Designing Meaningful Institutional Assessment Plans: Taking the Big Picture View

1. Designing Meaningful Institutional Assessment Plans: Taking the Big Picture View Catherine Wehlburg, Ph.D. Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness Texas Christian University TAMU Assessment Conference 2011

2. Rationale For This Workshop • Institutions with accreditation now have access to a great deal of information about developing assessment plans and many fine examples of general education assessments, academic department assessment plans, and a plethora of student affairs and student support assessment plans. But many institutions are lacking in the overall institutional level assessment planning that goes beyond general education.

3. The Five Minute University

4. Mission Statements • XXX University is a multi-campus public university providing innovative undergraduate and graduate education that contributes to the development of society and the individual. The University actively facilitates learning through the preservation, discovery, synthesis, and dissemination of knowledge. • XXX University is dedicated to the discovery, development, communication, and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields. Its mission of providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate programs is inseparable from its mission of developing new understandings through research and creativity. It prepares students to assume roles in leadership, responsibility, and service to society.

5. Mission Statements • The mission of XXX University is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world. • The XXX College encourages students to respect ideas and their free expression, and to rejoice in discovery and in critical thought; to pursue excellence in a spirit of productive cooperation; and to assume responsibility for the consequences of personal actions. XXX seeks to identify and to remove restraints on students' full participation, so that individuals may explore their capabilities and interests and may develop their full intellectual and human potential. Education at XXX should liberate students to explore, to create, to challenge, and to lead.

6. Mission of “Great State University” • To provide a diverse and vibrant student body access to high quality educational opportunities that include a student-centered academic environment combining innovative pedagogy with experiential learning that will prepare students for professional success, responsible citizenship, life-long learning, and significant contributions to a rapidly changing world.

7. Writing Goals • General statements about knowledge, skills, attitudes and values expected in graduates of the program. • Broad based statements of purpose • Often, these are not measurable • Should cover all aspects of the mission statement • Usually written to align with the holistic “big picture” of the mission.

8. Writing Goals – Group Work To provide a diverse and vibrant student body access to high quality educational opportunities that include a student-centered academic environment combining innovative pedagogy with experiential learning that will prepare students for professional success, responsible citizenship, life-long learning, and significant contributions to a rapidly changing world. • Write 3-5 goals that you see within this mission statement (individually or with a partner). • Compare your goals to your table’s goals. Identify your top three goals to share with the larger group

9. What Were Your Goals?

10. What are Learning Outcomes ? • Learning outcomes are clear, concise statements that describe how students can demonstrate their mastery of program goals • Outcomes are more specific than goals, and there are usually multiple learning outcomes for each goal

11. Areas of Learning Outcomes • Knowledge outcomes: • Major or discipline content • Modes of inquiry • General Education or Core Curriculum outcomes • Skills outcomes: • Those required for effective practice in the discipline or in future employment • Ability to work with others • Listening skills • Teamwork or leadership • Attitudes and values • Personal • Social • Ethical

12. 3 Components to a Learning Outcome • Student Learning Behavior-Knowledge, skill, or attitude to be gained • The method of assessment- conditions of performance • Criteria for achievement- the levels of acceptable performance

13. Bloom’s Taxonomy - Revised • Creating -Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things • Evaluating –Drawing a conclusion or deciding upon a course of action • Analysing-Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships • Applying -Using information in another familiar situation • Understanding -Explaining ideas or concepts • Remembering -Recalling information

14. Template for Writing SLOs The student will be able to (specific student behavior) ____________________________________________________ as measured by (conditions of performance – could include time frame) ___________________________________________________ at the ______________________________________ level (performance criteria).

15. Words and Phrases to Avoid in SLOs Appreciate Be comfortable with Believe Enjoy Grasp the significance of Have faith in Internalize Know Learn Recognize Understand

16. Outcomes – Well Written? • Students will name the three types of rock in order to differentiate among the three. • Students will correctly compare and contrast the characteristics of the three types of rocks on a final exam essay question in order to differentiate among the three. • Discover that Great State University offers a welcoming and helpful environment which can fulfill their educational, cultural and social needs in order to recognize the university’s role in lifelong learning.

17. Meaningful Ways To Measure Rubrics (a scoring strategy or tool) Portfolios Pre/Post Testing Embedded projects or papers Items within an exam Capstone Experiences Alumni Surveys (indirect measure) Internship Evaluation (indirect measure) Employer Survey (indirect measure) Others?

18. Use the Results to Improve or Enhance! • How will your data be shared? • Who “owns” data? • Create a collaborative system – data can belong to everyone. • Regularly schedule “data sharing” events.

19. Lessons Learned • The outcomes must be understood by all (and in the same way!) • Assessment is as much about teaching and learning as it is about accountability • Faculty and staff must work together to develop institutional level goals and outcomes • Institution-level support is necessary to create usable and sustainable program and university-wide assessment plans • We must assess because learning matters most!

20. What Would Father Guido Say? • Our students should learn more than “supply and demand” • We want our students to think critically, read, and question – so we must build this into our assessment plans • Institutional level assessment must involve the entire campus – faculty, student affairs staff, administration, etc. • College graduates should have attended more than a five minute university!!!

21. Questions?