Rusa Name of Committee Report

RUSA [NAME OF COMMITTEE] REPORT Please submit committee reports twice a year; they are due 2 weeks before or after each Midwinter and Annual conference. Committee reports differ from minutes: minutes contain details of a meeting, including discussion points, questions, and action items and a report is a 1-2 page summary/ overview of activities and plans covering the last several months. Post all reports to: http://connect.ala.org/node/207988 and label accordingly; send a copy to [email protected] for distribution to RUSA Board

DATE: July 17, 2014

COMMITTEE NAME: RUSA Professional Development Committee

NAME OF COMMITTEE CHAIR/CO-CHAIRS: Jeannette Pierce

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Beth Woordard, Cynthia Robin Levine (RUSA Board Liaison), Eileen Fontenot (Intern), Elizabeth Kline, Elizabeth Matkowski, James Rettig, Joseph Yue (RUSA RSS), Lesley Brown (RUSA Codes), Natasha Arguello, Rachael Elrod (RUSA History), Sydney McCoy ACTION ITEMS IN PROGRESS / PENDING: -Develop an implementation plan for the RUSA Free School Project – current plan is to develop a subcommittee to focus on this new initiative. -Review new Webinar and Course Proposal submissions September 15th.

We have a number of other projects/ideas under discussion, but the above will be high priority in the coming months. ACCOMPLISHMENTS / ACTION ITEMS COMPLETED AND WHICH RUSA STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS/

The committee reviewed the feedback questions sent to participants of Webinars and Courses. We agree with the existing questions and recommend the addition of four questions to both the Webinar and Course participant feedback forms.

1. Was the RUSA Webinar (RUSA Course) what you expected based on the description provided? [Yes, No, Comment] 2. Did you consider the fee for this RUSA Webinar (or RUSA Course): [Too High, About Right, Too Low – I would pay more]

3. If you answered “Too High”, please indicate what an “About Right” fee would be for you. [Open Text Response]

4. Should RUSA ask the Webinar (Course) instructor to repeat this offering in the coming year? [Yes, No, Comment]

In addition, we created a new feedback form to seek input from instructors of RUSA Webinars & Courses. Here are the questions:

Did you have any difficulty submitting your proposal?

1. Easy to submit 2. A bit confusing 3. Very confusing 4. Comment… Were the guidelines for proposal submission clear?

1. Very clear 2. Reasonably clear 3. Not at all clear 4. Comment… Did you find the feedback on your proposal provided by reviewers helpful?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Comment… Did you feel comfortable using the Webinar format (Course Software) provided by RUSA?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Comment… Are there ways that RUSA Staff could have been of more assistance in helping you prepare for your Webinar (Course)?

1. Was a RUSA staff member present during all or most of your Webinar (Course)? 2. Would you be willing to offer a RUSA Webinar (RUSA Course) in the future? 3. Do you have any recommendations to improve the process? Committee members reviewed and discussed feedback received on Webinars and Courses offered in Fall 2013 and Spring 2014. For the most part, participants were pleased with the courses and willing to recommend them to others. However, one Webinar did not meet the expectations of a number of participants who filled out the evaluation form. See suggested action item below. Committee members discussed participant feedback on the question of what offerings for courses and webinars would be of interest. In general, there is support for additional business courses, an advanced genealogy course, and courses supporting core reference responsibilities. The committee will continue discussing how to identify and promote content offerings on these and other identified topics. OBJECTIVES THEY SUPPORT:

Objective 3: Provide Leadership and Opportunities for Professional Development

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE:

Action Item:

Per our discussion at the Midwinter Meeting, the RUSA PD Committee would like the Board or RUSA Office to approve and implement the following: 1. The RUSA PD Committee recommends that the RUSA Office add the proposed questions to the existing Webinar and Course participant survey forms. 2. The RUSA PD Committee recommends that the RUSA Office distribute the proposed instructor feedback form to all Webinar and Course instructors. 3. The RUSA PD Committee recommends that RUSA contact the 89 attendees of the “Strategies for Pizazz: Rebuilding One-Shots into Engaging Instruction Session” Webinar that was offered on February 10, 2014 and offer a 15% discount to be used towards a single Webinar or Course offering through June 30, 2015. Our note should indicate that the majority of our offerings receive positive feedback and that we apologize that this one did not meet the expectations of a number of attendees.

OTHER COMMENTS: The committee is doing good work. High priorities for the Fall will be to select new Course and Webinar offerings and design a plan to implement the RUSA Free School project. SUBMITTED BY: Jeannette Pierce, Chair

Rev. December 19, 2013