LSAC Academic Assistance Training WorkshopJune 13 – 16, 2012

OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT – THE BASICSJanet W. Fisher

Suffolk University Law School

Outcomes Assessment is about continuously improving student

learning.

Intended outcomes for this session

By the conclusion of this session we will:1. Understand some basic Outcomes Assessment

concepts and terminology2. Share information about what is happening in

Outcomes Assessment at our law schools3. Reflect upon how Outcomes Assessment

connects with our work in academic assistance

What is the conceptual foundation of Outcomes Assessment?

Outcomes Assessment involves a fundamental shift in emphasis from measuring inputs (such as faculty credentials, technology, test scores of incoming

students, and content coverage in the classroom) to measuring student outcomes (what our students are

actually learning).

Outcomes Assessment asks, “What are the intended learning

outcomes of this institution/program/course and are

our students achieving those outcomes?”

Outcomes Assessment can be done at any level of education

institutionalprogrammaticcourse

and ideally is done at all three levels.

Steps in Outcomes Assessment

1. Setting student learning outcomes2. Determining where in the curriculum or

course this learning will happen3. Gathering information about how well

students are achieving the outcomes4. Using that information to take action to

improve student learning

Step #1 Setting the student learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are usually categorized as:Cognitive: knowledge and thinking skillsBehavioral: performance skillsAffective: perspectives and values

Step # 1 continued

To set the learning outcomes ask:“What should students know and be able to do

and what attitudes and values should shape their work at the conclusion of this

degree/program/course?

Step #2 Determine where in the curriculum or course this learning will happen.

This is called curriculum mapping.

Step #3 Design measures to gather information about how well students

are achieving the outcomes.

These measures can be direct or indirect.

Direct measures: those in which students demonstrate their learning (e.g. traditional exams, writing samples,

portfolios, clinical or capstone performances)Indirect measures: involve reports of student learning

from students themselves or others (e.g. follow-up surveys of graduates or employers, focus groups)

Step #4 Use the gathered information to improve student

learning

There should be a system in place to review and analyze the information and make sure that it reaches the appropriate decision makers.

Outcomes Assessment is a loop of continuously setting learning

outcomes, designing curriculum, gathering information and then

using that information to improve student learning.

How would course-based Outcomes Assessment work?

Backward Design

A number of authors have written about backward design, a/k/a teaching by design, including L. Dee Fink, Grant Wiggins and Jay

McTighe, and Michael Hunter Schwartz. See “Resources for Getting Started in Outcomes Assessment” on the workshop flashdrive.

Steps in Backward Design

1. Set the learning outcomes for the course2. Decide how to assess whether the student are

achieving the learning outcomes3. Plan the course materials and teaching and

learning experiences that will prepare student to achieve the outcomes.

Start by deciding not what to “cover” but what you want your

students to know and to be able to do and what perspectives or

values you wish them to develop by the end of the course.

The course assessments should be designed to measure how well

students are achieving/have achieved the course outcomes and should be

both formative and summative.

Formative assessments provide students with feedback to help

them improve their performance as the course progresses.

Summative assessments provide students with evaluative feedback

such as a grade.

Is legal education a pioneer in Outcomes Assessment?

“[i]n the history of legal education in the United States, there is no record of any concerted effort to consider what new lawyers should know or be able to do on their first day in

practice or to design a program of instruction to achieve those goals.”ROY STUCKEY ET AL., BEST PRACTICES FOR LEGAL

EDUCATION: A VISION AND A ROAD MAP 3 (2007).

Will the ABA require law schools to engage in Outcomes Assessment?

The ABA likely will require law schools to:

1. Articulate learning outcomes for the institution2. Design a curriculum that will produce graduates

who are competent in the outcomes3. Use formative and summative assessment methods

to provide meaningful feedback to students4. Gather, review and use information on student

learning as a measure of institutional effectiveness

What is happening in Outcomes Assessment at your law school?

How does Outcomes Assessment connect with our work in academic assistance?

A law school with a culture of assessment is one in which we would regularly ask ourselves,

“What are my students supposed to be learning?” and “How can I

help them to learn more effectively?”

Please complete the session evaluation form. Thank you.