The Assessment of Student Learning

1. The Assessment of Student Learning Dr. Wanda Nitsch and Dr. David Marshall 2011 DETC Fall Workshop

2. Session Agenda • Welcome • Session Outcomes • Help Dr. McIntosh! • Q/A; Review of Session Outcomes

3. Session Outcomes At the completion of this session, participants will be able to: • Describe how assessment of student outcomes can promote learning and institutional effectiveness • Examine tools and practices to measure student learning • Apply best practice in student learning assessment

4. Teaching, Learning, and Assessment as a Continuous Four-Step Cycle

5. Relationship of Student Learning to Institutional Effectiveness

6. Levels of Assessment

7. Operational Definitions • Goals vs. Objective vs. Outcome • Direct vs. Indirect Measures • Quantitative vs. Qualitative • Formative vs. Summative

8. Help Dr. McIntosh! • Dr. McIntosh is an adjunct online instructor at Johnny Appleseed University, teaching an Early American History course. He’s an experienced online instructor, but this is his first time teaching for this University. He has diligently been getting his course ready for the first term and is intrigued at the emphasis that this DETC institution has on assessments to evaluate student learning. Let’s assist Dr. McIntosh to make sure he’s on “on track.”

9. Help Dr. McIntosh! What are two appropriate student learning outcomes for this course?

10. Help Dr. McIntosh! Recommend some assignments in the course that will help students meet these SLOs.

11. Help Dr. McIntosh! When the course is over, how will Dr. McIntosh demonstrate, document or “prove” he has helped students achieve the SLOs?

13. Best Assessment Practices • Assessment of student learning is not just about reporting student grades • Assessment requires attention to outcomes but also to the experiences that lead to those outcomes • Assessment makes a difference when it begins with issues of use and illuminates questions that people really care about

14. Best Assessment Practices • It is important to build a culture of assessment within your organization • Value assessment efforts • Involve students

15. Review of Session Outcomes • Did we meet our outcomes? • Can you describe how assessment of student outcomes can promote learning and institutional effectiveness? • Are you able to list some tools and practices to measure student learning? • Could you apply at least one best practice in student learning assessment to your institution?

16. Suggested References • Suskie, L (2009). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (2nd edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • American Association for Higher Education (1997). Nine principles of good practice for assessing student learning. Access: http://ultibase.rmit.edu.au • Allen, M (2004). Assessing academic programs in higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • Driscoll, A., Wood, S. (2007). Developing outcomes-based assessment for learner-centered education: A faculty introduction. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC