Analysis of LIS student engagement in systematic program planning: preliminary results

Systematic program planning is an approach that facilitates continuous higher education improvements through evidence-based, data-driven decision-making that includes the program’s constituencies. Library and information science (LIS) education master’s degree programs are required by the American Library Association to demonstrate that their constituents are engaged throughout their ongoing, broad-based systematic planning processes. Minimal research exists on how programs engage their constituents in systematic planning and how responsive programs are to their constituents. This study examines how LIS programs engage an essential constituency, students. A content analysis of 15 accreditation self-study documents was conducted to understand what methods programs use to engage students, how frequently and consistently these methods are used, and what types of changes and improvements were implemented based on student engagement. This paper reports our preliminary findings, which will be useful to educational programs seeking to enhance their systematic planning processes and make their constituent engagement efforts more fruitful