Using Performance Criteria to Assess Student Outcomes Teaching & Learning Symposium May 20, 2009

Overview

Process

Sources of SLOs Professional Communities of Practice Accrediting Bodies Advisory Boards Faculty

Student Learning Outcome Examples Students should attain… an ability to communicate effectively an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams Students should gain personal and social responsibility, including Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global Intercultural knowledge and competence Ethical reasoning and action Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Define student outcomes with measurable performance criteria Focus data collection on key measures of student performance. Assure that each criteria has meaning; i.e., the faculty will be able to use the performance measure consistently to make valuable inferences about student learning and/or achievement Support Faculty to discuss ways to assess and measure student knowledge, skills, attitudes or values and to link these across the curriculum

Outcome Attributes to Consider Level & Dimension of Learning Cognitive Pyschomotor Affective Learning Approach Active Collaborative Problem Solving Reflective

Performance Criteria Facilitates the curriculum delivery strategies and assessment procedures (Rogers, 07). Allows comparisons of performance across populations, treatments and setting Is the “Observable and measurable manifestations of applied knowledge” (IEEE v 43,No2, May 2000)

Clarifications

Identifying Outcomes, Objectives and Performance Criteria

Engineering Problem Solving Exp. Engineering Programs must demonstrate that their students attain an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering

Engineering Examples Engineering Education and Curricular Innovation site Engineering Education and Curricular Innovation site html/BMO-attribute-g-6-14.htm

Tools to Measure Performance Criteria Grades Portfolios Rubrics Observation (performance tasks) Artifacts (team meeting minutes, presentation plans, proposals, web pages, discussion threads,) Employer Surveys Case studies Simulations Student Assessment of Learning Gains Quizzes Local/National Exams/Professional Alumni Survey

Strategy to Align Performance Criteria Across the Curriculum

Practical Applications ….. Engineering Professional Development’s Tech Communication Challenges Overview of Assessment Project to Define and Measure Effective Engineering Communication Learning Outcomes

Group Activity Select a SLO Develop 2-3 performance criteria to measure student learning outcome Identify how to assess performance criteria

Sharing Out Ideas Experiences Resources

Wrap Up Resources Contact Us Laura Grossenbacher, Director Technical Communications Program, Engineering Professional Development Dept. Moira Lafayette Director of Assessment College of Engineering

Resources Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Retrieved on May 19, 2009 from Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Faculty Workshop on Assessing Program Outcomes, October Besterfield-Sacre, M., L.J. Shurman, H. Wolfe, C.J. Atman, J. McGourty, et al. (2000). Defining the Outcomes: A Framework for EC IEEE Transactions on Engineering Education, 43(2), 100 – 110. Caffarella, R.S. (2002) Planning programs for adult learners: A practical Guide for educators, trainers and staff developers. (2 nd ed.) San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Schandler, D. (2000). Competency and the Learning Organization. Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications.