1. What Your Program Needs to Know about Learning Outcomes Assessment at UGA

2. FAQs about Assessment are programs are required to assess student learning? should it matter to faculty? Why.. is learning outcomes assessment? is required for reporting on LOA at UGA? What.. is responsible for assessment? evaluates your assessment practice? Who.. should you assess and report? will you receive a call for reports? When.. can you go for help? Where..

3. Why is LOA required of your program? By mandate of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/2012PrinciplesOfAcre ditation.pdf

5. Why is LOA required of your program? SACS-COC Core Standards

6. Why is LOA required of your program? Undergraduate, graduate and professional degree and certificate programs

7. Why is LOA required of your program? UGA Academic Affairs Policy 4.12 http://provost.uga.edu/documents/learn- outcomes-assess-policy.pdf Faculty-driven Faculty-reviewed Comprehensive (grad, undergrad, certificate)

8. What is learning outcomes assessment? Assessment is the ongoing process of establishing clear, measurable expected outcomes of student learning ensuring that students have sufficient opportunities to achieve the outcomes systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence using results to improve student learning (Suski, 2009, p. 4)

9. Define student learning outcomes Choose a measure and set criteria Do the assessment and analyze the evidence Enact improvements based on the evidence Report and plan for future assessment What is learning outcomes assessment? The Assessment Cycle

10. What is learning outcomes assessment?

11. What counts as evidence of student learning? Direct Evidence Ratings of student skills by their field experience supervisors or employers Scores and pass rates on appropriate licensure or certification exams Cumulative experiences such as research projects, presentations, theses, dissertations, oral defenses, exhibitions, and performances Other significant course work (written work, performances, presentations, etc.) Portfolios of student work Scores on locally designed multiple-choice or essay tests such as final examinations in key courses, qualifying examinations, and comprehensive examinations Score gains between entry and exit on published or local tests or writing samples Observations of student behavior, undertaken systematically Student reflections on their values, attitudes, and beliefs

12. What counts as evidence of student learning? Indirect Evidence Course grades and grade distributions Quality and reputation of program ( rankings ) Placement rates of graduates (employment or graduate programs) Student ratings of their knowledge and skills and reflections on what they have learned in the course or program Questions on end-of-course student evaluations that ask about the course rather than the instructor or learning outcomes Student, alumni, and employer satisfaction with learning, collected through surveys, exit interviews, or focus groups Student participation rates in faculty research, publications, and conference presentations Honors, awards, and scholarships earned by students and alumni

13. What is learning outcomes assessment? Student Learning Assessment Engagement, Service Scholarship Retention Job placement Grade distributions “Indicators of success” – relate to, but don’t equate to, evidence of learning

14. What is learning outcomes assessment? QUIZ! Which of the following are examples of direct assessment of student learning? Course evaluations Job placement Ratings of “good or excellent” on oral presentations Number of passing course grades Student satisfaction with program Jury evaluations of musical performances Alumni surveys Rates of career counseling

15. What is learning outcomes assessment? QUIZ! Which of the following are examples of direct assessment of student learning? Course evaluations Job placement Ratings of “good or excellent” on oral presentations Number of passing course grades Student satisfaction with program Jury evaluations of musical performances Alumni surveys Rates of career counseling

16. Who is responsible for LOA? The faculty who teach in the program are responsible for defining outcomes choosing measures analyzing evidence making improvements See again Academic Affairs Policy 4.12

17. Who is responsible for LOA? Faculty are most qualified to influence the curriculum and its enactment make meaning of assessment evidence use evidence of student learning to demonstrate effective teaching ensure that assessment is integrated with, not a burden upon, faculty activity in teaching and scholarship

18. Who is responsible for LOA? Recommended readings (copies here for your review): Hutchings, P. (2011, April). What new faculty need to know about assessment. What new faculty need to know about assessment Gold, L., Rhoades, G., Smith, M., & Kuh, G. (2011, May). What faculty unions say about student learning outcomes assessment. What faculty unions say about student learning outcomes assessment

19. Who reviews LOA practices? Subcommittee of Program Review and Assessment Committee (PRAC) 10-12 members Work is focused exclusively on LOA Follows evaluation criteria drawn from commonly accepted LOA best practices Issues report and recommendations See also “Sample LOA Evaluation Report”

23. What is required for LOA reporting? DocumentsSubmitted by Assessment Plan All degree and certificate programs Brief Report on Learning Outcomes Assessment Undergraduate degree programs only Full report on Learning Outcomes Assessment Undergraduate and graduate degree programs See also “Program Review Outline for Evaluation of LOA”

24. What is required for LOA reporting? The Assessment Plan Each academic unit should establish and regularly maintain an assessment plan. The assessment plan documents a number of core elements that are defined by the faculty who teach in the program.

25. What is required for LOA reporting? The Assessment Plan Defines the learning outcomes for undergraduate students in your program (usually 4-6). Describes the methods the department will use to collect data that measure the attainment of the learning outcomes (usually 4-6). Describes the methods the department will use to analyze data that reflect the attainment of the learning outcomes. Describes how faculty will be involved in the various steps of the assessment process. Describes how the department will use information gathered from the analysis to improve its assessment practice and, more importantly, student learning.

26. What is required for LOA reporting? Examples of assessment plans: http://oap.uga.edu/assessment/plan/

27. What is required for LOA reporting? The Brief Data Report 1-2 page description of the data collected by assessment methods in the preceding year. 1/3 of the program’s learning outcomes. is submitted for two consecutive years. Only undergraduate programs are asked to submit brief reports.

28. What is required for LOA reporting? The Full Report includes information on ALL of the program's learning outcomes faculty analysis of the data improvements enacted or planned as a result of that analysis. The full report is submitted in the third and sixth years. – Graduate programs are asked to submit only full reports. – Undergraduate programs will also submit the full report (years 3 and 6) in addition to the brief reports (years 1,2,4,5).

29. What is required for LOA reporting? Examples of assessment reports: http://oap.uga.edu/assessment/plan/

30. What is required for LOA reporting? Upload plans and reports to the Academic Planning System (APS) https://aps.uga.edu/APS/ https://aps.uga.edu/APS/ This system houses Learning Outcomes Assessment plans and reports Program Review self studies Strategic plans for your unit/department, Annual Reporting documents for schools and colleges. Access to APS is granted by request. Contact Leslie Gordon, Associate Director for Assessment, at gordonls@uga.edu if you think you need access. gordonls@uga.edu

31. When do you report? October 1 st Annual reporting deadline for all programs, any type of report. Spring reminder issued to deans, academic associate deans, department heads, assessment coordinators

32. When do you report?

33. Assessment cycle Items dueSubmitted by Years 1-2 Brief Report on Learning Outcomes Assessment Undergraduate degree programs only Year 3 Full report on Learning Outcomes Assessment Undergraduate and graduate degree programs Years 4-6Repeat cycle described above Year 7 Academic Program Review Assessment reports are concurrently evaluated by a faculty subcommittee of the Program Review and Assessment Committee (PRAC) – evaluation and recommendations produced Undergraduate and graduate degree programs

34. Where can you find help? Dr. Leslie Gordon Associate Director for Assessment Assessment (re)design consultation Informal evaluation of LOA Department/College presentations Interactive workshops Classes and Faculty Learning Communities And more! Begin your assessment redesign now!

35. Where can you find help? Office of Academic Planning Website http://www.oap.uga.edu/assessment/sloa/

36. Your “Exit Ticket”! 1.Which of the following is required by SACS-COC? a.Quantitative data b. Retention data c. Defined SLOs 2. Which of the following is the best example of learning outcomes assessment? a. 80% of students continue to year 2 of the program b. 94% of students find jobs in the industry c. 33% of students writing the senior research paper could not organize a reference list. d. 84% of faculty averaged evaluation scores of 4.0 or better (5-point scale). 3. Describe the faculty role with regard to learning outcomes.

37. Your “Exit Ticket”! 1.Which of the following is required by SACS-COC? a.Quantitative data b. Retention data c. Defined SLOs 2. Which of the following is the best example of learning outcomes assessment? a. 80% of students continue to year 2 of the program b. 94% of students find jobs in the industry c. 33% of students writing the senior research paper could not organize a reference list. d. 84% of faculty averaged evaluation scores of 4.0 or better (5-point scale). 3. Describe the faculty role with regard to learning outcomes. The full faculty is involved in all phases of the LOA cycle.