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Student Learning Assessment

Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding & improving student

learning

Formative Assessment – Ongoing feedback for thepurpose of improving learningand student performance

Summative Assessment – Culminating evaluation ofStudent performance against aSet of predetermined standards

Content-based Assessment – The testing of a student’sunderstanding of a predeterminedbody of knowledge

Outcomes-based Assessment – The testing of a student’s ability to useknowledge and skills to create acomplex and multifaceted product or by completing a complex task

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How might we do assessment?

Possible Units of Analysis

Institution

College

Program

Course

Individual student

Possible Targets

Institution-wide learning outcomes

College-wide goals

Program goals

Course goals

Student goals

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Working ideas of how to assess Institution level

Program level

Course level

Individual level

NSSE Benchmarks

Program-wide Learning Outcomes & Maps

Project or Synthesis ExerciseCourse student evaluationsFaculty e-portfolio

Student e-portfolio

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UNIVERSITY OF IDAHONSSE 2005

Jane Baillargeon

Institutional Research and Assessment

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Program Overview

What do you know about college student engagement?

What is NSSE?

NSSE 2005

University of Idaho data

Using NSSE data

Questions and discussion

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What Really Matters in College Student Engagement

The research is unequivocal-

Impact of college is largely determined by individual effort.

Students are not passive recipients of institutional efforts to “educate” or “change” them.

Important to focus on ways in which an institution can shape its academic, interpersonal, and extracurricular offerings to encourage student engagement.

Pascarella & Terenzini. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research

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What is NSSE?(pronounced “nessie”)

Evaluates the extent to which first-year and senior students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development

Supported by grants from Lumina Foundation for Education and the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College

Co-sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning

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Why A National Survey?

Refocus conversations about undergraduate quality to what matters most

Enhance institutional improvement efforts

Foster comparative and consortium activity

Inform accountability

Provide systematic national data on “good educational practices”

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Effective Educational Practices

Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Cooperation among

students Respect for diverse talents

and ways of learning

Chickering and Gamson. (1987). Seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education.

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NSSE Project Scope

Almost 1000 different colleges and universities

50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada

Data from more than 880,000 students

Institutions include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and all female and all male colleges

Year Colleges/

Universities

2001 321

2002 366

2003 437

2004 473

2005 529

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Use and Validity of Self-Reports

Validity of Self-Reporting Improves When…

Requested information is known to respondents

Questions are clear and unambiguous

Respondents take questions seriously and thoughtfully

Answering does not threaten, embarrass, or violate privacy or compel a socially desirable response

National assessment experts designed the NSSE survey, The College Student Report,

to meet these conditions

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What Does The College Student Report

Cover?Student Behaviors in CollegeStudent Behaviors in College

Institutional Actions And RequirementsInstitutional Actions And Requirements

Student Reactions to CollegeStudent Reactions to College

Student BackgroundInformation

Student BackgroundInformation

Student Learning & Development

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Survey Administration

Administered to random sample of first-year & senior students

Paper & Web-based survey

Flexible to accommodate consortium questions

Multiple follow-ups to increase response rates

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NSSE 2005 Institutionsby Carnegie Classification

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Doc/Res-Ext Doc/Res-Int Master's Bac-LA Bac-Gen

Carnegie Classification

% o

f s

ch

oo

ls All 4-YearSchools

NSSESchools

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NSSE 2005 RespondentsRace and Ethnicity

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

AfricanAmerican,

Black

AmericanIndian

AsianAmerican,

PacificIslander

White,Caucasian

Hispanic

NSSE Repondents UI

Percentage of

Respondents

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NSSE 2005 Response Rates

University of Idaho’s response rate = 44%

39% overall for all NSSE 2005 institutions

35% for Paper mode institutions

42% for Web-only institutions

39% for Web+ institutions

Response rates ranged from 9% to 89%

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External Campus Uses

Assess status vis-à-vis peers, competitors

Identify, develop, market distinctive competencies

Encourage collaboration in consortia (e.g., state-wide NSSE conference)

Provide evidence of accountability for good processes (while awaiting improvement in outcomes)

PublicAccountability

FundRaising

GoverningBoards

ProspectiveStudents

Alumni

StatePolicy

MakersPerformanceIndicators

Focus on Right Things

AccreditingBodies

Media

Parents

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Internal Campus Uses

Gauge status of campus priorities

Examine changes in student engagement between first and senior years

Assess campus progressover time

Encourage dialogue aboutgood practice

Link with other data to test hypotheses, evaluateprograms

Improve curricula, instruction, services

InstitutionalImprovement

LearningCommunitie

s1ST Year

and Senior

ExperienceAcademicAffair

LearningAssessment

FacultyDevelopment

AcademicAdvising

PeerComparison

StudentAffair

InstitutionalResearch

EnrollmentManagement

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Using NSSE Data

Discover current levels of engagement (institution, major field, year in school)

Determine if current levels are satisfactory (criterion reference, normative, or peer comparison)

Target areas for improvement

Modify programs and policies accordingly

Teach students what is required to succeed

Monitor student & institutional performance

Areas of Effective

EducationalPractice

Areas for InstitutionalImprovement

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NSSE Benchmarks of Effective Practice

Level of Academic Challenge

Active and Collaborative Learning

Student-Faculty Interaction

Enriching Educational Experiences

Supportive Campus Environment

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University of Idaho

Benchmark description and survey items

Comparison of UI to selected peers

Comparison of UI to all NSSE schools

First-Year to Senior comparison

What does it mean for us?

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How Do I Find Out More?

NSSE Website www.nsse.iub.edu

Jane Baillargeon

jane@uidaho.edu

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