Assessment:

Targets and Goals

Gail Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D.

Northeastern University

What is Assessment?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timsnell/2425782551

Characteristics

Goal-Oriented

Intentional

Systematic

Data-Driven

The Cycle

Identify

Scope

Interpret

Data

Share &

Act Upon

Findings

Form

Research

Question

Design &

Implement

Research

Why are you

interested?

Impetus

Impetus

Form: Improve

Sum: Evaluate

Act: Advocate

Several of the Above?

What do you

want to assess?

Target

Partners and Allies

Who can you enlist

to help design and

implement the

assessment?

Typical Starting Point

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventuresinlibrarianship/3388157495

What, specifically,

do you want to

assess?

Refine

Scope

Impact of X On …

Cost

Retention

Satisfaction

Learning Outcomes

etc.

What, specifically,

specifically, do

you want to

assess?

Refine

Narrow the Parameters

What do you mean by X?

Working with what population?

Under what conditions?

With what excellence criteria?

Core Question

When we do X,

using Y approach,

what happens to

the outcome of Z?

Example: Media Literacy

What is it?

What does it mean to achieve it?

What are we doing to further it?

What does student work look like now?

Media Literacy: Parameters

What is it?

What does it mean

to achieve it?

What are we doing

to further it?

What does student

work look like now?

Core Question Before

How is the digital

storytelling project

going?

Remember This?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventuresinlibrarianship/3388157495

Core Question After

When we incorporate

digital storytelling into

undergraduate seminars,

what happens to those

students’ media literacy

abilities?

Media Literacy: Partners

Communications

Library

Computer Science

Academic Technology

Advisory Group

First Year Seminar

IR

Who can we enlist

to help design and

implement the

assessment?

What About You?

Impetus?

What?

Why?

With Whom?

Core Question?