions of student learning outcomes, and perceived consultation success. The responses of both the students and the librarians were coded, matched, and compared.
 Results – Students and librarians both considered the consultation process to be successful in advancing learning objectives and research skills. All students reported that the consultations met their expectations, and most reported that the skills acquired were applicable to their projects and significantly improved the quality of their work. Librarians expressed confidence that students had gained competency in the following skill sets: finding sources, search strategy development, topic exploration, specific tool use, and library organization and access. A high degree of alignment was observed in the identification by both students and librarians of “finding sources” as the skill set most in need of enhancement or assistance, while some disparity was noted in the ranking of “search strategy development,” which librarians ranked second and students ranked last.
 Conclusion – The data demonstrate that both students and librarians perceived individual research consultations as an effective means to meet student learning expectations. Study findings suggest that as reference models continue to change and reference desk usage declines, research consultations remain a valuable element in a library’s service model and an efficient use of human resources.

Library consultations and a global pandemic: An analysis of consultation difficulty during COVID-19 across multiple factors

“…Regardless of their degree of standardization, data collection and assessment projects focused on reference services in academic libraries tend to center patron service needs ( Scales et al, 2015 ), student experiences and satisfaction ( Murgai, 2012 ; Reiter & Cole, 2019 ; Rogers & Carrier, 2017 ), or student learning outcomes ( Bradley et al, 2020 ; Maddox & Stanfield, 2020 ; Miller, 2018 ; Newton & Feinberg, 2020 ; Sikora & Fournier, 2016 ). The effects on librarians of providing these services and the use of reference statistics in predicting or assessing librarian workload and effort are comparatively little studied.…”

Evaluating a recorded appointment service for individual research consultations between librarians and allied health students

“…This finding aligns with the findings of studies exploring both recorded consultations in a medical setting (Rieger et al , 2018) and with broader findings regarding IRCs (Stapleton et al , 2020). It should be noted however that numerous studies on non-recorded IRCS have reported high levels of usefulness of the intervention (Magi and Mardeusz, 2013a; Butler and Byrd, 2016; Rogers and Carrier, 2017; Bezet et al , 2018; Sikora et al , 2019; Bradley et al , 2020). This study was not a side-by-side comparison of recorded and non-recorded IRCS and thus cannot demonstrate if the addition of recording further improves the positive perception students report of IRCs.…”

“…Bezet et al (2018) reported skills acquisition from IRCs including search technique, controlled vocabulary use and database functionality. Bradley et al, (2020) reported participants' increased application of research skills but these were not specified. While these studies made reference to students (perceived) increase in research skills, neither investigated how students integrate knowledge gained in an IRC into research activities or how knowledge transfer occurs.…”

“…In addition, understanding the experience of non-recorded consultations is useful to identify an experiential baseline. IRC studies have consistently demonstrated that students find them a valuable addition to library services (Magi and Mardeusz, 2013a; Butler and Byrd, 2016; Rogers and Carrier, 2017; Bezet et al , 2018; Sikora et al , 2019; Bradley et al , 2020). A systematised review of IRCs reported similarly consistent levels of positive feedback (Stapleton et al , 2020).…”

“…Magi and Mardeusz (2013b) reported that participants placed a high value on the specificity of consultations to individual projects. Two studies and a review reported additional affective benefits relating to increased confidence in research activities following IRCs (Magi and Mardeusz, 2013b; Stapleton et al , 2020; Bradley et al , 2020). Increased metacognition relating to knowledge of research activities was reported by Magi and Mardeusz (2013b), with participants reporting that attendance at a consultation aided them in understanding aspects of the search process they were previously unaware of.…”