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

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

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

17. 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

18. 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

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

20. Top 10 Reasons to Do Assessmentxx
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