Assessment of Adult Individualized Studies Programs

1. Assessment of Adult Individualized Studies Programs It’s not that scary! Sarah MacDonald, James Madison University

2. Assessment • Two simple questions: • What do we want students to know as a result of a program? • How do we know if they’ve learned it? • …It’s not a dirty word.

3. The Assessment Cycle

4. Assessment @ JMU • General education • Majors • Student affairs • (And recently, graduate certificate programs)

5. Assessment of a Traditional Major • Faculty gather to identify student learning objectives • Faculty work with assessment specialists to map objectives to curriculum, since all students with that major will take a common core set of courses • Faculty and assessment specialists identify ways to measure learning of those objectives, whether through course-embedded assessment, selected response testing (internally or externally developed), performance assessment, or other methods

6. Assessment of a Traditional Major • Someone collects data • Assessment specialists help clean and analyze the data • Faculty use that analysis to interpret the data • Program stakeholders work to improve the program, closing the loop

7. Individualized Studies • Common model for adult degree completion programs • The traditional requirements don’t fit • Allows for flexibility for nontraditional learners with considerable experience and prior learning • General education, concentration, electives

8. Individualized Studies • No dedicated core faculty • Individualized Studies students don’t have the same general education requirements as traditional students • Every concentration is individualized – no two students take the same set of courses

9. Individualized Studies • We were the last major on campus to be asked to develop an assessment plan • Our first reaction • Our second reaction: • What do they have in common? • Where can we start?

10. Individualized Studies • They do have a few common course experiences: Orientation course, Senior Project, Senior Project presentation • Other moments for indirect assessment that are consistent: alumni survey, exit interviews, employer survey • Other direct assessment opportunity that many but not all students share: portfolios of prior learning, internships

11. Individualized Studies Assessment Cycle

12. Individualized Studies

13. Next Steps • Moving away from completely individualized concentrations • As Jim would say… “Hotel California” • Modules – preselected sets of courses

14. Next Steps • Business Technology • Communications • Human Resource Development • Advanced Green Manufacturing • Entrepreneurship • Hospitality and Tourism Management

15. A Sample Module Concentration Senior Project Communication Studies Human Resource Development Business Technology

16. Next Assessment Plan • Still not common to all students • Significant overlap • Option for individualized concentration remains • Faculty involvement • …should be interesting

17. Assessment • Two simple questions: • What do we want students to know as a result of a program? • How do we know if they’ve learned it? • Do we have all the answers to these questions for our students? No. • Do we know more than we did before? Yes.

18. Assessment Takeaways • Continuous improvement rather than perfection • Each year we’ve taken on another piece • Start with what you know • Involve stakeholders in every possible step • Share the results of what you learn • Use the results for program improvement

19. Questions? Sarah MacDonald macdonsk@jmu.edu