BEST PRACTICES & CURRENT TRENDS

IN STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT

JEREMY ASHTON HOUSKA, PH.D.DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH & ASSESSMENT

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

CENTENARY UNIVERSITY

Trends in Higher Education

Trends in Higher Education

Trends in Higher Education

National Survey of Student Engagement. (2009). Assessment for improvement: Tracking

student engagement over time—Annual results 2009. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University

Center for Postsecondary Research.

Today’s Agenda

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:

3 Best Practices

Highlights

Point to Resources

Questions and Discussion

Sharing of Best Practices

Resources

Continuing the Discussion

Cycle of SLO Assessment

Gather

Evidence of Learning

Establish/

Revise

SLOs

Take Action!*

Mission,

Educational

Objectives

Interpret

that

Evidence

Provide

Learning

Opportunities

*See Banta and Blaich (2011) Closing the Loop

See Jackson and Johnson

(2007)

C-RAC (2003) Principles for Good Practice

SLO Assessment : Peer Review of SoTL

External Validation!

See Camfield (2012) Peer Review as a Tool for External Validation of Programs

MSCHE (2011) Handbook for Periodic Review Reports

Best Practice #1

Write SLOs as Performance Measures (Mager, 1997)

(APA 2002, 2013): overarching goals, foundational/ baccalaureate indicators

Measurable & Memorable

Best Practice #2

Utilize Multiple Assessment Tools …

At Multiple Points in Time

Every assessment method has its flaws

Direct Measures; Indirect Measures (see Allen, 2004)

Course-Based Assessment of Student Learning

(Stassen et al. 2001) ; Campus-Wide (standardized)

Assessments

Indirect measures of student learning can complement direct

performance measures

Student Assessment of Learning Gains (see Seymour et al. , 2000;

SALGSITE.org)

Ancillary learning outcomes

Triangulation of Data (see Nelson, 2010… but heed Mathison, 1988)

Best Practice #3

Construct Analytic Rubrics to Serve Multiple

Purposes

Grading, Assessment, Descriptive Feedback to Students

for Learning

(See Gibbs & Simpson, 2005; Hattie & Timperly, 2007; Jessop & Maleckar,

2016; Wormeli, 2006 on feedback conditions and learning)

Externally validated rubrics (see AAC&U Value Rubrics)

Take advantage of course management systems

Richman and Ariovich (2013, NILOA) All-In-One: Combining Grading, Course, Program, and

General Education Outcomes Assessment.

GRADESPROGRAM, GEs

ASSESSMENT OF

(Office of Institutional Assessment and Studies, University of Virginia)

Final Thought

“… the most important outcome of assessment is not

gathering high-quality data, generating reports, or

stimulating conversation among colleagues. That outcome

is instead demonstrably improving student learning by

assessing it and using the findings to revise problems

accordingly” (Banta & Blaich, 2011, p. 27).

See also Porter’s (2012)

Assessment as a Subversive Activity

Today’s References & Resources

http://bit.ly/2kgtETe

HouskaJ@CentenaryUniversity.edu