Faculty Resources
Faculty met on 10/31/08 to discuss the need for assessment on Wayne State's campus. There was a request for a website with resources to help faculty learn about assessment techniques that they can use in their classroom. This page will serve this purpose. If you have a classroom assessment technique or other resource that you would like to include on this page, please email it to Laura Woodward.
To talk to a consultant about incorporating classroom assessment techniques into your classroom, please contact the Office of Teaching and Learning.
Learning Outcome Resources
We already give grades. Isn't that enough?" The issue's addressed in:
- an on-line newsletter from California State University-San Bernardino,
- Do grades make the grade for program assessment, an article from ABET (pdf file).
- FAQs from AACSB (item #2), Appalachian State University (item #2), Arkansas Tech University (item #9), Niagara University (scroll down to the last item), SUNY-Geneseo (item #7), the University of Idaho (pdf file; scroll down to "Why aren't grades enough?") and the University of Texas System.
- Macalester College's assessment page,
- New Mexico State University's assessment handbook (pdf file; scroll down to "Why can't we just use grades?"),
- Old Dominion University's Assessment Topic "Why not grades?",
- Pennsylvania State University's notes on grades & program assessment (pdf file),
- the University of Virginia's assessment guide (this pdf file will open in a separate PDF-reader window; find the section "Course Grades are not Enough (Usually)"), and
- the University of Massachussetts-Amherst's assessment handbook (find the section on "Assessment and grading" in this pdf document).
ABC's of Writing a Learning Outcome
To construct outcomes, you can follow the A-B-C and sometimes D formula:
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A
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Audience
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B
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Behavior
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C
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Condition
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D
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Degree
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Taken from the University of Minnesota
Practice
This worksheet can help you to formulate a learning outcome. It includes verbs and an example at the end.
This worksheet can help you to formulate a learning outcome. It includes verbs and an example at the end.
Characteristics of Assessment
Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. (Angelo, 1995)
Assessment involves:
- Making expectations explicit and public
- Setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality
- Systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards
- Using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance
Taken from Student Voice Wiki
A Scholarly Look at Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes are designed to help support learning by students based on Astin’s input-environment-outcome (IEO) framework. This framework suggests that a student’s background and the institutional environment have an effect on their learning. By assessing the effect of the institution on students’ learning, the institution can shape their offerings (services, programs, and experiences) to enhance student learning.
Six Steps of Academic Program Assessment
Step 1: Define Student Learning Outcomes-Specific statements of what the student will know, be able to do, or value upon successfully completing the Program.
Step 2: Identify Learning Opportunities (Curricular Map) - How well does the curriculum address the learning outcomes?
Step 3: Determine Methods - Which methods will be used to understand how well the program is working and to determine whether students are achieving the learning intended? Decide on a schedule for collection and analysis of information.
Step 4: Set Criteria - Establish the level of expected student performance.
Step 5: Collect and Analyze - Examine the information collected and evaluate results against program expectations
Step 6: Use the Results (“Close the loop”)- How is the information used to make program improvements?
Taken from The University of Texas at San Antonio
Overview
This PowerPoint details how your learning outcomes relate to the strategic mission and is authored by Steve Wilkerson.
This PowerPoint talks about learning outcome measurement approaches at University of Michigan, Flint.
Reporting your results
What you do with your data is an essential part of the assessment cycle.