1. How to Assess Students at the Course and Program Level
Rubric
How to Assess Students at the Course and Program Level
Seema C. Shah-Fairbank, P.E., PhD
Director of Assessment and Program Review, Division of Academic Affairs
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
Sarah M. Hershman
Research Technician

2. Learning Objective During Workshop Identify artifacts for assessment
Rubric
Learning Objective
During Workshop
Identify artifacts for assessment
Identify assessment tools to evaluate artifacts
Analyze assessment artifacts
Introduction to strategies to close the loop
Seema

3. Why Do We Assess? Improve our operations
Ensure that students are learning the outcomes, not just the content
Inform others of the contributions and impact of our program/unit
Demonstrate what we are accomplishing for our students, faculty, staff, and community
Support the university/college/department strategic plan and accountability activities

4. Learning Outcomes
Program Level – Student Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
Student learning outcomes clearly state the specific and measureable behaviors students will display to verify learning has occurred at the program level.
Key characteristics of student learning outcomes include 1) clarity, 2) specificity, (this means they are worded with active verbs stating observable behaviors) and, 3) measurability.
CLOs clearly relate to topics, assignments, and exams that are covered in the present course.
CLOs should be measurable and map to SLOs for assessment.
CLOs are more detailed and specific, they identify the unique knowledge and skills expected to be gained from a given course.
Use action verbs aligned with Blooms Taxonomy at the cognitive levels (levels 4, 5, and 6) especially for graduate programs
Observable, measurable and able to be demonstrated!
Consider what you want your students to be able to do near or at graduation.
By completed or participated in a program/activity/project.
Develop specifically for students in your program/activity/project.
Foundation from assessing the teaching and learning process.
Curriculum Matrix

5. Artifacts for Assessment of Student Learning
Rubric
Artifacts for Assessment of Student Learning
Artifacts/ Assignment
Exam
Embedded Questions within Courses
Standardize Exams
Program Level Exam
Presentation: Oral/Poster
Observations
Written Assignment
Project/Report/Thesis/Capstone
Essay
Reflection/Journals
Portfolio
Art Pieces/Performances
Resumes
Marisol

6. Type of Learning – Learning Outcomes What Is Required from Students
Rubric
Type of Learning – Learning Outcomes
What Is Required from Students
Assessment Artifacts/Assignments
Think critically and making judgements
Development of arguments, reflection, judgment, evaluation
Essay, Report, Book review, Literature Review
Solving problems/making plans
Identify problems, define problems, analyze data, review, design experiments, plan, apply information
Problem scenario; Work-based problem; Case Study Analysis; Conference paper
Performing procedures/demonstrating techniques
Take readings, use equipment, follow laboratory procedures, follow protocols, carry out instructions
Demonstration; Role Play; Write script and produce a video); Produce a poster; Lab report
Managing and developing oneself
Work co-operatively and independently, be self-directed, manage time, manage tasks 
Learning journal; Portfolio; Self-evaluation; Peer assessment 
Designing, creating, performing
Design, create, perform, produce, etc.
Design project; Portfolio; Presentation; Performance 
Assessing and managing information
Information search and retrieval, investigate, interpret, review information
Annotated bibliographies; Use of bibliographic software; Library research assignment; Data based project; Report; Essay
Communication
Written, oral, visual, and technical skills 
Written presentation; Oral presentation; Discussions /Debates/Role plays
It is vital to link the assessment methods to learning outcomes.  It is useful to think about the abilities or graduate attributes that you would like your students to demonstrate.  Assessment rubrics assist in making the assessment expectations transparent.  One over-arching UCD rubric is the UCD Level Descriptors.  For more on assessment rubrics, see Designing Grading and Assessment Rubrics.

7. Assessment Tools

8. Why Make A Rubric? Supports Learning Feedback
Contains Scoring Criteria
Communicates Expectation
Assessing Student Work
Achievement Level
Supports Learning
Feedback
Marisol…This slide might be redundant.
Consistent, Efficient & Objective
Directions on What Is Good
Demonstrates Ways to Improve
Plan Activities Accordingly

9. Rubric
Rubrics

10. Example of a Course Rubric – Assessment and Grading
Seema

11. Rubric
Example from a Course:
Seema
M = 86.39, SD = 6.54, Range = 20.5

12. Recommendation - Strategies
Rubric
Recommendation - Strategies
Combine Assessment and Grading
Levels of Achievement
Assessment may only look at a few criteria
Avoid Reinventing - Search for Existing Rubrics
Available online
Available from colleagues on campus
Available from off-campus colleagues
Modify existing rubrics to serve your needs
Faculty and Student Affairs professionals working together to assess student learning

13. Exam Design Align questions to learning outcomes
How many questions/items?
As many as you need - Capture student learning
Think about the time (student(s) may need 3x as long)
Instructions
Group items by test type
How to record answers
Whether or not to show work
Point values for each item
Neatness
Rule of Thumb
Don’t let one early incorrect answer repeatedly penalize a student
Alternative: tell students to assume specific answer to prior item
Student’s capacity is a limited resource

14. Assessment
Align exams and problems that students performed on to CLO or SLO
Grade/Assess if the students have met the learning
Set a criterion for success – 75% of students will get each item correct
Determine percent-correct for each item
Exam Questions
Alignment to SLO
Alignment to CLO
# Student
Correct
Incorrect 1
SLO 1
CLO 2 10 20 2
SLO 4
CLO 4 3
CLO 5 30 4 18 12 5 15 6 16 14 7 26 8 24 9 17 13
Curriculum Matrix

15. Evaluation of Results CLO 2 48% CLO 4 64% CLO 5 89% SLO 1 48% SLO 4
Course Level - CLOs
Program Level - SLOs
CLO 2
48%
CLO 4
64%
CLO 5
89%
SLO 1
48%
SLO 4
77%

16. Evaluate Results – Close the Loop
Was the item/assignment written clearly
Are there changes that need to be made within this course or a prior course
Are there curricular changes needed at the program level
Are there different pedogeological methods to teach the material

17. Assessment at Program Level Curriculum Matrix

18. Workload
Too much assessment may lead to superficial approaches to learning (surface learning).
Consider your assessment tasks as part of the overall assessment workload for the student (students are doing several modules, not just your own module).
Use both formative and summative assessment, combined in continuous assessment to assess student learning. Formative assessment involves giving feedback during the module so that students can continuously develop and improve. Summative assessment sums up achievement.
Too much assessment may impede providing constructive and timely feedback to students.

19. Questions – Comments - Practice
Rubric
Questions – Comments - Practice
All of us
Seema C. Shah-Fairbank, P.E., PhD
Marisol Cardenas

20. Rubric
Resources
review/assessment-student-learning/rubrics.shtml
dcastrubric.html