Focus groups as an assessment strategy: Lessons learned

In fall 2018, members of the Teaching and Learning Team at the George Mason University Libraries proposed a focus group study to assess one of the libraries’ student learning outcomes. The outcome, “Students will recognize that the library’s value exceeds traditional information sources in order to transfer their knowledge to experiences beyond the classroom,” proved difficult to assess, but we wanted to produce some data to attempt to measure it. We hoped a focus group study of graduating seniors might provide us with evidence for this outcome.