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Assessing Program Outcomes

Assessing Program Outcomes . Assessment Council October 10, 2008 Pat Hulsebosch, Office of Academic Quality.

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Assessing Program Outcomes

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  1. Assessing Program Outcomes Assessment Council October 10, 2008 Pat Hulsebosch, Office of Academic Quality Adapted from Student Learning Assessment; 2nd Ed; Middle States Commission on Higher Education; University of VA Assessment Guide; and Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Handbook; Montgomery College.

  2. Assessing Assessment Development Opportunities Survey Monkey In your email

  3. Formative Ongoing Early and often Intended to improve a student’s performance Used to adjust course Used internally (e.g., course instructor) Observation Class discussions Reflective journals Summative Occurs at the end of a course or program Used to determine if outcomes have been met Used in making decisions; e.g., assigning grades Used for assessment of program strengths and weaknesses Assessment

  4. Assessing Program Quality (Assessment Cycle) • Identify the most important student learning outcomes of your program • Identify useable and feasible assessment methods • Develop a plan for assessment • Develop assessment instruments • Fine-tune the methodology

  5. Assessing Program Quality • Identify useable and feasible assessment methods • Course grades not enough • Not very useful in identifying strengths and weaknesses of program • Can include factors not related to learning outcomes (e.g., participation)

  6. Identify useable and feasible assessment methods • Course-Embedded Assessment Methods • Papers • Research projects • Portfolios • IF assessed systematically (using a rubric) • Videotape of performance or presentation • Capstone course experience • In-Class Tests • All but tests need common scoring guide • Scoring guide is the link to program outcomes and sub-outcomes • The VALUE in EVALUATION

  7. Identify useable and feasible assessment methods • Other Direct Methods • License exams • Standardized tests • Internship supervisor evaluations • Employer ratings • Indirect Methods • Exit, alumni, employer surveys • Exit interviews

  8. Choosing an Assessment Method • Which outcome is to be assessed? For the first assessment, choose an IMPORTANT outcome that is practical to assess • Is the outcome tied to one course or a series of courses? • Does it make sense to compare student work over time?

  9. Choosing an Assessment Method • Are important outcomes evaluated by multiple means • Is the assessment method appropriately comprehensive? • What are the benchmarks or standards the program wants to meet • Standard: 90% will be rated EXEMPLARY; 100% will be rated SATISFACTORY

  10. Choosing an Assessment Method • Can the assessment method provide information that will be useful for making improvements? • Have you made efforts to balance the use of “perfect” research tools with timeliness and practicality?

  11. Develop Assessment Instruments • For work that cannot be evaluated objectively: create a scoring guide (rubric) • Simple checklists • Simple rating scales • Categorizes student work hierarchically (1-3) • Holistic rating scales • Define “deficient” “adequate” “exemplary” • Develop a consistent prompt

  12. Develop Assessment Instruments • For objective test scores • Can the test results be used to improve learning? • Test results broken down to connect to specific learning outcomes • ---------------- Test blueprints

  13. Identify useable and feasible assessment methods • Course-Embedded Assessment • Papers • Research projects • Portfolios • IF assessed systematically (using a rubric) • Videotape of performance or presentation • Capstone course experience • In-Class Tests

  14. Example: Environmental Biology • Institutional: Write effectively • Program: Students will be able to critically analyze articles on environmental issues • Program: Students will be able to describe major ecological principles and relate these principles to the evaluation of environmental problems • Method: Writing assignment

  15. Example: Environmental Biology • Analyze a given article about an environmental problem, applying ecological principles to the problem. • Scoring Criteria: • How well the paper is written • How well the student analyzed the article • How well the student was able to relate ecological principles to the environmental problem addressed in the article. • Checklist? Rating Scale? Holistic rating (rubric)?

  16. Questions? Thoughts?

  17. Next Assessment Council Meeting • Friday, October 24 • Bring one assessment of important program outcome(s) • Bring the outcome(s) and the assessment • Peer feedback • Post on Office of Assessment website • 1st week of November

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