MAKING ASSESSMENT MATTER TO FACULTY AND STUDENTS Pat Hutchings and Natasha Jankowski National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment Moderator: Loren Blanchard, California State University

Discussion How have you been successful in using evidence from assessment to improve practices, processes, or student learning? What is working well? In response to Loren’s framing. 5-7 minutes at tables. 3-5 to hear some comments [10 total]

Pat – 10 minutes for assignment conversation

Priorities for Campus Work More faculty involvement in assessment Increased use of results More professional development for faculty and staff This slide will presumably both underscore comments we will have heard and further emphasize the importance of making assessment work from “the bottom” as well as the top. --NILOA’s survey of provosts, 2014

Obstacles to More Faculty Involvement Time Not a role for which faculty are prepared An uneasy match with reward systems Skepticism that it makes a difference (including to students) Assessment as top down, somebody else’s agenda/job. Time: a proxy for all the other things on the list but needs to be taken seriously Not a role: through graduate training, through on campus PD,…and further the language of assessment doesn’t create a desire to learn about it Reward system: varies by campus of course but in general work on assessment is likely to be, at best, counted as service, and we all know what that means. Often asisgned to the most junior person in the dept. No recognition that assessment is scholarly work. Skepticism: partly a problem of what is visible, haven’t documented inprovement, which are often longer term, “softer”…but its also true that assessment hasn’t made as much difference as it could/should. A lot of energy goes into generating evidence but not so much into use. And for students its unrelated to their success. Motiviation issues. Top down: hear this all the time and it’s not fair—it NEEDS to be institutional, to have advocacy and leadership from the top but when it becomes just a matter of compliance….

From: a top-down, add-on, “exoskeletal” approach… …To: a bottom-up, home-grown approach that’s integral to teaching and learning So, with apologies for mixed metaphors, I would argue that what we need is a shift—from….to….. Of course it’s not this simple; might need some of both, and there are approaches in between. But until ass is situated more squarly in the latter, where it matters to faculty and students, it won’t make a difference.

Assessment That Matters to Faculty and Students An integral part of teaching and learning Embedded in the assignments that faculty design and students are required to complete …as a condition for progress toward graduation “Most useful for improvement” NATASHA: PLEASE SEE ABRIDGED VERSION OF 2013 SURVEY, TOP BULLET. WHICH SAYS: Provosts consider classroom-based assessment, national student surveys, and rubrics (in this order) to be the “most valuable or important” approaches for assessing undergraduate student learning outcomes. BUT THE GRAPH THAT FOLLOWS HAS THEM IN THE RESERVE ORDER. I KNOW WE’VE SAID IN NUMEROUS OTHER PUBLICATIONS THAT PROVOSTS RATE CLASSROOM BASED ASSESSMENT AS MOST USEFUL, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THAT’S WRONG. CAN YOU CLARIFY? – The graph is about how many institutions use the various approaches, but the bullet talks about which they indicated are most useful

NILOA’s Work on Assignments Building on campus interest and momentum Bringing faculty together to collaborate on assignment design (the charrette model) Developing a searchable, online assignment library keyed to critical learning outcomes Creating tools for campuses (and systems and state) that want to organize this work locally www.assignmentlibrary.org

Discussion 1. What has helped to engage faculty in meaningful ways with assessment on your campus? 2. What lessons have you learned about powerful professional development for the improvement of student learning and success? 5-7 minutes for sharing, 3-5 to hear from them

Assignments as a way in Assignment Learning Outcomes Scaffolding Learning Evaluative Criteria Learning Outcomes Natasha – 10 minutes on making connections to other areas that assignments can be useful

How assignments connect Scaffolding Learning Evaluative Criteria Learning Outcomes Assignment Scaffolding Learning Evaluative Criteria Learning Outcomes Assignment Scaffolding Learning Evaluative Criteria Learning Outcomes

Program View General Education Major Assignment Learning Outcomes Scaffolding Learning Evaluative Criteria Learning Outcomes General Education Major

Implications for transcripts, career development, and pathways Connections Assignment Scaffolding Learning Evaluative Criteria Learning Outcomes Employers Co-curricular Implications for transcripts, career development, and pathways

Resources for Administrative Support http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Unpacking-Relationships-Instruction-and-Student-Outcomes.aspx

Resources for Doing the Work

Questions and Discussion Email: niloa@education.illinois.edu www.learningoutcomesassessment.org www.assignmentlibrary.org www.degreeprofile.org 10 minutes Q&A