Pepperdine University Portfolio Assessment Background Research Recommendations Outcomes

Background Created in 1994 by Faculty Members Don Thompson (Mathematics & Great Books) & Lee Carroll (English) Comprehensive Longitudinal Portfolio Assessment of Undergraduate Student Work – Student Participants per year: –Portfolios Contain Papers, Assignments, Syllabi, Exams, & Self-Reflective Audio Interviews Portfolios Reviewed by Faculty to Measure Mission Critical Student Learning & Experience

Research Faculty Participate In Summer Workshops to Analyze Portfolios –Inductive Reading –Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis –Curricular Recommendations Portfolio Analysis Focuses on Mission Goals –Critical Thinking, Moral & Ethical Development, Multicultural Perspective, Service Learning, Christian Mission

Critical Thinking Exemplar Mission Statement Excerpt: –“the ability to think clearly, logically, independently, and critically – to synthesize and integrate knowledge, not simply to accumulate it.”

Faculty Research Questions What does critical thinking mean in each discipline? How do we evaluate portfolios across disciplines? What constitutes evidence of critical thinking?

Critical Thinking Assessment Model Self-Assessment Syllabus All Assignments Instructor Feedback Portfolio Student Feedback

Model Components 1,2 Spoke 1--Syllabus –Is there language reflecting critical thinking goals? –How will these be demonstrated in the course? Spoke 2 --Assignment –What kind of critical thinking is asked for by the professor in written form, e.g. assigned papers, tests, quizzes, assigned homework,assigned reports, labs,... ?

Model Components 3,4 Spoke 3-- Instructor Feedback –What evidence of critical thinking goals & expectations exists in the professor’s- Grading rubric? Written marginal comments? Spoke 4-- Portfolio –What evidence of critical thinking is present in written form in the student portfolio?

Model Components 5,6 Spoke 5--Student Feedback –Is there evidence that the student has been asked to do self-evaluation about acquired skills or about the way the professor evaluated the assignment? Spoke 6--Self-Assessment –In the student's semester-end academic self- assessment, what evidence is there of reflection on the quality of critical thinking this course? –Is there any mention of critical thinking enhancement?

COGNITIVE LEVELS AFFECTIVE LEVELS Evaluation Knowledge Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension SYLLABUS ASSIGNMENTS PROFESSOR FEEDBACK STUDENT WORK (PORT) STUDENT FEEDBACK STUDENT SELF-EVAL (WRITTEN/ORAL) Characterizing value or value complex Organizing Valuing Responding Receiving CRITICAL THINKING RUBRIC - BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

Self-Assessment Syllabus All Assignments Instructor Feedback Portfolio Student Feedback English 101 Portfolio Analysis

Recommendations Design assignments that are directly linked to syllabus Write course syllabi to promote critical thinking/reasoning Require assignments that ask students to think critically at multiple levels Require that students engage in multiple self-assessments Design a multifaceted program for information literacy (including workbooks, tours and faculty development).

Presentations "Shared Learning: CD-ROM Student Portfolio Project," a concurrent session presented at the 11th AAHE Conference on Assessment & Quality, Washington D.C., June 8-12, 1996, Don Thompson. "Digital Assessment on the World Wide Web," a presentation made at the NCTLA What Works II National Conference on Postsecondary Education in the 21st Century, Penn State University, June 21-23, 1996, Don Thompson.

Publications "CD-ROM Student Portfolio Project at Pepperdine University," Adult Assessment Forum Journal of Quality in Adult-Centered Education, Volume V, Number 4, Winter , Don Thompson & Charles Manning. "A Change in Culture: Pepperdine University’s CD-ROM Student Portfolio Project," Assessment Update, July- August 1997, Don Thompson & Cynthia Cornell Novak. Rehearsing New Roles: How College Students Develop as Writers, Lee Carroll, SIU Press, 2002.

Campus Impact General Education Reform –Junior Writing Portfolio Requirement –Writing Intensive Major Course Requirement –Cultural Diversity Requirement Irvine Foundation Grant Assessment Protocol Diversity Statement in Strategic Planning Process