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