Staying Smart: Strategies For Moving Forward With Assessment

1. Staying Smart: Strategies For Moving Forward With Assessment Jodi Levine Laufgraben Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Assessment Temple University

2. Goals for Today • Review the challenges of getting started and maintaining momentum for assessing student learning • Discuss strategies for supporting programs and faculty in the assessment of student learning • Identify ways to advance assessment on your campus • Consider how you can begin using these strategies on your campus Objectives

3. The Teaching-Learning-Assessment Cycle Learning Goals Using Results Learning Opportunities Assessment

4. I have a question… What challenges do you face in moving assessment forward on your campus? Send in your examples via chat.

5. Common Challenges • Missing motivator • Limited resources • Time • People • Tools • Leadership changes • Changing priorities

6. Are you S.M.A.R.T? Maintaining momentum with the assessment of student learning requires campuses to stay smart: S = Showcase success M = Maintain relationships A = Assess, assess, assess R = Report T = Train

7. Showcase Success • Signal that assessment is valued • Make sure assessment is used • Highlight student and faculty work • Help generate energy and new ideas for assessment

8. Places to Showcase • Annual assessment day or workshop • Presentations • Poster sessions • Assessment committee meetings • School, college of department meetings • Virtual Assessment newsletters / email updates • http://sites.google.com/site/assessmenttempleu/Newsletter • Assessment websites

9. Maintain Relationships • Recognize the assessment “Danielle Do-ers” • Engage the “Might Try it Morgans” • Bring along the “Unwilling Ursulas”

10. I have a question… Do you have a Danielle, Morgan or Ursula on your campus? For one or more of these types, describe what the person is doing to either advance or impede assessment. Send in your examples via chat.

11. Maintain Relationships Danielle: • Recognize the work (Showcase!) • Invite to help or train others • Ask how you might help • Ask for suggestions on how to improve process

12. Maintain Relationships Morgan • Provide training • Build on existing efforts or work in progress • Share examples of “Morgans” that became “Danielles” • Ask how you might help

13. Maintain Relationships Ursula: • Uncover the sources of resistance • Creatively find sources of motivation • Share the stories of others • Find the right person to help • Take baby steps • Move on

14. Questions / Comments

15. Assess, Assess, Assess • Keep assessment in the headlines • Set expectations for annual assessment activity • Have structures and timelines • Provide ongoing training and support • Build assessment into other, ongoing processes

16. Embedding Assessment • Accreditation • Program reviews • Curriculum review and program development • Budget / facilities planning • Academic planning • Annual reports (“state of the school”) • Recruitment (of students and faculty) • Use assessment reports to highlight program achievement • Show commitment to improvement

17. I have a question… Where are some places where you ask programs to discuss or use results of assessment of student learning? Send in your examples via chat.

18. Report • Track assessment planning and assessment activity • Close the loop – USE IT! • “Require” some document that describes results and intended uses • Respond

19. Checklists / Audits • Help identify where programs are with planning • Easy way to identify a unit or program’s needs for improvement • Provide quick assessment of how you are doing across the institution • Example: • Fairleigh Dickinson University http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=7740

20. Assessment Templates Goal Tell an assessment story… Opportunity Tool Findings Use Example: http://www.k-state.edu/assessment/plans/index.htm

21. Train • Go beyond “assessment 101” • Use your own experts • Provide examples and samples • Ask what people most need or are interested in • Provide different types of resources ASSESSMENT

22. Just Ask…

23. Training / Information Resources • Websites • http://www.ncsu.edu/assessment/links.htm • http://www.k-state.edu/assessment/plans/index.htm • Articles • http://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/ • Workshops • Webinars • Create your own toolbox / library • Surveys • Rubrics

24. I have a question… Where do you want to focus in terms of getting SMART with assessment on your campus? Create a showcase opportunity (S) Reach out to a “Morgan” or “Ursula” (M) Embed assessment into another process (A) Set reporting expectations (R) Develop a new training opportunity (T) Via chat submit the letter indicating where you might focus next.

25. Resources Books • Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide, 2nd Edition by Linda Suskie, Wiley, 2009 • Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education, 2nd Edition, by Barbara E. Walvoord, Wiley, 2010 • Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College, 2nd Edition by Barbara E. Walvoord, Virginia Johnson Anderson, Wiley, 2009 • Assessing Student Learning in General Education: Good Practice Case Studies, by Marilee Bresciani (ed.), Wiley, 2007 • Assessment Update (Journal) Wiley Publications (subscription)

26. More Resources Online Sources • http://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/ • http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/resource.htm • http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/10/26/suskie • http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm

27. Questions / Comments

28. Thank you Jodi Levine Laufgraben jodih@temple.edu www.temple.edu/provost/aaa Thank you for your participation!