Meeting Middle States Expectations for Assessment

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Meeting Middle States Expectations for Assessment
Periodic Review Workshop March 23, 2006

• Linda Suskie, Executive Associate Director
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104
• Web www.msche.org E-mail LSuskie_at_msche.org

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Assessment as a Four-Step Cycle
1. Goals
2. Programs, Services Initiatives
4. Using Results
3. Assessment/ Evaluation
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What Goals Are We Talking About?

• Institutional goals (mission strategic plan)
• Administrative goals
• Division goals
• Administrative unit goals
• Student learning goals
• Institutional
• Gen Ed curriculum
• Academic programs
• Student development programs
• Support programs

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What is Institutional Effectiveness?
7. Mission Goals
Community Service
Scholarship
14. Student Learning
Diversity
Productivity/ Efficiency
Access
Revenue Generation
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1. Mission Goals
2. Planning
8. Admissions
9. Student Support Services
3. Resources
10. Faculty
4. Leadership/Governance
11. Educational Offerings
5. Administration
12. General Education
6. Integrity
13. Related Educ. Activities
7. Institutional Assessment
14. Asmt. of Student Learning
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Student Learning Assessment as a Four-Step Cycle
1. Learning Goals
2. Learning Opportunities
4. Using Results
3. Assessment
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What is Good Assessment?
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1. Good assessments are useful.

• Periodically evaluate assessments.
• Adapt as things change.

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2. Good assessments are cost-effective.

• Keep things simple.
• Focus on a few (3-6) important goals in each
  program, unit, curriculum.
• Stagger assessments.
• Use samples.

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3. Good assessments are reasonably accurate
truthful.

• Not dissertation-quality research
• Stay cost-effective.
• Goal and tool match
• Multiple kinds of tools
• Student learning Include direct evidence
• Not thrown together at the last minute

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4. Good assessments are planned.
Institutional Goals
Program Unit Goals
Course Goals
Goals
Assessments
Improvements
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5. Good assessments are organized, systematized,
and sustained.

• Ongoing, not once-and-done
• Overall guidance coordination

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Questions that a PRR Reviewer Might Ask

• Are the right things happening?

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Do institutional leaders support and value a
culture of assessment?

• Is there adequate support for assessment?
• Are assessment efforts recognized valued?
• Are efforts to improve teaching recognized
  valued?

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Are the characteristics of good assessment
being met?

• Are assessments
• Useful?
• Cost-effective?
• Yielding reasonably accurate, truthful results?
• Planned?
• Organized, systematized, and sustained?

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How much has been implemented, and have
appropriate assessment processes been planned to
plug holes?

• Are timelines appropriate?
• Are the plans feasible?
• Simple
• Practical
• Detailed
• Ownership

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What do assessment results tell us?

• Do results demonstrate
• Achievement of mission and goals?
• Sufficient academic rigor?

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Have assessment results been used?

• Have they been appropriately shared discussed?
• Have they led to appropriate decisions?
• Curricula and pedagogy
• Programs and services
• Resource allocation
• Institutional goals and plans

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Where do we see the institution going with
assessment?

• Does the institution have sufficient engagement
  momentum on its own?
• Will momentum slow after this review?
• Are there any significant gaps in assessment
  processes?
• What Commission action will most help the
  institution keep moving?

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What Should Institutions Document?

• Clear statements of goals
• Organized, sustained assessment process
  (assessment plan)
• Principles, guidelines, support
• What assessments are already underway
• What assessments are planned, when, how
• Assessment results documenting progress toward
  accomplishing goals
• How results have been used for improvement

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How Might Institutions Document This?

• Need not be a fancy bound document!
• An overview in the PRR
• A chart or roadmap for assessment documentation
• Where are you with each institutional goal,
  academic program, and Gen Ed requirement?
• Assessment documentation for each institutional
  goal, program, and Gen Ed requirement
• For large/complex institutions, a representative
  sample
• In the PRR, an appendix, online, or burned onto a
  CD