Program Assessment: What Difference Does it Make? Ross Miller, AAC&U

Essential Learning Outcomes – Four Broad Area Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World Intellectual and Practical Skills Personal and Social Responsibility Integrative Learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies

Essential Learning Outcomes – specifics Intellectual and Practical Skills... Inquiry and analysis Critical and creative thinking Written and oral communication Quantitative literacy Information literacy Teamwork and problem solving

Essential Learning Outcomes – ambitious Personal and Social Responsibility… Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global Intercultural knowledge and competence Ethical reasoning and action Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Essential Learning Outcomes – still being defined, different across depts. Integrative Learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies Example: In the Integrative Learning Project campuses, 10 local approaches to Integrative Learning

High-Impact Practices and curricular arrangements First-Year Seminars and Experiences Common Intellectual Experiences *Learning Communities Writing-Intensive Courses *Collaborative Assignments and Projects (Kuh, pub. AAC&U) *Undergraduate Research Diversity/Global Learning *Service Learning, Community-Based Learning *Internships *Capstone Courses and Projects

Researched practices with large effect sizes Reinforcement (feedback), formative assessment Self-assessment Metacognition Mastery learning – differential impact – all improve, differences reduced Bransford – How People Learn Gardiner – Redesigning Higher Education

Central points to ponder… Plan so that you get good assessment results! Don’t wait for program assessment results to work on improvement – research can guide choices Student work is the foundation of program assessment Data from classroom assessments can be aggregated for other levels

Keep program assessment linked to learning cycle Best evidence from course-embedded work Learn to assess individuals well Map your program so that you can identify gaps and… Choose program-significant evidence wisely (Our Students’ Best Work)

Course-embedded assessment Logical to use student work as basis for program assessment (probably valid, can be reliable) Efficient (use what you already do) The lowly assignment: makes all the difference! Collecting work and reflecting on it

The time is right for eportfolios… Higher levels of learning for all students… Sophisticated outcomes developed over time, across departments Monitor student learning over time Qualitative assessment of what is really important Reflection (metacognition) leverages assignments Rubrics being developed (AAC&U VALUE project)

A musical detour: a special plea for student self-assessment Young trombone players – even when they start well, they may have a crisis Competing concepts – music shows higher pitch, arm/slide convey lower pitch Need to connect notation to slide AND direction of sound change AND physical effort Without self-assessment, melody fails, students quit

Purpose of Program Assessment… #1. Improve student learning How best to make that difference? How quickly, how often should program improvements get back to students? A focus on the program requires a focus on assignments

Choices that make a difference… Communicate goals, hold high expectations Create sufficient opportunities to learn Work at the top of the cognitive domain Motivate and excite student through engaging practices Support student learning with regular feedback

The final frontier – cooperation Cooperate within and across departments Find out what students learn before and after you have them Tell others what you teach Consider the Alverno model…department and “ability” appointments

Love of Learning… and assessment!