From Learning Commons to Learning Outcomes: Assessing Collaborative Services and Spaces

Don Beagle, who wrote an early, influential article* and a book** on the information commons, is the author of an ECAR Research Bulletin reviewing six recent user studies of the commons model. http://bit.ly/oWxK4Y


From the abstract on the EDUCAUSE website: "While the studies used varying methodologies, their cumulative results indicate that the commons model cannot be evaluated by focusing only on design aspects of “learning spaces” or perceptions of “library as place.” These features must be balanced by qualitative reviews of service effectiveness and quantitative measures of service delivery. This bulletin concludes with a consideration of change theory as a possible means to extend service evaluations and spatial appraisals to assessments of learning outcomes." http://bit.ly/oWxK4Y


If your college or university is not a member of EDUCAUSE, maybe you should suggest joining.


*"Conceptualizing an Information Commons," Journal of Academic Librarianship 25, no.2. (March 1999): 82-89.
**The Information Commons Handbook, Neal-Schuman, 2006.