A is for Assessment: The Other Scarlet Letter

Diane F. Halpern

Minerva Schools at the Keck Graduate Institute

Which of the following images comes to mind when you hear the

term assessment?

Bubble-in scantron forms that are damp and smeary from sweat and erasures

Tall stacks of essay questions waiting for you to grade and grade and grade

The specter of a bad grade Anxious students writing furiously before “time is

up” All of the above except c or none of the above Just shoot me now and get this over with

How U. S. News and World Report Assesses Quality College administrators Retention rates Faculty resources

(including salaries) Selectivity (SAT

scores) Financial resources Alumni giving Graduation rate

Student outcomes assessment refers to a wide range of activities that involve gathering and examining data for the purpose of improving teaching and learning.

"Modern organizational theory's most important insight is that you must know what your objectives are, specify them in ways that can be measured, measure them and report the results. It is the only way to rationalize the process of design, production, and delivery. For schools, it is the minimum that the public can rightfully expect."

“Without tests, we flunk”

General Guidelines for Good Practice

1. The purpose of student outcomes assessment is to improve teaching and learning. Therefore, one feature of a good outcomes assessment program is that it is student-centered.

2. There is no single indicator of educational effectiveness.

3. Successful programs are owned by faculty.

General Guidelines for Good Practice (continued)

4. The expertise and hard work involved in conducting a quality assessment of educational objectives must be recognized and rewarded in a manner that is comparable to other professional activities.

5. Outcomes assessment creates natural links with other segments of higher education

General Guidelines for Good Practice (continued)

6. No program can succeed unless care is taken to ensure that data are not misused.

7. The greatest strength of American higher education is its diversity. Outcomes assessment will depend on the nature of the curriculum and the faculty who design and teach the curriculum.

Assess Student Outcomes

Make data-basedrecommendations

Reform curriculum or make other changes

What Should We Expect a Graduate from Your Program to Know and Be Able to Do?

(What is learned and developed in in your program) A Sampler of Possible Outcomes

Content knowledge of your discipline (e.g., major theories, works, etc.)

Understand the methods of your discipline Language and literacy skills Thinking skills Information gathering and synthesis

What Should We Expect a Graduate from Your Program to Know and Be Able to Do?

(What is learned and developed in in your program) A Sampler of Possible Outcomes

Appreciation for the arts Skills gained through practical experience Ethics and values Interpersonal Skills

SOME WAYS OF ASSESSING GOALS

“Off The Shelf” normed instruments Locally written comprehensive exams Capstone coursework and other culminating

experiences Available data (freshmen-senior comparisons,

retention data, course-taking patterns) Nonintrusive measures Student, alumni, employer surveys Nontraditional qualitative measures (portfolios,

interviews, external examiners, performance assessments)

New Ways of Teaching Call for New Ways of Assessing

Technology-Mediated Learning

Massive Open On-line Courses (see you in class!)

\ Serious Learning Games

Flipped Classrooms

Skyping in Class with Other Professors

Technology-Mediated Assessment

Essays Graded by Computers

Oral Segments Abstracted from Class Participation for Grading

Peer Assessment

Demonstrations of Thinking Skills

Outcomes Assessment is not “one more thing—it’s the only thing.” It’s the only way of knowing if your students are learning what you think you’re teaching, and it tells you what to change if they’re

not.