ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING

Jason Adsit – University at Buffalo

Some Trends and Topics

Internal and external pressures to develop a “culture of assessment” in higher education

Shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on student learning

Assessment: A Simple DefinitionEwell (2001): The methods that an institution or program employs to gather evidence about student learning.

Assessment: A Common DefinitionThe process of collecting and analyzing information from multiple sources in order to develop a better understanding of what students know, believe, and are able to do as a result of their educational experiences.

The Assessment Process (Suskie, 2009)

Establishing clear, well-formulated learning outcomes

Ensuring that students have sufficient opportunities to achieve the learning outcomes (through coursework, projects, examinations, etc.)

The Assessment Process (Suskie, 2009)

Systematically gathering and analyzing evidence and results to determine how well the students have achieved the expected outcomes

Using the results to better understand and improve the teaching-learning process

DEVELOPING LEARNING OUTCOMES

Jason Adsit

Background & Overview

Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes: What’s the difference?

What is a learning outcome? Why are learning outcomes

important? What are the core elements of a

learning outcome?

Outcomes

At the end of this session, participants will be able to…

…identify the core elements of learning outcomes

…explain how learning outcomes connect instruction and assessment

…classify the different types of learning outcomes using Bloom’s Taxonomy

…analyze the core components of learning outcome statements

…design learning outcomes for their own courses

…evaluate the effectiveness and impact of learning outcomes

Why are learning outcomes important? Help foster curricular coherence by

connecting classroom activities and assessment Guide instructional planning – content,

delivery, and activities/assignments Guide the learner – set priorities and

performance expectations Guide evaluation – establish a

framework (and set of benchmarks) for assessing learning

WHAT IS A LEARNING OUTCOME?

Clarifying the muddle of terms…

What is a learning objective? Goals Aims Standards Objectives Performance Criteria Benchmarks Measures Etc., etc.

What is a learning outcome?

What is a learning outcome?

What is a learning outcome? Clarifying the terminology:

University

School

Program/Major

Course

Unit/Lesson

LEARNING OUTCOMES: A DEFINITION

What is a learning outcome?

A statement of the intended general aims of an instructional unit, course, or program

Global, general Not necessarily

measureable

A statement that describes what the learner is expected to know and be able to do as a result of engaging in a learning activity

Specific, targeted Measurable

Goal Outcome

Core elements of a learning outcome

Learning outcome: A statement (in specific and measureable terms) that describes what the learner will know and be able to do as a result of engaging in a learning activity

Core elements of a learning outcome

Learning outcome: A statement (in specific and measureable terms) that describes what the learner will know and be able to do as a result of engaging in a learning activity

Core elements of a learning outcome

Learning outcome: A statement …Outcome = Conditions +

Performance + Criteria

Conditions Given ‘x’ …Without ‘y’ …

Performance …the learner will (verb)…

Criteria/Standards Accuracy/QualityQuantityTime Constraints

Goals vs. Outcomes

At the end of the workshop, participants will understand the role and importance of learning objectives

Given a list of ten (10) statements, participants will be able to identify how each statement corresponds to Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive behavior. Participants who correctly identify nine (9) or more statements will demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the topic

Goal 1 Outcome 1.1

Core elements of a learning outcome

Learning outcome: A statement (in specific and measureable terms) …

Measurable vs. Non-Measurable Terms

Non-Measurable Measurable

Appreciate Identify

Be familiar with Compare

Understand Justify

Believe Demonstrate

Core elements of a learning outcome

Learning outcome: A statement (in specific and measureable terms) that describes what the learner will know and be able to do …

Come to think of it, what is it that we want the learner to know and be able to do?

Classifying Outcomes

Bloom (1956) – Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (“Bloom’s Taxonomy”) Cognitive Domain – intellectual thinking or

skills Psychomotor Domain – physical skills or the

performance of actions Affective Domain – attitudes and values

Learning outcome domains “Knowledge, skills, and dispositions”

Cognitive Domain (Bloom, 1956)Level/Stage Definition – X is the ability

to…

Knowledge recall of previously-learned material

Comprehension grasp the meaning of the knowledge being learned

Application use learning materials in a new way – or for new situations

Analysis break material down into its parts so that its organizational structure may be understood

Synthesis combine previous experiences with new material to form new structures

Evaluation judge the value of material for a given purpose

Cognitive Domain (Bloom, 1956)

Level/Domain Definition – X is the ability to… Sample Learning Outcome Verbs

Knowledge recall of previously-learned material

Define, repeat, recall, list, record, outline, specify, state, label, match

Comprehension grasp the meaning of the knowledge being learned

Identify, explain, recognize, discuss, review, summarize

Application use learning materials in a new way – or for new situations

Apply, illustrate, show, translate, interpret, employ, use

Analysis break material down into its parts so that its organizational structure may be understood

Analyze, categorize, inspect, examine, calculate, classify, organize

Synthesis combine previous experiences with new material to form new structures

Formulate, arrange, assemble, create, organize, manage, predict

Evaluation judge the value of material for a given purpose

Evaluate, judge, appraise, estimate, compare, assess

Core elements of learning outcomes Example: At the end of this statistics

lesson, students will be know about the concepts of mean, median, and mode

How would you turn this into a learning outcome?

What changes might you make to the outcome to assess higher levels of learning (from Bloom’s taxonomy)?

Core elements of learning outcomes Example: At the end of this class,

students will understand and appreciate the role of the pharmacist in the community

How would you turn this into a learning outcome?

What changes might you make to the outcome to assess higher levels of learning (from Bloom’s taxonomy)?

Core elements of learning outcomes Example: At the end of this unit,

students will know about the causes of poverty in Africa

How would you turn this into a learning outcome?

What changes might you make to the outcome to assess higher levels of learning (from Bloom’s taxonomy)?

Core elements of learning outcomesLearning outcome: A statement (in specific and measureable terms) that describes what the learner will know and be able to do as a result of engaging in a learning activity

Learning Activities

Reverse-engineering your instruction:

Identify the learning outcomes Identify the appropriate learning

activities – and tailor them to the outcomes

Identify the appropriate assessments of student learning

Thanks!