Assessment 101: A Review of the Basics

1. Assessment 101: A Review of the Basics Jill Allison Kern, PhD Director of Assessment Christopher Newport University January 2013

2. What is assessment? Assessment is the process of determining the degree to which students are learning what faculty believe is essential for them to know so that faculty can make improvements in the teaching-learning process.

3. Process for improving student learning

4. GENUINE INQUIRY

5. Identify what students are NOT learning

6. Steps in the Assessment Process 1. Establish clear, measurable outcomes of student learning from a given activity (student learning outcomes → SLOs) 7. Implement the changes designed to enhance learning (“close the loop”) 2. Ensure opportunities for learning → Curriculum Mapping 6. Interpret the information and make decisions about what to do to improve the results in the future Student Learning 3. Establish method(s) for evaluating the degree to which students have achieved the SLOs 5. Gather information about the degree to which students have achieved the SLOs 4. Teach “to the” SLOs

7. The first step: • Faculty members need to clarify and make explicit what they believe is essential for students to learn.

8. Student Learning Outcomes

9. A Student Learning Outcome is a written statement of the measurableachievement a participant will be able to demonstrate as a result of participation in a given learning activity.

10. Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs): Three Levels • Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) • Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) • Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

11. The Purpose of SLOs • To clarify for ourselves precisely what knowledge and skills we believe are essential or important for students to learn • To focus our teaching efforts • To shape the graded assignments we design • To inform the criteria we use to grade students’ activities • To enable us to assess how successful our students have been at mastering the desired learning • To communicate to students what we intend for them to learn so they can organize their efforts to achieving the desired outcomes

12. How to Write SLOs

13. Use This Precise Formulation: • Students who successfully complete [name the learning unit (e.g., Psych 101, the computer science major)] will be able to do the following: • [ONE observable, active verb] • [ONE observable, active verb] • [ONE observable, active verb] • [Etc.]

14. Examples • Students who successfully complete French 200 will be able to conjugate regular verbs in the imperfect tense in writing. • Students who successfully complete the BA in Music will be able to demonstrate technical proficiency in their chosen instrument during a live public performance. • Students who successfully complete English 123 will be able to write effectively. • Upon the successful completion of the Creative Expressions Area of Inquiry, students will be able to apply concepts from the humanities to describe artistic endeavors or participate in a fine art, such as creating a painting or choreographing a dance.

15. Rule #1: Avoidnon-observable verbs

16. Non-observable Verbs • become familiar with • be knowledgeable about • think • value • realize • become aware of • know • learn • understand • comprehend • appreciate • study

17. Translate Non-observable SLOs Into Observable Ones NotObservable Observable • Know the arguments • Summarize the arguments • Discuss reflections on the issues • Reflect on the issues • Think critically • Identify assumptions implicit in theories • Apply the principles • Understand the principles • Comprehend the methods • Explain the methods • Appreciate art • Voluntarily choose to attend one or more art exhibits during the semester

18. Rule #2: Include only ONE verb in SLOs You may use “or” but avoid “and”

19. Good: Students who successfully earn a degree in communication studies will be able to write and speak effectively. Bad: • Students who successfully earn a degree in communication studies will be able to write effectively. • Students who successfully earn a degree in communication studies will be able to speak effectively Good: Students who successfully earn a degree in communication studies will be able to write orspeak effectively

20. More Examples of Good SLOs • Students who successfully complete Math 300 will be able to use quantitative reasoning to solve problems. • Students who successfully complete this course will be able to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of literary texts as demonstrated by a review they write on a novel from the Renaissance, Victorian, and contemporary periods. • Graduates of CNU’s computer engineering BS program will be able to design hardware components that meet a variety of client needs. • Students who earn a degree in music will be able to compose complex scores or play an instrument skillfully.

21. How many SLOs? • About three to six CLOs for a three-unit course • About three to five PLOs for a minor • About five to nine PLOs for a major

22. Second step in the assessment process: Faculty members need to ensure students have opportunities to master the student learning outcomes.

23. Curriculum Mapping

24. Curriculum Mapping: A method for aligning CLOs with PLOs

25. Benefits • Reveals gaps and redundancies in curriculum • Improves program coherence • Stimulates communication among faculty • Enhances coordination among faculty • Increases the likelihood that students achieve program-level outcomes • Encourages reflective practice

26. Curriculum Matrix I = Introduce; D= Develop; M = Master

27. Assessment Matrix FA = Formative Assessment; SA = Summative Assessment