Engaging and Empowering Faculty in Assessment Amy Driscoll WASC Assessment Leadership Academy August 2011

Anticipating Faculty Resistance Fears Concerns Complaints Misperceptions

Anticipating Faculty Expectations Questions to be answered Security of practices Student learning to be enhanced Hopes for courses, programs

Providing opportunities for faculty resistance and enthusiasm to emerge breaks down barriers to faculty engagement, empowerment, and collaboration in assessment. There’s comfort and confidence that emerges from hearing common themes from colleagues.

Acknowledging Faculty Assets for Assessment Ask faculty to list/describe experiences as a student or as a teacher that will serve as assets or strengths for engaging in assessment Ask faculty to identify current practices that will serve as foundations for their assessment endeavors

Faculty Voice in Assessment Purpose(s) Begin with purposes from assessment literature Ask faculty to eliminate those purposes that offend or that they dislike Ask faculty to identify those purposes with which they are comfortable Ask faculty to edit/revise and/or develop unique purpose(s) for their program or institution

Nurturing Faculty Ownership of Assessment Review learning outcomes and assessment examples from other institutions – critique and revise Search disciplinary sources for assessment examples and practices – study and implement Encourage review of learning outcomes by national peers, employers, graduates, and students

Connecting Assessment to Curriculum and Pedagogy Engage faculty in scenario/role play as newly hired faculty with a last minute course assignment to meet the following learning outcome; Analyze the outcome and brainstorm all the ways you would support student learning, in curriculum and pedagogy, to achieve the outcome. Students develop and make persuasive arguments for inclusion in educational settings.

Connecting Assessment to Student Support, Environments Role play the student who arrives to take the course and reads the learning outcome in the syllabus –what thoughts go through your head, what questions do you have? What worries arise? Students develop and make persuasive arguments for inclusion in educational settings.

Faculty Development Support: Addresses development of common understandings of learning outcomes Addresses intentional alignment of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment with learning outcomes.

Faculty Collaboration:Essential to Assessment Success Entice faculty through “cooperatives,” faculty learning communities, interest groups, action research teams, or….. Encourage faculty collaboration in program review, strategic planning, preparation for accreditation, or…….. in ways that add value to their work. Nurture faculty pride in new programs, innovative approaches, course experiments, signature assignment groups, or……..

Rationale for Faculty Collaboration in Assessment The need for diverse perspectives in the development and review of assessment approaches, directions, and student work Assessment has the potential to bring faculty together to discuss important issues (what, why and how they teach) Collaboration encourages the formation of coherent, integrated courses, programs Collaboration helps faculty/staff make better decisions and use limited assessment resources wisely

Initiating Faculty Collaboration in Assessment Faculty collaboration can begin by identifying “common ground” such as their passion for teaching, or their concern for students or their questions about effectiveness or… Faculty collaboration can focus on cultivating a culture of learning rather than a culture of assessment or a culture of…

Other beginning points Start with successes—program strengths, individual efforts, stories, Draw on local experts Engage unofficial leaders to participate Elevate the status of collaboration in assessment Anticipate how faculty status influences participation

Key Ingredients for Creating Faculty Assessment Communities Structures and support of both time and space for sustained conversations Commitment to focus on student learning A broad perspective on teaching, learning, and assessment

Cornerstones for Faculty Assessment Communities A clear and agreed upon understanding of why assessment is being done An understanding of who will be informed by the assessment findings A supportive climate for assessment Adequate resources to support assessment efforts (Additional Expectations Related to Faculty Expertise and Interest-Usually Extensions of ULR’s and MLO’s