The Scope of Assessment of Student Learning

Planning for Educational Effectiveness

Sonoma State University Assessment Workshop, 2006 http://www.sonoma.edu/aa/assessment

Overriding ideas
Assessment of students learning is the appraisal component of educational activities that seek to optimize Educational Effectiveness.
Educational activities are effective when they contribute to continuous improvement of student learning. At CSU we focus on assessment at the program level
The Major General Education

Educational Effectiveness
Planning for educational effectiveness
Conceptual framework, e.g. strategic planning Linking assessment process with program review Linking assessment process with program accreditation

Becoming a learning organization

Bottom-up approach: faculty engagement Including others--a culture of dialogue

Developing a culture of evidence

Stylized Planning Process:

Intentionality & Documentation
Program Goals Programs Capacity Closing the Loop Delivery Improvement Student Learning Evidence Assessment Feedback

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Goals and Program:

Alignments
Mission:
Institutional purposes

Vision:
Student development Goals

Discipline Standards

University Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives:
Knowledge, Abilities

Alignment

Curriculum: Matrix
Alignments

Pedagogy

Program

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Capacity
Structures
Department Meeting Assessment Committee Hiring Committee Annual Faculty Retreat Faculty Access to Library & Instructional Technology Class size distribution and class scheduling

Resources
Capacity

For given Resources

Web Site

Processes
Faculty Hiring RTP Process Curriculum Development Instructional Technologies

Program Review

Faculty Development

Assessment & Program Review

Student Learning

Delivery

Delivery
Capacity

Teaching

Advising
Students characteristic s & time

Student Learning

Assessment of Student Learning

The know-how
Student Learning
Closing the Loop

Cost-effective Information Gathering Making Sense of Data

One Criterion for Organizing Assessment: The College Students Cycle

Alumnus/a

Deepening First Year Experience

Exploring
Major

Culminating Experience Placement

Career Development

Civic Engagement
Personal Fulfillment

Data Sources and Instruments

FYE Existing Data Sources Student Files ++ Scoring Rubrics Alumni Surveys Alumni Presentations External Auditor New Data Sources Focus Groups Locally Developed Tests
Testing/ embedded Testing/ embedded Department Level Testing/ Embedded Economics Club Program Review Advisers assessment Advisers assessment Exit Interview Primary Trait Analysis Institutional Research

Exploring

Major

Culmination

Alumnus/a

Indirect & Direct Assessment

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Aligning Mission, Vision, Objectives

Economic Major Serving SSU GE Program Serving Business Administration

Understanding of economic terms, concepts, and theories

Employable
Graduate Studies Eligible Community & Civic Engaged

Ability to compare and contrast competing views within economics Ability to research economic issues

3 Es

Ability to apply economic theories and concepts to contemporary social issues Awareness of global, nation, and community issues pertaining to efficiency, social responsibility, and resource sustainability Understanding choices and values behind economic policy formation

Feedback:
Closing the Loop

Learning from Assessment

Decision Making
Communicating Findings Hiring Faculty Development Curriculum innovations

Instructional Technologies
Faculty Dialogues Adjusting Pedagogies Others

Evidences
Improving Student Learning

Primary Trait Analysis: PTA

PTA Concept
Assessment device that uses information that we have already gathered for grading. It is used in combination with scoring rubrics. Help us investigate students learning in a project, a course, or the portfolio of a program. Matrix with the name of students in the first column, and the performance for each learning objective in the first row. The horizontal summation (for each student) generates a grade. The vertical summation (for each learning objective) of the rubric generates coefficients of learning outcomes

Face-validity Inter-rater reliability

PTA Information
PTA concept Scoring Rubrics PTA example PTA template

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Program Goals
Mission: what are the institutional purposes of the program, e.g.:
To deliver an economics major To serve the General Education program To serve Business Administration program

Vision: modality for achieving that mission, e.g.

The economic major contributes to:
Develop a person who is employable, or eligible to attend graduate education, mainly in economics and law. Develop a person who engages in community service and civic activities.

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Program Goals (II)

Learning Objectives: knowledge and abilities that allow students to develop according to the programs vision, e.g.:
Understanding of economic terms, concepts, and theories Ability to compare and contrast competing views within economics Ability to research economic issues Ability to apply economic theories and concepts to contemporary social issues Awareness of global, nation, and community issues pertaining to efficiency, social responsibility, and resource sustainability. Understanding choices and values behind economic policy formation