1 Orientation Session at 2003 Assessment Conference A Richer and More Coherent Set of Assessment Practices Peggy L. Maki Senior Scholar Assessing for Learning AAHE Materials from Maki’s forthcoming book, A Framework for Building An Institutional Commitment to Assessing Student Learning, 2004, Stylus Publishing and AAHE

2 Focus of Our Assessment Efforts What do you expect your students to know and be able to do by the end of their education at your institution? What do the curricula and other educational experiences “add up to?” What do you do in your classes or in your programs to promote the kinds of learning or development that the institution seeks ?

3 Questions (con’d) Which students benefit from which classroom teaching strategies or educational experiences? What educational processes are responsible for the intended student outcomes the institution seeks? How can you help students make connections between classroom learning and experiences outside of the classroom? What pedagogies/educational experiences develop knowledge, abilities, habits of mind, ways of knowing/problem solving?

4 Questions, con’d: How are curricula and pedagogy designed to develop knowledge, abilities, habits of mind, ways of knowing? What methods of assessment capture desired student learning--methods that align with pedagogy, content, and curricular design? How do you intentionally build upon what each of you teaches or fosters to achieve programmatic and institutional objectives?

5 Approaches to Learning Surface Learning Deep Learning

6 Learner CollaborationTechnology Service Learning Work Life Dorm Life Services Learning Communities Courses Experiential Learning Internship Study Abroad Advising

7 What Does the Sum Look Like? Knowledge/Understanding AbilitiesDispositions

8 “ Every assessment is also based on a set of beliefs about the kinds of tasks or situations that will prompt students to say, do, or create something that demonstrates important knowledge and skills. The tasks to which students are asked to respond on an assessment are not arbitrary. “ National Research Council. Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational assessment. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2001, p. 47.

9 Assessing for Learning Pedagogy/ Instructional Design Content Curricular Design Students’ Learning Styles and Histories Assessment Task Designed to Ascertain How Well Students Achieve Expected Outcome

10 Assumptions Underlying Teaching Actual Practices Assumptions Underlying Assessment Tasks Actual Tasks

11 Alignment of our Outcomes Institutional Outcomes Programmatic Outcomes Course Outcomes

12 When Do You Seek Evidence? Formative—along the way? For example, to ascertain progress or development Summative—at the end? For example, to ascertain mastery level of achievement

13 What Tasks Elicit Learning You Desire? Tasks that require students to select among possible answers (multiple choice test)? Tasks that require students to construct answers (students’ problem-solving and thinking abilities)?

14 What Are Outcome Statements? Outcome statements describe what students should know, understand, and be able to do based on how they have learned. They emerge from what we value and how we teach; that is, they emerge from our educational practices and are developed through consensus.

15 What’s at The Center of An Outcomes Statement? Active verbs, such as: create analyze construct apply

16 Example from ACRL: Literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge and value system. ONE OUTCOME: Student examines and compares information from various sources in order to evaluate validity, reliability, accuracy, timeliness, and point of view or bias.

17 Develop Rubrics to Assess Work: Levels of achievement Criteria that distinguish good work from poor work Descriptions of criteria at each level of achievement For example, mastery levels (novice to expert)

18 Evidence of Student Performance: Student work samples Collections of student work (e.g. Portfolios) Capstone projects Program-embedded cases/questions Observations of student behavior Internal juried review of student projects

19 External juried review of student projects Externally reviewed internship Performance on a case study/problem Performance on problem plus student analysis Team-based project

20 Essay tests blind scored across units Visual representations (graphs, charts, etc.) Locally developed tests Performance on national licensure examinations Standardized tests Pre-and post-tests

21 Interpret Results Seek patterns Build in institutional level and program level discourse Tell the story that explains the results-- triangulate

22 Determine what you wish to change, revise, or how you want to innovate Implement changes Assess to determine efficacy of changes Focus on collective effort—what we can do

23 “What and how students learn depends to a major extent on how they think they will be assessed.” John Biggs, Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What The Student Does. Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press, 1999, p. 141.