WRITING LEARNING OUTCOMES AND MAPPING CURRICULUM
UK Office of Assessment
Workshop Agenda
2:30-3:30pm: The Provost’s Learning Initiative Commitment vs Compliance The Assessment Process Curriculum Mapping Examples
3:30-3:45pm: Break
3:45-5:00pm: Breakout Work Sessions
Defining and Refining Outcomes Mapping Program Curriculum Identifying and Using Evidence to Improve Learning
Office of Assessment
Primary Charge: Campus-wide assessment of student learning at
the program level (General Education) Other Charges:
Providing consultation, training, logistical support for all academic and co-curricular units
Staff Dr. Marsha Watson: Director of Assessment Dr. Kenneth Royal: Assistant Director of Measurement
& Analysis Dr. Julie Johnson: Assessment Specialist Natasha Mamaril and Letao Sun: Graduate Assistants
The LEARNING Initiative Dual Track Implementation Strategy
Completion DatesNot actively engaged in program level assessment
Actively engaged in program level assessment
Sept 2009Program level student learning outcomes revised and/or updated
Dec 2009 Assessment strategy in place
Jan-Mar 2010 Assessment strategy implemented
April 2010Assessment results available for faculty reflection and action
May 2010First cycle completed and improvement plans submitted
At least one cycle completed and improvement plans submitted
September 2010 First annual LEARNING Improvement awards announced
May 2011 Two cycles completed At least two cycles completed
August 2011 SACS Compliance Audit begins
September 2011 Second annual LEARNING Improvement awards announced
Provost’s Learning Initiative
Goal: Two full cycles of assessment completed by May 2011 Includes the following activities:
Establish or strengthen ongoing program-level assessment to promote student learning and curriculum improvement for all degree programs
Formulate a plan to develop learning outcomes assessment coordinators in every college
Create Provost’s Learning Improvement Awards Implement a dual track strategy to advance
continuous improvement through assessment
Commitment vs Compliance
Assessment is more than a response to demands for accountability, more than a means for curricular improvement. Effective assessment is best understood as a strategy for understanding, confirming, and improving student learning.
Six Fundamental Questions
How are your stated student learning outcomes appropriate to your mission, programs, degrees, and students?
What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes?
In what ways do you analyze and use evidence of student learning?
How do you ensure shared responsibility for student learning and for assessment of student learning?
How do you evaluate and improve the effectiveness of your efforts to assess and improve student learning?
In what ways do you inform the public and other stakeholders about what and how well your students are learning?
Articulate your expectations in the form of learning outcomes
Measure achievement of expectations Collect & analyze data Use evidence to improve learning Assess effectiveness of improvement
The Assessment Process
Formulate Statements of
Intended Learning Outcomes
Develop or Select Assessment Measures
Create Experiences Leading
To Outcomes
Discuss and Use Assessment Results to
Improve LearningFormative-Based
RevisionsFormative-Based
Revisions
Review of Assessment Basics Three levels of assessment
Course Program
Undergraduate majors/programs General education program Graduate majors/programs
Institutional Course, Program, and Institutional
outcomes are aligned but not identical
Review of Assessment Basics
Course Level: Focused on ongoing pedagogical improvement Self-generated tools, Classroom Assessment
Techniques Embedded assessment
Program-Level: Focused on curricular improvement; planning and
budgeting Self-generated, standardized tools Curriculum & Course Mapping
Design Backward
Deliver Forward
IntendedLearning
Outcomes of theInstitution
IntendedLearning
Outcomes of theAcademicProgram
IntendedLearning
Outcomes of theCourse
IntendedLearning
Outcomes of theUnit
IntendedLearning
Outcomes of the lesson
Huba, M.E. and Freed, J.E. (2000). Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning (p. 108). Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, MA.
Designing Assessment & Improvement Strategies Why begin by mapping program
curriculum? To improve learning across programs and
over time, two lenses are needed, both of which are made clear by curriculum/course mapping: A zoom lens into curriculum for a specific
degree program A wide-angle lens to see the total
undergraduate / graduate learning experience in a disciplines or set of disciplines
Outcomes & Curriculum Mapping Never “completed”
Both statements of learning outcomes and curriculum maps are living documents
Help to provide authentic evidence of the learning taking place or being planned within an institution, college, degree program Not for use in evaluation of teaching effectiveness
Encouraging individual and collaborative renewing and re-visiting of outcomes, curriculum maps, assessment strategies through collaborative dialogue is essential to being a thriving educational environment that continually improves student learning.
1. UK Department of Forestry2. Colorado Mountain College
Curriculum Mapping Examples
Breakout Work Sessions
Session 1: Refining and Defining Learning Outcomes
Session 2: Mapping Program Curriculum
Session 3: Identifying and Using Evidence to Improve
Learning