SATISFYING ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS THROUGH
ASSESSMENT ITEM CATEGORIZATION
Dan ThompsonCoordinator of Instructional Design, Assessment, and
Educational TechnologyOklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
Session Objectives At the completion of this session,
participants will be able to:Describe category mapping and how to
appropriately use this feature in curriculum mapping for accreditation
Utilize category mapping to appropriately align assessment items with necessary accreditation requirements
Create a simple categorization process that is conducive for curricular mapping to assist in meeting accreditation needs
What are Categories? Each item in ExamSoft can be tagged to
categories that will allow us to identify the exact subject matter, difficulty level (ex. Bloom’s), author, instructional method implemented, style of question, learning objective(s) being assessed, etc.Items can be placed into an unlimited number of
categories Stats can be acquired based on each
category to learn the desired information.
How to Categorize Questions Questions can be easily categorized when the question
is being created in ExamSoft Questions that have already been created and used in
assessments can be categorized as well Statistical analyses of these questions can be done
retroactively Categories should be pre-made, which will allow
question creators to simply click on the categories and add them for each question
Categories work as a folder structure if needed Very helpful in staying organized in curricular mapping and
preparing for accreditation!
Faculty/Staff Roles for Curricular Mapping
Primary item categorization in the system is completed by instructional design staffFaculty and academic support staff contribute
to this effort as well**Recommendation: create a process first and
limit the number of individuals that work with this process.○ Improves consistency and program organization
Faculty/Staff Roles for Curricular Mapping
Content experts are needed for this process as assessment items need to be matched to learning objectivesAssessment items can be mapped to more than
one learning objective if applicable Category statistics are monitored and
reviewed to assure program effectiveness and to identify areas for improvement
Categorization Structure Methodology
Systems-based curriculum For curricular mapping and in
preparation for accreditation, items are categorized by:Discipline
○ Example: pharmacology, physiology, histology○ Case-based clinical lectures/sessions and
clinical problem solving group sessions ○ Indicates that we address the content (by
quantity) in our curriculum appropriately
Categorization Structure Methodology Items are also mapped to the learning
objectives they address Functions on two levels:
Small scale:○ Indicates that we are assessing our learning objectives○ The mapped items can come from quizzes, exams, and/or
other assignments○ Shows student outcomes by learning objective – are students
appropriately meeting the learning objectives and therefore reaching our course goals? This allows us to prove that statistically
Categorization Structure Methodology
Large scale:Completes the back end portion of the
curricular mapping for accreditationThroughout the curriculum mapping for
accreditation process, the focus is to completely map the curriculum from the beginning (program mission) to the end (course assessments)
This ties the process together and closes the loop on curricular mapping for accreditation
Moving Forward Our categorizing of assessment items
with learning objectives is currently growing
Once completed, an overall view of how we are meeting learning objectives (and therefore course goals, program goals, mission, etc) will be available
This initiative is being continued after receiving positive feedback
Tips/Tricks Begin this process as early as possible Establish the process before categorizing any
exam itemsIdentify individual roles in the mapping processCreate the folder structure in advance
○ *The folder structure can be altered, so this process can be flexible to meet an evolving curriculum
Be proactive – ask/require faculty to identify which learning objectives their assessment items map to when questions are entered into ExamSoft This was not done at our institution initially Retroactively categorizing items is an option, but is a more
difficult task
Unintended (Positive!) Outcomes Created an opportunity to improve and
streamline our learning objectives to improve communication with students
Improved faculty knowledge in the educational process – built in faculty development!
Thank you!! Questions? [email protected]