Outcomes Assessment

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Outcomes Assessment

• UNL Deans Retreat
• October 3, 2000
• Jessica L. Jonson, Ph.D.
• University-Wide Assessment Coordinator
• and
• Thomas C. Calhoun, Ph.D.
• Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic
  Affairs

2
NCA Statements Handbook of
Accreditation, NCA-CIHE, 1997

• the Commission reaffirmed its expectation that
  all affiliated institutions have ongoing programs
  for assessing academic achievement both to assure
  that students are learning what faculty intend to
  teach and to identify ways to improve the
  instruction.
• the Commission is committed to the tenet that
  assessment of student academic achievement is the
  key to improving student learning (it) is
  critical to the future health of its
  institutions, to the educational accomplishments
  of students now and in the future, and to the
  enhanced perception of the public of the value of
  higher education.

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Making Outcomes Assessment Work for UNL

• Clarifying Purpose
• Outlining Benefits
• Identifying Resources

4
Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student
Learning

• American Association for Higher Education (AAHE),
  1992

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Principle 1 Assessing What Matters Most

• Assessment IS NOT
• an exercise in valuing what can be measured.
• Assessment IS
• process of measuring what is valued.

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Principle 2 Complete and Accurate Picture of
Learning

• Assessment IS NOT
• simply measuring core content.
• Assessment IS
• measuring integrative reasoning and attitudes
  dispositions.

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Principle 3 Starts with Existing Goals and
Activities

• Assessment IS NOT
• an add-on process unrelated to our existing
  goals and activities.
• Assessment IS
• a goal-oriented process based on evidence
  existing within the current curriculum.

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Principle 4 Linking Outcomes and Processes

• Assessment IS NOT
• only about where students end up
• Assessment IS
• about linking outcomes to the experiences that
  lead them there.

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Principle 5 Assessment Evolves

• Assessment IS NOT
• episodic.
• Assessment IS
• ongoing.

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Principle 6 Collaborative Endeavor

• Assessment IS NOT
• an activity conducted by individuals to focus on
  individuals (i.e. courses, faculty, or students).
• Assessment IS
• a collaborative activity between all participants
  who have a stake in an academic program.

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Principle 7 Making Evidence Meaningful

• Assessment IS NOT
• gathering data and returning results.
• Assessment IS
• illuminating questions of interest using existing
  evidence.

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Principle 8 Used in Decision Making

• Assessment IS NOT
• only focusing on what.
• Assessment IS
• focusing on the what-you-do-with-it.

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Principle 9 Public Accountability

• Assessment IS NOT
• just reporting outcomes information to the
  public.
• Assessment IS...
• deeper obligation - to ourselves, students, and
  society - to improve.

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Benefits for Engaging in Outcomes Assessment
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Benefit 1 Faculty become primary decision-makers

• Setting goals
• Identifying processes to assess goals
• Determining whether goals have been reached
• Recommending future directions

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Benefit 2 Better understanding of learning
throughout curriculum

• Eliminate curriculum redundancies
• Add overlooked topics
• Better utilize existing resources
• Justify additional resources

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Benefit 3 Richer Data

• Engage in more productive conversations
• Make better decisions
• Faculty greater satisfaction in their work
• Effectively document strengths
• Identify directions for future development.

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Benefit 4 Reliable Evidence

• Rely less on FTE and student evaluations
• Make reliable decisions about innovations or
  experimental projects
• Evidence used to easily and effectively share
  successes

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Resources For Outcomes Assessment
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Personnel Resources

• University-Wide Assessment Coordinator Teaching
  and Learning Center (TLC)individual
  consultations and workshopsresources
  literature, examples, and tools

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Financial Resources

• Teaching Council Grants

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Informational Resources

• SVCAA Website

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Communication Resources

• University-Wide Assessment Steering Committee

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Summary of Benefits

• Empowers Faculty
• Enhances Understanding Learning Throughout
  Curriculum
• Provides Richer Data about Effects Educational
  Programs
• Creates More Reliable Evidence

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Conclusion

• Evaluates student learning across a programs
  curriculum
• Focuses on the improvements of student learning
• Emphasizes using information about the difference
  a program makes in their students lives

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Questions to Think About

• Given that we should consider outcomes assessment
  a legitimate endeavor in which to engage, how is
  your college emphasizing the importance of
  outcomes assessment to its faculty?
• For example,
• Are departments/programs recognized for engaging
  in effective assessment processes?
• Does your college use assessment evidence in its
  own decision making?
• Are faculty being provided opportunities to
  develop the skills they need to implement an
  effective assessment plan?
• Does the colleges budget contain a line item for
  assessment?