du ctlat presentation assessing student learning outcomes educational programs support programs...
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Articulate the genesis of development of a culture of assessment; Identifies the components of institutional effectiveness emanating from a system of data sharing and program improvement; Distinguish the purpose and verbage of a program, course, and student learning outcomeTRANSCRIPT
Dillard University
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Technology
Assessing Student Learning Outcomes: Educational Programs, Support Programs, General Education, and QEP
Session on SLO’s and Assessment
Articulate the genesis of development of a culture of assessment
Identifies the components of institutional effectiveness emanating from a system of data sharing and program improvement
Distinguish the purpose and verbage of a program, course, and student learning outcome
Why Do Assessments?
As teaching professionals we care about quality teaching & learning. Thus , assessments are what we faculty members do to demonstrate to ourselves that we actually do what we say we do. It is our source of feedback.
As an added dimension to grades, assessments deconstruct the curriculum (or the assignment, course, or class) into component parts and makes those parts visible.
National Context
Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education
LEAP: Liberal Education and America’s Promise: Changing the Conversation about Student Success and Institutional Accountability
AAC&U’s – Essential Learning Outcomes
Why Do Assessments?
Assessments satisfy the demand for accountability by external agencies. That is why the institution must collect evidence of assessment activities.
Virtually every discipline & regional accrediting agency AND most professional organizations are calling upon higher education to access student learning.
The Academy controls assessment by doing it well, or legislative bodies will step in and do it (or clients).
What is LEAP? (Liberal Education and America’s Promise)
A ten-year campus action and advocacy initiative to champion the value of a liberal education. The initiative focuses campus practice on fostering essential learning outcomes for all students, whatever their chosen field of study.
LEAP shines a spotlight on how campuses are employing high impact practices and enacting principles of excellence that ensures success for all students.
w w w. a a c u. o r gAssociation of American Colleges and Universities
The Salary Premium for Essential Learning Outcomes
WritingInductive and Deductive ReasoningJudgment and Decision MakingProblem SolvingSocial/Interpersonal skillsMathematicsOriginality
Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Employers Endorse Key Elements Of Liberal Education
% saying colleges should put more emphasis on each learning outcome
Concepts and new developments in science & technology
Teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings
The ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings through internships or other hands-on experiences
The ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing
Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills
Global issues and developments and their implications for the future
Source: How Should Colleges Prepare Students To Succeed in Today’s Global Economy? (AAC&U and Peter D. Hart Research, 2007)
Effective Educational Practices
First-Year Seminars and Experiences
Common Intellectual Experiences
Learning Communities
Writing-Intensive Courses
Collaborative Assignments and Projects Undergraduate Research
Diversity Course/Global Learning
Service Learning, Community-Based Learning
Internships
Capstone Courses and Projects
Implications
Regional accreditation bodies increasing attention and expectations related to assessments (e.g. SACS –QEP)
State Education Agencies are increasingly asking for evidence of use of assessments to inform curriculum development
AASCU and NASULGC – Voluntary System of Accountability
Additional local/state initiatives tied to assessment
Defining Learning Outcomes
A learning outcome is the specification of what a student should learn as the result of a period of specified and supported study.
Learning outcomes are concerned with the achievements of the learner rather than the intentions of the teacher (expressed in the aims of a module or course). They can take many forms and can be broad or narrow in nature (Adam, 2004).
Defining Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes and ‘aims and objectives’ are often used synonymously, although they are not the same. Adam (2004) notes that ‘Aims are concerned with teaching and the teacher’s intentions whilst learning outcomes are concerned with learning’ and Moon (2002)
However, learning outcomes and objectives are more difficult to distinguish as objectives can be written in terms that are very similar to that used in learning outcomes.
Objectives are written that identified what students should be able to do; this was well before they were known as learning outcomes.
University of Exeter (2004) defines:
Learning Outcome: An expression of what a student will demonstrate on the successful completion of a module. Learning outcomes:
are related to the level of the learning;indicate the intended gain in knowledge
and skills that a typical student will achieve;
should be capable of being assessed.
Taxonomic Measures
Student learning outcomes are properly defined in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that a student has attained at the end (or as a result) of his or her engagement in a particular set of higher education experiences.
(Chea, 2003)
and…
Not all of the outcomes of college are confined to learning.
Additional behavioral outcomes or experiences that may result from attending an institution or program include employment and increased career mobility, enhanced incomes and lifestyles, the opportunity to enroll for additional education, or simply a more fulfilled and reflective life.
Making the Distinction
Outcomes: Anticipated or achieved results of programes or the accomplishment of institutional objectives, as demonstrated by a wide range of indicators (such as student knowledge, cognitive skills, and attitudes).
Outcomes are direct results of the instructional programs, planned in terms of student/learner growth in all areas. An outcome must be distinguished from an objective, which is a sought-after result. Generally, each outcome statement should describe one effect of the instructional program.
Student Learning Outcomes: Statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand, and/or be able to demonstrate after completion of a process of learning as well as the specific intellectual and practical skills gained and demonstrated by the successful completion of a unit, course, or program.
Learning outcomes, together with assessment criteria, specify the minimum requirements for the award of credit, while grading is based on attainment above or below the minimum requirements for the award of credit.
Learning outcomes are distinct from the aims of learning in that they are concerned with the achievements of the learner rather than with the overall intentions of the teacher. (Vlãsceanu et al., 2004, pp. 41–42)
Institutional Mission (Graduates)
Program Outcomes
Course Outcomes
Student success – Student Learning Outcomes
SUMMARY OF DEFINITIONS AND DISTINCTIONS
Program Learning Outcomes describe the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes required by
graduates of the program Course Learning Outcomes
reflect what the faculty and the community collectively identify as the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes required by practitioners in the subject area
Instructional Objectives describe in detail the behaviors that students will be able to
perform at the conclusion of a unit of instruction such as a class, and the conditions and criteria which determine the acceptable level of performance.
Why are Student Learning Outcomes Important?
They help students appreciate your organizational skills
They guide development of the course syllabus
They guide discussions about content and coverage
The guide the development of evaluation methods (tests and assignments)
Definition of a Rubric
“As applied to student work, a rubric reveals…the scoring ‘rules’ . It explains to students that criteria against which their work will be judged. More importantly…It makes public, key criteria that students can be used in developing, revising, and judging their own work.”
Huba, M.E. & Freed, J.E. (2000) Learner –Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning: Boston: Allyn and bacon, p. 155.
Why are Student Learning Outcomes Important?
They allow you to undertake broader assessments
They result in convergence of content assignments, and grading
Course Level Assessments
Direct Measures Homework Assignments Examinations and
Quizzes Standardized Tests Projects Case Study Analysis Rubric scores for Writing,
oral presentations, and performances
Artistic Performances and products
Grades that are based on explicit criteria related to clear learning goals
Indirect Measures Course Evaluation Test Blueprint (outlines of
the course concepts and skills covered on tests)
Number of student hours spent on activities related to the course
Course Level Assessments
Direct Measures Published tests
(Standardized test) Locally Developed test Course embedded Portfolios Videotape and
audiotape evaluation Pre/Post Tests Thesis evaluation
Indirect Measures Curriculum and
syllabus analysis (input assessment)
External reviewers (peer review)
Surveys Reflective essay Interview
The Salary Premium for Essential Learning Outcomes
From a federal database analyzing qualifications for 1,000 different jobs, there is consistent evidence that the highest salaries apply to positions that call for intensive set of liberal education capabilities, including (in random order):
Thank you for your presence
ReflectionsImplications for further research and
professional development