What is assessment?
Why are we doing
assessment?
What are the HLC
expectations? (PDF file)
Isn't this just teaching to the
test?
Aren't I already doing this?
What is it that we should be
assessing?
What should be in
my syllabus?
Why is the UW Colleges
collecting assessment data by student?
How will the institution be
using assessment results?
Assessment
Glossary
What is assessment?
Assessment is a systematic process of setting goals for or
asking questions about student learning, gathering evidence,
interpreting it, and using it to improve the effects of
college on students’ learning and development. The basic idea
of assessment is simple. You identify up front what your
expectations are for a satisfactory performance and you
communicate those expectation explicitly to students. You
then help the students discover the tools they need to meet
your expectations. Based on the results of their
performances you re-evaluate the process and make changes as
needed. This feedback loop continues repeating. However, the
goal remains the same: to help students perform at a
satisfactory level.
Back to top
Why are we doing
assessment?
We are doing this, in part,
to satisfy our accreditors, the Higher Learning
Commission. We are all busy and this will require some extra
effort. However, we all need to be aware that assessment is
not a distraction from teaching and it doesn't shift our
focus away from our students. A well-planned assessment
program should focus on the students, because that’s what a
good assessment program is all about.
It’s about students and measuring student learning
Back to top
Isn't this
just teaching to the test?
If what we’re testing is what’s most crucial
for student success, isn’t that exactly what we should be
teaching? "Teaching to the test" and "teaching for success"
are not the same thing. The goal of teaching is to help
students to master certain concepts, ideas, and skills, and
then determine (through testing) if they have mastered what
was expected. Remember, too, that we’re not measuring only
course content in our assessment program; rather we are
assessing larger educational outcomes
Back to top
Aren't I already doing
this?
Most of you are probably doing some form of
assessment in your classes. You know when your students are
succeeding, when they’re applying critical thinking and
communicating clearly. But how do you know? What are
they doing that’s demonstrating this to you? And how can you
then explain that to someone else? Not that anyone doubts
you but there are people out there who’d be interested in
our assessment results
besides the Higher Learning Commission. For example, the
students and/or their parents who are paying the tuition,
and foundations that may have grant money available might be
interested in our assessment results. Our slogan is “The
best start for the life you want.” Shouldn’t we have to give
some evidence that this is true? If a student got up in your
class and gave a speech whose main point was “The earth is
round because I just know it is” would that satisfy your
expectations? Not that we doubt his basic idea, but
shouldn’t he have to support his idea with something more
than opinion? We need to hold ourselves to this same
standard. By really committing to our assessment efforts we
can generate useful data that will demonstrate that our
students are actually learning what we say they will.
Back to top
What is it
that we should be assessing?
Our mission statement states that we provide
students with: “the
proficiencies and breadth of knowledge that prepare them for
baccalaureate and professional programs, for lifelong
learning, and for leadership, service, and responsible
citizenship.” The second goal then listed is: “To place
major emphasis on teaching excellence.” These are the issues
we need to focus on. Incorporating this kind of departmental
and institutional evaluation into what we do may feel like
extra work at first because we’re thinking about what we do
in a different way. However, once we get used to thinking
about the outcome we want our
students to achieve first it becomes a natural
part of what we do. Perhaps after that remembering to record
the results will also become habitual. And once we have
those results in hand it will be very easy to consider what
could be adjusted to make for a more successful learning
experience for our students the next time. Then we
start all over. Because remember, we’re doing this to
improve student learning and development, and that process
is ongoing and malleable and can always be fine-tuned.
Back to top
What should be in my
syllabus?
In accordance with
UW Colleges Senate Policy,
Institutional Curricular Policy #104
Course and Instructional Policies
our syllabi need to
reflect assessment activities in those courses where formal
assessment will take place. This is one means of informing
students that they will be participating in the UW Colleges
program. Below is one example of how you might do this.
The main components are to let:
·
students know that they will be formally
assessed on skills and learning objectives (discipline based
knowledge),
·
inform them of the specific performance
indicator of the proficiency, and
·
inform them that the assessment, while not a
grade that will go on a transcript, will be part of a class
graded event which will be part of their final grade.
Below is one
sample for a syllabus
Assessment is a UW Colleges-wide program
which evaluates the quality and effectiveness of the
curriculum, programs and services of the institution. As
part of this, selected student assignments or activities in
this course will be assessed for the following
[communication skill: read, observe, and listen with
comprehension and critical perception (or other selected
skill)]. The communication skill assessment will be part of
a regular homework or in-class assignment but the assessment
is not a “grade” and does not become part of your
transcript. Assessment evaluations are compiled and used
solely to evaluate teaching effectiveness.
In addition students in this course
will be assessed on their ability to [identify and
understand theoretical perspectives used to analyze,
evaluate and interpret societies and human behaviors (or
other discipline sepcific)], which the department has deemed
vital for all students taking a course in anthropology.
Back to top
Why is the UW Colleges collecting assessment data by
student?
The UW Colleges is collecting data by student
because by doing so the institution is responding directly
to concerns raised in the Higher Learning Commission’s
Evaluation Report. In the past, the UWC Office of Academic
Affairs has performed an institution-wide proficiency audit
to measure student exposure to each of the former 28
proficiencies. The process used to conduct this audit was
to link each student’s transcript to the proficiencies
taught in each course taken by the student, then aggregate
the results, and report them. The HLC acknowledged that the
UW Colleges was conducting these audits, but found fault
with the institution stating “the plan focuses on ‘exposing’
students to the 28 proficiencies rather than on students’
mastery of the proficiencies.” (HLC site visit
report—Assessment of Student Academic Achievement, finding
#7). By collecting assessment results by student, the UW
Colleges will be able to address this finding. Beginning
this fall, we will be extending our proficiency audits to
include mastery of the proficiencies (now “performance
indicators”). We believe this is the most efficient and
effective way to address this finding.
The HLC report also found that our “analysis
of results is limited and does not address multiple factors
such as students high school quartile, entrance verbal and
quantitative skills, or grades in prerequisite courses” (HLC
site visit report – Assessment of Student Academic
Achievement, finding #9). By collecting assessment results
by student, we will be able to address these concerns and
address the underlying reasons for this comment. By
collecting assessment data by student, we will know about a
student’s academic experiences and preparation prior to
taking any course. We will then be able to link that
information to the results of a student’s assessment.
Consequently, we can better understand what changes in
teaching or curriculum might be effective in improving
student learning in the future. Without assessing and
reporting results by student, it would be very difficult to
understand variances in the assessment results and to
respond appropriately to these variances
Back to top
How
will the institution be using the results?
The Office of Academic Affairs will use the
results in the following way. Any uses beyond those
described below will need to be approved by the Senate
Assessment Committee. All results will be used for internal
purposes only.
-
Summary of assessment results by
department, course, and class. This report would be used
to inform changes in teaching and curriculum. These
summaries would be reported to the department assessment
coordinators and the Senate Assessment Committee.
The Office of Academic Affairs will also be reporting
assessment results by division to the campuses for
discussion and analysis.
-
Summary of assessment results by division
and across departments. These reports would help the
department assessment coordinators and the Senate
Assessment Committee better understand how the
Colleges-wide rubrics are being applied and to see where
rubrics may need to be revised to account for
discipline-specific variations.
-
Summarized comparisons of assessment
results to final grades, high school quartile, composite
math and verbal ACT scores, and number of credits earned
prior to fall 2003. These reports will add more depth
to the analysis of assessment data and will provide
insight into variations in student assessment results
across the institution
Ways in which the UW Colleges will NOT use
the results:
-
The Office of Academic Affairs has no
plans to include assessment results on any future
version of the student transcript. Any change to the
student transcript would need to go to the Senate for
review and approval.
-
The Office of Institutional Research will
not report any findings by student, nor use any
student’s name or identifier in any report.
-
The Senate is currently investigating
ways in which assessment "fits into" policies and
procedures of the institution. It has never been an
intention to use student performance on assessment
instruments to determine faculty/IAS merit. The Senate
may decide that participation in assessment activities
should be counted as part of teaching in merit but not
the results of that assessment.
Back to top
UW Colleges Assessment Glossary
Institutional Level Assessment
Proficiencies are
the skills that we expect out graduates to have
developed and use by the time they graduate from the
institution. For example, the UW Colleges currently have
four proficiencies: analytical, quantitative,
communication, and aesthetic.
Performance indicators
are the specific means to measure whether or
not a student has developed the skill. That is, they are
evidence that we gather to illustrate a student’s
mastery of a particular proficiency.
Rubrics are
assessment instruments that describe the varying levels of
skill performance (exceeds, meets, or fails to meet
expectations) required to measure individual level of
success.
Tools are the
specific assignments given where students can demonstrate
their skills. The tool created should measure the various
levels of skill detailed in the rubric used.
Department
and discipline level assessment
Learning objectives or outcomes
are knowledge based information a department hopes
the student will acquire based on their participation in a
class.
Rubrics are
assessment instruments that describe the varying levels of
skill performance (exceeds, meets, or fails to meet
expectations) required to measure individual level of
success.
Tools are the
specific assignments given where students can demonstrate
their skills. The tool created should measure the various
levels of skill detailed in the rubric used.
Back to top
