Objectives

1
Objectives Assessment

• Briana Morrison
• Ron Schroeder

2
Assessment Definition

• Assessment
• the ongoing process of establishing a
• clear,
• measurable
• expected outcomes of student learning
• systematically
• gathering,
• analyzing, and
• interpreting
• evidence to determine how well performance
  matches those expectations and
• using the resulting information to
• understand and
• improve
• student learning.
• http//pages.towson.edu/assesment/how_to_assess_we
  ll.htm

3
Objectives Definition

• Goals that you are striving for
• Either at a program level
• Or a course level
• Can be either
• Global broad, takes years to achieve (program)
• Educational moderate, weeks or months to
  achieve (course)
• Instructional narrow, hours or days to achieve
  (assignment)
• Ref Anderson Krathwohl, ed.
• A Taxonomy of Learning, Teaching, and Assessing

4
Outcomes Definition

• Results you can evaluate (measure)
• Indicators for meeting objectives
• Action oriented verbs (demonstrate, etc.)

5
The Work Ahead

• Define school mission (vision) statement
• Define BSCS objectives
• Define BSCS learning outcomes
• Define learning outcomes for each BSCS course
• Map course outcomes to program outcomes
• Determine data collected (what, by whom,
  frequency)

6
Mission Statement (Initial 1999)

• The mission of the School of Computing and
  Software Engineering is to provide residents of
  Georgia access to university-level education and
  professional training in computer science and its
  related fields of software engineering and
  information technology. More specifically
• To produce academically and technically
  proficient graduates well-prepared for
  professional positions in all aspects of software
  development, systems integration, and technical
  management through coursework and programs for
  majors at the undergraduate and masters levels
• To train non-degree seeking participants to be
  technical professionals ready for productive work
  in programming, software construction, and system
  configuration through professional and graduate
  certificates.
• To provide service courses for other departments
  as needed.
• To engage in applied research in computing by
  working closely with local industry and other
  sister institutions, and establish strategic
  partnership with regional and national
  organizations.
• To foster global education by actively seeking
  international opportunities for technology
  transfer and other kinds of cooperation.

7
Mission Statement (2003)
8
Program Objectives Outcomes (Initial)

• To provide graduates with a thorough grounding in
  the key principles and practices of computing,
  and in the basic, mathematical, and scientific
  principles that underpin them.
• Students will
• Demonstrate proficiency in the areas of software
  design and development, algorithms, operating
  systems, programming languages, distributed
  computing, and architecture.
• Demonstrate proficiency in relevant aspects of
  mathematics, including discrete mathematics.
• Successfully apply these principles and practices
  to a variety of problems.

9

• To provide graduates with an understanding of the
  overall human context in which scientific and
  computing activities take place.
• Students will
• Obtain familiarity with basic ideas and
  contemporary issues in the social sciences and
  humanities.
• Obtain an understanding of social, professional
  and ethical issues related to computing.

10

• To provide students with appropriate social and
  organizational skills.
• Students will
• Demonstrate an ability to work effectively in
  teams.
• Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively.

11

• To prepare graduates for both immediate
  employment in the computing profession and/or for
  admission to graduate programs in computing.
• A large fraction of graduates will be immediately
  employable in high-technology companies that
  utilize their computing education.
• Strong graduates from the program will be
  prepared to enter good graduate program in
  Computer Science.
• Students will demonstrate an ability to acquire
  new knowledge in the computing discipline and to
  engage in life-long learning.

12
Next

• We must define learning outcomes for all courses
  in the BSCS program.
• Proposal
• Take CC2001 curriculum and instead of hours, use
• I introduction to material
• F familiarity with material
• M mastery of material
• Should help us define the outcomes for each
  course

13
Then
Map the course outcomes to the program outcomes.
http//www.cis.ohio-state.edu/weide/abet/program-
objectives.html
14
Next we define the measurements

• Define the assessment method (surveys, opinions,
  etc.)
• Define who is responsible for gathering the data
• Define how often the data is gathered
• Define who is responsible for evaluating the
  data.
• Define how often the evaluation is done.

15
Sample Chart
http//www.cs.usna.edu/aboutus/assessplan.htm
16
More Ideas

• Assessment Day
• Personal Class Assessment
• Faculty Interview Groups
• Student Focus Groups
• Ref Blandform Hwang
• SIGCSE Proceedings, 2003

17
Assessment Day

• Dept. sets aside one day each term where whole
  department participates in assessment process.
• Faculty write personal class assessments, small
  groups conduct class or course sequence
  assessments,
• Faculty make decisions about program
  effectiveness
• Summary report written which contains list of
  items reviewed and corresponding list of
  recommendations.

18
Personal Class Assessment

• Organizes student performance outcomes in terms
  of individual class objectives.
• Each faculty member completes an assessment of
  each course taught during the term based on
  objectives established
• Use web site for convenience to record
• Each course has a link for course objectives and
  course assessment.
• At beginning of term, individual faculty enter or
  update course objectives outcomes
• At end of term, individual faculty create an
  assessment list of recommendations for
  objectives not met (well).

19
Faculty Interview Groups

• Small group of faculty (no more than 4) to
  conduct head-to-head interviews with a sample of
  students or alumni to determine whether or not a
  particular outcome has been met.

20
Student Focus Groups

• 5 to 12 students chosen to be representative of
  the learning ability of the class.
• Led by objective person not associated with the
  class. (secretary, other depts.)
• Prepared list of questions
• Can be used to answer specific questions about a
  particular outcome for a class or a class
  sequence.

21
Other Ideas?

• Any other assessment ideas?

22
Last Word

• Remember that learning activities support
  learning outcomeswhat are we trying to teach
  them?
• Assessment results are used to improve the
  course/program and should never be used as a
  factor in tenure, promotion, merit, or other
  decisions, unless individual faculty member
  chooses.
• Assessment is a collaborative endeavor involving
  faculty, staff, administrators, and students.