Assessment: Nothing Assessment: Nothing To It, But To Do ItTo It, But To Do It

Barbara Rusher Barbara Rusher Department Chair, HumanitiesDepartment Chair, Humanities

QEP Co-DirectorQEP Co-Director

Central Carolina Community CollegeCentral Carolina Community College

Workshop ObjectivesWorkshop Objectives

Discuss assessment in higher educationDiscuss assessment in higher education Develop course level student learning Develop course level student learning

outcomesoutcomes

Discuss assessment Discuss assessment

methods/instrumentsmethods/instruments

Establish success criteria for outcomesEstablish success criteria for outcomes

Accept the value of assessmentAccept the value of assessment

External InfluencesExternal Influences

Spellings’ Commission: A Test of Spellings’ Commission: A Test of LeadershipLeadership– Called for higher education to be more Called for higher education to be more

accountable to publicaccountable to public

Regional Accreditation Agency (SACS)Regional Accreditation Agency (SACS)– Requires colleges to have an assessment Requires colleges to have an assessment

process in place and to document the process in place and to document the processprocess

Dr. Allen DuPont, NC State UniversiDr. Allen DuPont, NC State Universityty

Accountability v. Accountability v. AssessmentAssessment

Accountability: set student learning Accountability: set student learning outcomes and then prove that outcomes and then prove that students have achieved thesestudents have achieved these

Assessment: set student learning Assessment: set student learning outcomes, gather information about outcomes, gather information about student achievement of these, and student achievement of these, and then use that information for then use that information for improvementimprovement

Dr. Allen DuPont, NC State UniversiDr. Allen DuPont, NC State Universityty

Grading v. AssessmentGrading v. Assessment

Grading tells us the extent to which Grading tells us the extent to which individual students are achieving the individual students are achieving the learning outcomeslearning outcomes

But grading does not tell us much But grading does not tell us much about the strengths and weaknesses about the strengths and weaknesses of the courseof the course

Assessment tells us the strengths and Assessment tells us the strengths and the weaknesses (areas for the weaknesses (areas for improvement) of a course improvement) of a course

Kate Pluta & Jane Fulks, BakersfieldKate Pluta & Jane Fulks, Bakersfield College College

Student Learning OutcomesStudent Learning Outcomes

Describe what a student will be able to Describe what a student will be able to do do

Require the use of higher level thinking Require the use of higher level thinking skills (as described in Bloom’s skills (as described in Bloom’s Taxonomy) Taxonomy)

Result in a product that can be Result in a product that can be measured and assessed measured and assessed

Alison McInnes & Yvette Daniel UniAlison McInnes & Yvette Daniel University of Windsor; Ontario, Canadversity of Windsor; Ontario, Canadaa

Method of Developing Course Method of Developing Course

OutcomesOutcomes Identify desired outcomesIdentify desired outcomes

– What do we want students to learn?What do we want students to learn?

Determine acceptable evidence of learningDetermine acceptable evidence of learning– How will we know that they have learned it?How will we know that they have learned it?

Plan learning experiences and instructionPlan learning experiences and instruction– How will we design the learning environment How will we design the learning environment

and process to attain our outcomes?and process to attain our outcomes?

Pulling It TogetherPulling It Together Establish what is important for Establish what is important for

students to know and be able to dostudents to know and be able to do

Use action verbs in each outcome Use action verbs in each outcome

Keep course outcomes at a Keep course outcomes at a manageable levelmanageable level

Remember there is no “right answer” Remember there is no “right answer” to assessmentto assessment

Nothing To It, But To Do ItNothing To It, But To Do It

Divide into GroupsDivide into Groups

Pick a CoursePick a Course

Identify 1 Student Learning OutcomeIdentify 1 Student Learning Outcome

Specify an Assessment Specify an Assessment

Method/InstrumentMethod/Instrument

Specify Success Criteria/StandardSpecify Success Criteria/Standard

Present to AudiencePresent to Audience