Learning Goals at St. John Fisher College

1

• Learning Goals atSt. John Fisher College
• Peter J. Gray, Ph.D.
• Director of Academic Assessment
• United States Naval Academy
• May 2004

2

• A higher education institutions purpose is to
  provide instruction that produces learning.
• The test of an institutions quality is the
  success of its students.

3

• Faculty Ownership
• It is essential for faculty to have a sense of
  ownership of the assessment process
• so that faculty maintain a commitment over time
  and to be certain that the results are utilized
  and make a difference.

4

• Administrative Support
• Assessment programs need strong leadership...
• so that they remain flexible and adaptable to
  changing needs and are not merely ad hoc efforts.

5
Assessment Process
teaching learning
improvement
evaluation
6

• Assessment Questions
• ? What should students learn fromour educational
  programs and experiences?
• ? How can we document and evaluate the quality
  of our teaching and of our students achievement?
• ? What changes should we make to improve teaching
  and learning?

7

• Defining Learning Outcomes
• ? Reviewing existing standards documents
• Assessing student work and achievement
• Identifying hopes and expectations

8

• Defining Learning Outcomes
• ? Reviewing existing standards documents
• mission statements
• accreditation criteria
• learning goals and objectives
• program curricula and course syllabi
• learning inventories

9

• Categories of Outcomes
• ? Discipline specific knowledge, comprehension,
  and understanding
• ? Higher order thinking skills
• ? College-level thinking skills
• ? General education and liberal studies goals
• ? Professional and career development goals
• ? Personal growth and development goals

10

• Mapping Teaching and Learning

11

• Certainly some learning is difficult, even
  impossible to measure.
• But is does not follow that useful and
  meaningful assessment is impossible.

12

• Sources of Information
• ? Course assignments
• ? Projects, products, portfolios, performances
• ? Written examinations standardized tests
• ? Oral presentations, interviews, discussions
• ? Simulations, case studies, field work
• ? Surveys questionnaires
• ? Institutional research regarding enrollment,
  retention, placement

13

• Use of Assessment Results
• Answers important questions about teaching and
  learning
• Makes maximum use of existing sources and
  methods of gathering information about student
  learning
• Takes into account the institutions mission and
  strategic plan as well as external regional and
  professional accreditation requirements

14

• Assessment Plan
• Describe intended student learning in
  relationship to educational programs and
  activities
• Develop questions about teaching and learning
• Identify relevant sources of information and
  evaluation techniques to answer questions
• Collect, analyze, and interpret data
• Set priorities for the design and implementation
  of improvements based on results

15

• The Goal
• Assessment should be
• meaningful
• manageable,
• and sustainable.
• The Program Assessment Consultation Team
  (PACT)California State University, Bakersfield,
  1999.

16

• Learning Goals at Fisher
• What have we done?
• Where do we need to be?
• What can we accomplish today?