Developing an Outcomes Assessment Plan

Part One: Asking a Meaningful Question OA is not hard science as we are doing it. Data that you collect is only as meaningful as you make it.

Exercise #1- Part A Imagine you are at a discipline conference and you meet a colleague teaching your course at a similar institution. How would you describe the core components of the course? How would you characterize this course to your colleague?

Exercise #1- Part B Consider how your students perform in your course. Where do your students shine? What tends to be easy for them? Where do they struggle? What does your discipline currently do that account for these things? Are there innovative strategies and activities used in your course or discipline? What do you do to support students? How does the performance of students in your classroom reflect the performance in your colleagues classrooms? National trends?

Exercise #1- Part C As a group, using your course outcomes and your thoughts about student performance, decide on one area of student performance that would useful for your discipline to examine and document. Align that area to a course outcome if it is not already clear. For General Education courses, consider whether the selected outcome aligns with a general education competency that is core to the course

Part Two: Developing a Meaningful Assessment

Designing Assessment Instruments Imagine you are meeting a student who took your course several years ago, if they successfully mastered the outcome you have selected, how would it be reflected in this students life? Consider what has changed in a student who has mastered this outcome- what can they do now that they couldnt do before?

Supporting Student Activities Consider what you and your colleagues do in your courses now to give students the opportunity to learn this outcome. What activities or experiences are good strategies to give students opportunities to practice and master this outcome. How do you currently know whether students achieve this outcome? What do you currently use to measure this outcome?

Assessment Instrument Exercise In your groups, share the lists you have made that reflect your current instructional activities and your views on how these outcomes are reflected in students who have mastered the course. As a group, select an activity/assignment that can be used to measure the outcome and that reflects what you expect students to be able to do as a result of this outcome.

Assessment Instrument tips Alignment- Assessment should measure the outcome it is designed to measure. The assessment tool aligns with the course. Communication/Clarity- The instructions for students and instructors are easily understood and lead to consistent use of the assessment tool. Students are informed of the assessment, the expectations and the way the assessment will be scored in advance. Course Embedded- The assessment tool can easily be given in all classrooms. The assessment can be graded as well as scored as the individual instructor/department sees fit.

Assessment Instrument Tips (con.) Accommodation/Fairness- The assessment tool allows for student accommodations as appropriate. Difficulty- The assessment should reflect the level of the course. Reliability- The assessment tool provides for reasonable reliability. The assessment will provide information which is useful. Feasibility- The assessment is relatively easy to implement and doesnt require excessive time for faculty to score, report or implement. Assessments should be rolled into one assessment when practical

Assessment Instrument Tip (con.) Avoid Assessments that are developed for easy of delivery. Avoid making students think the assessment is unimportant. Assessments that are overly complicated or burdensome. Assessments that will not provide useful information

Part Three: Developing a Scoring Tool and Data Collection information

Scoring vs Grading Scoring Determining student achievement of certain outcomes Grading Looking at the whole product and assigning it a grade in the -context of the class.

Alignment/Task Analysis To develop a scoring tool, first think about all the things a student must do in order to successfully complete this assessment. If you were completing this assignment, what would you do to complete it? Think about how the outcome is reflected in the assessment instrument. How will you know that students have completed each step or element?

Scoring Tool Exercise Make a list of all the steps/activities that a student must complete or that you would be looking for in a successful completion of the assignment. Determine how you will collect that information- will you use a rubric? Will you identify specific questions or parts of answer to score?

Scoring Tool Advice- Rubric Identify the areas you want to collect information about- (Create dimensions) Develop descriptions that characterize student performance on that dimension (Develop Criteria) Assign values to various levels of performance (Scale)

Data Collection Once you have your scoring tool developed and aligned with the SLO, you will need to determine what headings should be used for each score the instructor will enter. See examples and work with your cadre person on this. Determine what is considered satisfactory on each scoring element and holistically.

Final Thoughts Make sure to involve the discipline in the selection of outcomes and development of the assessment instrument. Work with your Cadre person and meet deadlines so we can give you good feedback. Use the handbook as a resource. Ask for help!

Questions?