developing departmental outcomes assessment plans jerry rackoff lois huffines kathy martin
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DEVELOPING DEPARTMENTAL OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT PLANS
Jerry Rackoff Lois Huffines Kathy Martin
OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT DEFINED
The systematic gathering, interpreting, and use of information for the purposes of improving student learning. Emphasis is on results rather than inputs and processes.
Document that learning has occurred Guiding Questions
– What do you want your students to KNOW?– What do you want your students to BE ABLE TO DO?– What do you want your students to VALUE?
ULTIMATE GOAL OF OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT
– Improve teaching and learning
– Contribute to the personal development of students
– Ensure institutional improvement
– Facilitate accountability
Commission on Higher Education (1996)–“examine and enhance institutional effectiveness” (p. 7)
Two Tier Approach
EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT
THE STATE OF THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Assessment is faculty driven and focused on a student-centered approach to teaching and learning
OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT allows us to determine the QUALITY of a Bucknell education on OUR terms– Promotes improvement– Supports successes
ASSESSMENT AT BUCKNELL
Institutional Level
Classroom Level
Department Level
YOUR TASK
Develop an assessment plan for your department– You get the information you need to answer the
questions that are important for your department– Full disclosure is not required: You decide what
results you want to share & with whom– Assessment results WILL NOT be part of
performance reviews for tenure or merit pay
Demonstrate an effective process of
improvement
CHECKPOINT…
THE CHALLENGE…
WHAT OUTCOMES ARE ASSESSED?
OUTCOME: results achieved by students following instruction – Cognitive (Knowledge) Outcomes
What do students know?– Skill Outcomes
What can students do?– Attitudes & Values (Affective) Outcomes
Diversity, personal identity, motivation– Behavioral Outcomes
Persistence, post-graduation activities
THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS: ROAD MAP FOR DEPARTMENT MEETINGS
Define department mission statement Identify student learning goals and objectives Select assessment methods to evaluate students’ achievement
of the agreed upon objectives Develop and implement procedures for the systematic
collection of assessment data using the selected assessment measures
Analyze, summarize and report the assessment data Use the assessment data to improve student learning Revise assessment plans as needed
THE BIG PICTURE
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
Review of CurriculumGoals & Objectives
Assessment Activities
Review & Revisionof Curriculum
Assessment Activities
DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT
A general statement about why the department does what it does and for whom– Your purpose for being : Use catalog as a
resource– One or two sentences
DEPARTMENT GOALS
Long range intended outcomes about the general aims or purposes of education
Provide direction based on the mission statement More specific than the mission statement
DEVELOPING DEPARTMENT GOALS
Describe the ideal student at various phases through your program. What does s/he know, what can s/he do, what does s/he care about?
List and describe the program components that helped shape this ideal student
Review goal statements from similar institutions. How is Bucknell similar to or distinguished from that institution?
DEPARTMENT OBJECTIVES
Intended results or consequences of instruction, curricula, programs, or activities
Shorter time frame than goals Types of objectives
– Mastery Objectives: minimal performance requirements to be successful at the next level
Solve, identify, etc.– Developmental Objectives: process oriented
indicating a range of progress over timeUnderstand, apply, describe, etc.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVES
Behavior– Follows instruction and is evidence of completion
of the objective Target
– Focus of learning – content, concept, skill, etc. Performance standard
– Minimum level of performance. What is “passing”?
A USEFUL OBJECTIVE . . .
Has one result per statement Is consistent with the mission statement Identifies a key learning component Is realistic and attainable, but challenging Is written clearly (understandable by those outside your
discipline) Uses action verbs to specify observable behaviors Focuses on student, not teacher, behaviors Is verifiable…not necessarily quantifiable Can be assessed with multiple measures
FOR EXAMPLE
PROBLEMATIC Students will be able to
write.
Unclear and not sufficiently specific
USEFUL Students completing
English 101 will be able to critique a brief draft essay, identifying grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors and offer appropriate suggestions for editing the errors.
SUMMARYDegree of Specificity
Mission Statement
Goals
Objectives
Low
High
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER…
The department must agree on the mission, goals, and objectives
Achieving consensusrequires compromiseand communication
Focus on process, not product
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES TEMPLATE
Jerry Rackoff
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