Assessment 101 EWU New Faculty Orientation Workshop Jill Allison Kern, PhD June 18, 2018

What is Assessment? Student learning outcomes assessment is a process in which faculty: Evaluate students’ degree of mastery of skills and knowledge Make changes to enhance student learning in those areas identified as in need of improvement Re-evaluate student learning to determine whether the changes they made were effective © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

What Are Student Learning Outcomes? Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are the skills and knowledge that faculty will ask students to demonstrate at the completion of: A course (CLOs) A program (PLOs)

Sample CLO Students who complete “Theories of Human Communication” (COM 411) should be able to describe the major arguments in the field of interpersonal communication theory. © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Sample PLO Students who earn a BA in Economics from EWU should be able to use supply/demand modeling to explain an economic event. © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Two Sides of the Assessment Coin Curiosity & Learning Bureaucracy & Accountability © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Steps in Assessment Cycle Establish clear, assessable student learning outcomes (SLOs) Collaborative Activity Step 7: Implement the action plan Step 2: Design curriculum to ensure opportunities for learning   Collaborative Activity Collaborative Activity Step 6: Review how students as a whole did on each SLO & develop an action plan to improve SLO results Student Learning   Step 3: Teach students the information and skills they need to demonstrate the SLOs   Step 5: Grade the tests or use a rubric to assess an assignment Step 4: Design assignments or tests that will assess SLOs

Assessment’s Key Benefits Engages faculty in meaningful discussions about topics including student learning, program objectives, curricular design, assignment design, course content Requires faculty to develop a shared understanding of what students need to learn to merit a degree in their program Highlights the importance of a coherent curriculum and curricular structure Informs students about what they need to demonstrate to pass a course and earn a degree Faculty acquire data that informs them about what the specific areas are that they need to teach differently to improve student learning © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Assessment requires* faculty to First Benefit of Assessment Assessment requires* faculty to Engage in meaningful discussions Make collaborative decisions *When done right © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Through assessment student learning becomes a shared responsibility with faculty working toward a clearly articulated, well understood, and coordinated set of objectives © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Second Benefit of Assessment Assessment highlights the importance of a coherent curriculum and curricular structure © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Assessment requires faculty to: Determine in which courses students will acquire the skills and knowledge that are the building blocks of the PLOs Standardize course learning outcomes (CLOs) for required courses Clarify precisely what required courses need to accomplish  Develop a curriculum map Create a coherent curriculum Establish an intentional curricular structure Engage in discussions with faculty from other departments, at times  © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Senior Capstone Seminar Curriculum Map   FNAR 117 Drawing 1 FNAR 118 2D Design FNAR 121 3D Design FNAR 128 Intro to Digital Media FNAR 488 Senior Capstone Seminar PLO – 1 I I/D D M PLO – 2 PLO – 3 PLO - 4 I=Introduce; D=Develop; M=Master PLO – 1: Critically evaluate art work using appropriate terminology PLO – 2: Create a body of work that demonstrates technical skill  PLO – 3: Develop a body of work that demonstrates conceptual intent PLO – 4: Produce a professional-quality portfolio that includes an artist’s statement, résumé, and professional slides or other documentation of their work © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Third Benefit of Assessment CLOs and PLOs inform students what they are expected to demonstrate in each course and at the end of their program Transparency of faculty expectations Students become accountable for demonstrating their achievement of the outcomes © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Fourth Benefit of Assessment Assessment informs faculty what students are and are not learning Generates actionable information about student learning © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Grades do not do either. © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Grading A B- 92.5 A- 59 F C B+ B Mid-term Course Paper Final Exam © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD Grading Mid-term Course Paper Oral Presentation Final Exam Course Grade (avg. of rows) Course Letter Grade Clayton Thomas 94 92 95 97 A Katie Britton 85 65 81 B- Chris Stewart 88 96 92.5 A- Keesha Gray 100 93 90 98 Jo Ann Johnston 51 62 68 55 59 F Katie Chang 74 77 75 C Sofia Hernandez 84 82 87 B+ Average Score per Assignment (avg. of columns) (avg. course grade) B

Assessment CLO 1 CLO 2 CLO 3 CLO 4 Course Grade (avg. of rows) (Converted to a 100 scale) Course Letter Grade Clayton Thomas 5.00 3.90 4.60 4.63 93 A Katie Britton 2.30 3.75 4.01 80 B- Chris Stewart 4.75 4.66 Keesha Gray 3.50 Jo Ann Johnston 1.25 3.00 2.94 59 F Katie Chang 4.50 1.75 4.25 3.81 76 C Sofia Hernandez 4.31 86 B+ Average Score per SLO (avg. of columns) 2.80 4.79 4.23 4.14 Avg Score per SLO (Converted to a 100 Scale) 95 56 96 85 83 B © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Grading = Rows Assessment = Columns © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD

Top 10 Reasons to Do Assessment xx 1. Tickles Jill silly. 2. Improves student learning. 3. Spurs faculty to engage in discussions about teaching and learning. 4. Highlights the importance of creating a coherent curriculum and curricular structure. 5. Generates data that informs faculty about what the specific areas are that they need to teach differently to improve student learning. 6. Enables faculty to develop a shared understanding of what they expect students to be able to do and know by the end of the program. 7. Informs students about what they need to be able demonstrate to pass a course and earn a degree. 8. Clarifies which courses will teach what regardless of who teaches them. 9. Creates an opportunity for you to publish articles on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). 10. Accreditation requires it. © 2018 Jill Allison Kern, PhD