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Organizing for General Education Assessment
Linda Suskie, Vice PresidentMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104Web: www.msche.org E-mail: [email protected]
MSCHE Student Learning Assessment Institute
September 2009
Big Questions
• Topics to be covered today– Middle States expectations– Organizing for Gen Ed assessment
• Topics beyond the scope of this institute– Articulating student learning goals– Assessment toolbox
More Big Questions
• Using what was learned to move to the next level– How can I apply this to my freshman
seminar course?– How do you develop rubrics for
outcomes like leadership?
More Big Questions
• Topics we addressed yesterday
– Course-program-institution assessment
– Getting colleagues on board with assessment
Value Innovation
• Value, respect, & reward efforts to improve teaching.
• Regard assessment results as evidence of teaching effectiveness.
• Encourage assessment as a form of scholarship.
Why Should Faculty & Staff Engage in Assessment?
• Incentives & Rewards
– Mini-grants
– Assessment recognition event
– Refreshments
– Certificate of recognition
– Thank you note
– Innovation grants
Use Assessment Results to Inform Important Decisions on Important Goals.
• Give funding priority to resource requests supported by assessment evidence.
• Move programs engaged in serious assessment efforts to the top of the funding list.
Time?
• Stop doing something else.
• Keep things simple.
Stop Doing Something Else.
• Reconsider– Committees– Program review– New programs &
courses– Other new
initiatives– Specialized
accreditation
• What do they contribute? What are the benefits?
• What do they consume in time and dollars?
• Consider scholarship of teaching as a form of research.
Keep Things Simple.
• Start with what you have.
• “Start small.”• Start with important
goals.• Use quick & easy
assessment tools• Look at samples.
• Stagger assessments.
• Be realistic about quality.
• Only do what’s useful.
• Don’t create unnecessary rules.
How Does the Administration Support Assessment?
• Promote and facilitate assessment.• Help faculty find time.• Build on past & current assessment
successes.• Professional development opportunities• Technical support
Student-Level Assessment
Course-Level Assessment
Program-Level Assessment
Assesses individual students on course-level goals
Assesses students as a whole on course-level goals
Assesses students as a whole on program-level goals
Tests & assignments, summarized into a grade
Tests & assignments, with item scores aggregated across students
•Tests & assignments in capstone & other key courses
•Field experience supervisor evaluations
•Portfolios
•Published tests
•Surveys, interviews, etc.
Aggregated across students
Why is it so hard to assess General Education?
• Unclear definitions of Gen Ed & its components• Lack of ownership
– Lack of concern & engagement• Lack of coordination• Some Gen Ed curricula are ineffective
– Outdated– Politically driven
• Little interest in improving Gen Ed• Time consuming to assess & improve
Do Faculty Lead Assessment?
• Is there a faculty-led assessment steering committee?
• What is it empowered to do?• Does it have the right people?• Is it effective?
Are the Right People Coordinating & Guiding Assessment?
• Sensitivity and open-mindedness to diverse perspectives and values
• Flexibility• A passion for teaching and learning• Sufficient perceived assessment expertise
Invite Open Participation.
• Invite faculty teaching Gen Ed courses to participate in discussions.
Be Flexible.
• Diverse – approaches to
assessment– ways of documenting
& reporting on assessment
– deadlines
The Teaching-Learning-Assessment Cycle
Learning Goals
Using Results
Learning Opportunities
Assessment
Analyzing Your Current General Education Curriculum.
• Grid of Gen Ed goals x courses– Look for underrepresented and “overkilled” Gen Ed
goals.
• Transcript analysis– What courses do students usually take to fulfill Gen
Ed requirements?– Are students achieving a Gen Ed goal through
courses in their majors?
• Syllabus analysis– Do students have enough classwork & assignments
to achieve this goal?
Aligning Goals & Curricula
• Do you want to develop a new General Education curriculum?
• Or keep and tinker with the one you have?
Consider Modifying Syllabi.
• State relevant General Education goals.• Grid of General Education goals x assignments• Reapprove all General Education courses
regularly (every five years?).– Check that classwork and assignments
address relevant General Education Goals.
Build on Existing Learning Experiences and Assessments.
• Focus on only the most popular Gen Ed courses?• Ask faculty how students achieve your goals.
– Homework/classwork (e.g., lab reports)– End-of-course papers, projects, performances,
presentations– Final exams in Gen Ed courses – “Capstone” experiences– Field experience evaluations
• Surveys• Create grid of Gen Ed goals x existing
assessments?
Create New/Improved Tools As Needed.
• Course-specific assessment
– All sections of each course have common assessment approaches.
AND/OR
• Multi-course assessment
– All courses with common goals have common assessment approaches.
AND/OR
• Institution-wide assessment
– Published tests & surveys
– Portfolios
– Capstone experiences
Useful and Not Too Much Work
• Set of questions on final exams
– Identical on all exams in multiple courses
– Identical on all exams in one course
• Rubric (rating scales/grading criteria)
– For papers, projects, performances, presentations, portfolio
• Reflective writing
– For the “ineffables” (attitudes, values)
Useful But More Time & Work
• Portfolios
• Locally developed tests
• Locally developed surveys
• Interviews & focus groups
Expensive But Sometimes Useful
• Published tests
• Published surveys