1. AUST Faculty Development
The Road Ahead
November 15, 2014
Themes:
Workshop builds on the syllabus-writing workshop in early October 2012.
Link Assessment to objectives and LOs …
This is needed to:
provide feedback for students and instructors, and
demonstrate evidence of learning
You do assessment in many ways already – we’ll focus on some background and tools. And, how it can help you!
We will look at how to identify and utilize effective assessment for a variety purposes and situations.

2. Looking Into the Future
Activity designed to start thinking about how assessment can:
help to demonstrate that learning is happening,
identify gaps in that learning that need to be filled, and
identify the kinds of data needed to continually improve learning and the demonstration of learning.
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3. Objective: Communication
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4. Objective: Cooperation
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5. Objective: Collaboration
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6. Students come to the university hoping to do better in life.
When they graduate, they can go in a number of directions: grad school, straight to work…
A degree can open doors to these opportunities.
In this sense, we are in the business of preparing people to get degrees that represent knowledge and competencies that are valued in the world.
We Want to Deliver:
Degrees that represent knowledge and competencies that are valued in the world. ?
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7. Faculty of Business and Economics
AUST
Faculty of Business and Economics
Departments
Courses …
University Objectives
Faculty Objectives
Department
Objectives &
Outcomes
University
Faculty
Department
Course
Course Objectives &
Outcomes
Behind a diploma is a university with formal and informal structures, processes that produce programs, courses and learning outcomes, etc.
Objectives at these levels are either explicit or implied. Ideally, they are articulated, the more so, the better.
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8. Who We Are?
The American University of Science & Technology (AUST) is a private non-sectarian institution of higher learning fully licensed by the Lebanese Government to offer undergraduate and graduates degrees in four faculties and in three campuses. It strives to provide top-level American-style education to its 5,400 students.
An example of university-level learning objectives/outcomes from Carnegie Mellon University
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9. What We Do?
AUST takes pride in its quality of education and in the achievements of its graduates who have excelled in both the job market and in their graduate school both in Lebanon and abroad.

10. Value-Added Network
AUST enjoys an extensive and value-added network of affiliations of foreign universities and institutes of higher education located in all continents of the globe, providing its students with opportunities to pursue post graduate education in order to foster future researchers and leaders who are much needed to enrich the sustainability of Lebanon.

11. AUST takes pride in the faculty members and staff and its unique student body; a fact that it wishes to be reciprocated.

12. AUST Business & Economics School of Engineering Health Sciences
Arts & Sciences
Faculty Objectives
Faculty Objectives
Faculty Objectives
Faculty Objectives
AUST is organized around schools and degree programs.
All of these have roles to play, all are pursuing their objectives… How explicit are these objectives?
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13. Faculty-Level Objectives for Graduates1.
The aim of the FBE is to graduate undergraduate students with appropriate oral and written communication skills. 2.
The FBE students have to prove a high level of computer literacy and use of technology. 3.
The FBE will provide its students with the ability to integrate the various business functions in solving problems or in the process of making business decisions. 4.
The graduating business students of the FBE have to demonstrate a relative advantage in their performance of the key tasks linked to their particular specializations.
These were summarized from the AUST-Business & Econ website
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14. Faculty-Level Objectives for Graduates5.
In the workplace, the working students or graduates of the FBE have to behave in a highly ethical manner besides job efficiency. 6.
AUST Business graduates have to show a high level of cooperation and support when working with others (teamwork). 7.
The FBE graduates have to demonstrate a high degree of motivation and willingness to adapt to changes in the working environment. 8.
The FBE will help students better search for career development tools such as the pursuit of international professional certifications.

15. 9.
The FBE will help students better search for job opportunities.
10.
In the workplace, the working students or graduates of the FBE have to demonstrate job efficiency and job responsibility.
11.
The FBE students should demonstrate basic knowledge of the theory and practice in the business functional areas.

16. AUST Business & Economics Accounting, … Arts and Sciences Department
Objectives &
Outcomes
Department
Objectives &
Outcomes
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17. Department Objectives & Outcomes
AUST Accounting Department graduates:
Possess a broad knowledge of business
Have the general education and technical knowledge necessary to succeed in the accounting profession
Able to use sound professional judgment, communicate well verbally and in writing, work effectively with others
Prepared to continue their professional careers by pursuing advanced certificates (e.g., CPA)
These were summarized from the AUST-Business & Econ, accounting website
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18. Accounting Principles I
AUST
Business & Economics
Accounting
Accounting Principles I
Cost Accounting …
Course Objectives &
Outcomes
Course Objectives &
Outcomes
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19. Course – Level Objectives & Outcomes
Accounting Principles I:
Course Objectives
To give the student a basic understanding about the use of financial information. …
Learning Outcomes
Prepare financial statements for a small to medium-sized company.
Explain cost functions and depreciation.
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20. Emphasize that this Workshop is about Course-Level Assessment
Assessment Reporting
Programmatic Change Resource Allocation
Institutional Accreditation
Institution
Professional Accreditation
Faculties
Academic Program Review
Departments/Programs/Majors
Assessment in the Majors
Adapted from the Office of Institutional Assessment at the University of Washington
Emphasize that this Workshop is about Course-Level Assessment
Courses
Course-Level Assessment
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21. Learning
Outcomes
Objectives
Program
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22. AUST University Objectives Faculty Objectives Objectives & Outcomes
Business & Economics
Accounting
Economics
Finance
Hospitality
Management
MIS
Marketing
Travel & Tourism
School of Engineering
Health Sciences
Arts & Sciences
University Objectives
Faculty
Objectives
Objectives & Outcomes
Objectives & Outcomes
Objectives & Outcomes
Objectives & Outcomes
Objectives & Outcomes
Each dept. needs to articulate its objectives and learning outcomes.
Objectives & Outcomes
Objectives & Outcomes
Objectives & Outcomes
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23. Exercise designed to help participants think about objectives at all levels of AUST.
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24. Key Course Elements Objectives and Learning Outcomes Assessments
OUTCOMES articulate the knowledge and skills you want students to acquire by the end of the course
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES are chosen to help students achieve the learning outcomes
ASSESSMENTS allow the instructor and the student to see the degree to which learning objectives are being met
Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Assessments
From Eberly Center for Learning Excellence at Carnegie Mellon
Internal course integrity
This was a key concept of the first workshop.
EMPHASIZE: Value to the Student and the Professor
Instructional Activities
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25. Course Objectives
Broad statements of what you want your students to learn about the subject.
Review from first workshop.
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26. Learning Outcomes
What students will know and be able to do upon successful completion of the course.
Review from first workshop.
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27. Also helps demonstrate teaching and learning effectiveness.
What is assessment?
“…a systematic process of looking at student achievement within and across courses by gathering, interpreting and using information about student learning for educational improvement.”
American Association of Higher Education (AAHE)
The process of assessment requires articulating objectives and learning outcomes:
What it is you are trying to teach?
How are you teaching it?
How will you know students have learned it?
What evidence did you find that students are learning it?
What is working well and what needs to be improved?
What actions will you take to improve student learning?
The point of assessment is understanding what is working well and being open to new ways to improve student learning. Assessment can be an opportunity, not a burden. Assessment results can help support request for resources, facilities, and personnel.
Time invested in building assessment into your courses can pay off in greater satisfaction with your own teaching, more successful students, professional accomplishments and recognition.
Also helps demonstrate teaching and learning effectiveness.
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28. Demonstrate evidence of learning
Provide feedback
Assessment is used to:
If you get the feedback working well, you are well on your way to being able to demonstrate that learning is happening.
Regarding demonstrating evidence of learning, imagine if your students said, “No need to give us an exam. Trust us. We know the material already.” This would never be acceptable but how often do we ask the administration, employers, parents, accreditors and others to just trust us, while producing no clear evidence that learning is happening?
Demonstrate evidence of learning
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29. Assessment Ongoing Clear outcomes A plan for achieving outcomes
Gathering data
Interpreting how well students are learning
Using results to improve learning
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30. Value of Assessment for the Dean or Chair
Evaluate teaching
Builds on strengths
Opportunities for improvement
Coordination of schools, programs and courses
Evaluate part-time faculty
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31. Value of Assessment for Faculty
Are students learning what is intended?
More effective teaching
Demonstrate teaching effectiveness – important for promotion
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32. Value of Assessment for Students
Feedback helps students know if they are learning what is expected
Understand strengths and challenges
Builds and maintains the University’s reputation
YES
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33. United We Can Achieve What We Plan
Group activity to help seat the concepts.
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