Using Results of Core Assessments March 4, 2010

1. Using Results of Core AssessmentsMarch 4, 2010 Office of Undergraduate Studies Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research

2. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (2009): “The productive use of learning outcomes results to inform decision making and improve teaching and learning remains the most important unaddressed challenge related to student learning outcomes assessment.”

3. 3 Uses of Assessment Results* • Provide feedback for improvement on students’ success and needs to teachers and departments. 2. Monitoring to assure quality of programs and courses. 3. Accountability. *Suskie, Understanding and Using Assessment Results

4. Frequent Uses of Core Assessment in Texas* • Refine assessment (85%) • Change core curriculum (50%) • Improve teaching (47%) • Revise competencies (47%) • Develop strategic plan (38%) • Change core course content (33%) • Align major with core (29%) • Drop/add core courses (28%) *Erisman, CB Survey report 2010

5. To Guide Our Improvement Plans • Our curricula • Our teaching • Our support programs *Suskie, Understanding and Using Assessment Results

6. To Guide Faculty Development • Workshops on • assessment methods, • using assessment results, • teaching methods • other • Attendance at assessment conferences

7. Uses for Academic Decisions* • To guide educational decisions – • revising undergraduate goals; • designing programs or majors; • modifying assessment plans; • modifying general education curriculum; • modifying out-of-class learning experiences; • modifying teaching methods; • modifying academic support services *National Center for Postsecondary Improvement

8. To Improve Teaching and Learning* • Consider the learning goals: • Are there too many? • Do they need clarification? • Are they appropriate to the level of the course? *Suskie, Understanding and Using Assessment Results

9. Consider Teaching Methods (see handout on Deep Learning*) • Emphasize use of knowledge rather than recall • Connect learning to prior experiences and real world tasks • Provide for various ways of learning • Provide for active learning *Warren, 2004.

10. Consider Assessment Methods • Alignment of instrument/ methods with learning outcomes • Clarity of test questions for students • Appropriate level of difficulty • Appropriate type of assessment task

11. Example of Improvement Plans TWU Biology department will modify the assessment instrument to gather better data. Using only 10 questions did not provide enough results and not enough alternate answer choices. Also will not put all objectives assessed in each course.

12. Example of Improvement Plans TWU Dance department • Work more closely with the GTA’s in creating rubrics or when working with writing.   • Will discuss how the EEO’s can more effectively assessed in one-credit technique (skill-based) courses • Plan to switch two instructors in terms of teaching interest and expertise.  This would not have been apparent without the assessments. • Work with the GTA’s in terms of how they are working with practice-based assessments.  What are they really assessing and how do they make this clear to the students. 

13. TWU Use of Results • Results have been shared with Provost, deans and chairs. • Some courses have been withdrawn from the core. • Faculty development activities are being supported to assist with using assessment and using results.

14. SACS & CB Expectations • Map the learning outcomes for all courses in the core area (SACS) • Show which courses teach which outcomes • Show which courses teach which core competencies

15. SACS & CB Expectations • Demonstrate how well students are achieving learning outcomes for core courses. • Demonstrate how well students are achieving core competencies. • Demonstrate how assessment results in improvement.

16. TWU Core Course Assessment • Most areas of core courses will complete assessments this year following assessment calendar. • Two rounds of standardized testing done for competencies of read, write, critical thinking. • All competencies not yet assessed will be done next year: computer literacy, oral communication. All core courses will be mapped for teaching competencies. • Due in May ‘10: Results for Humanities, Visual/Performing Arts; plans for improvements from other areas.

17. SACS Core Competency Report • Column One: Identify each college-level general education competency. • Column Two: Indicate which courses or components of the educational programs provide students with opportunities to acquire the college-level competency. • Column Three: Describe the means by which you assess the extent to which the students have achieved the college-level competency. • Column Four: Provide the evidence gathered in the assessment of the college-level competency

18. Resources • Erisman, W. 2010. Assessing General Education Outcomes: Findings from a Survey of Texas Public Colleges and Universities. Higher Education Policy Institute, THECB. • Kuh, G. and Ikenberry, S. 2009. More Than You Think, Less Than We Need: Learning Outcomes Assessment in American Higher Education. http://www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/NILOAsurveyresults09.htm • Suskie, L. 2009. Summarizing and Using Assessment Results. Magna Online Seminars. • Warren. 2004. Deep and Surface Learning. Engineering Subject Centre Guide: Learning and Teaching Theory for Engineering Academics. Houghton. http://www.engsc.ac.uk/er/theory/learning.asp