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Here are some questions we're hearing a lot...
If you still have questions, contact IAS by email or phone
4-3417.
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Where will my program get the resources to conduct assessment?
The Provost is committed to increasing funding for assessment.
In addition to funds given directly to schools, the University has purchased
WEAVE, an online information management system that will streamline organizing
and reporting assessment information. WEAVE has been fully operational
since the end of the spring semester 2006. In addition, IAS will design
training programs for graduate students, staff and faculty tasked with
conducting assessment, and closely support assessment activities when
programs are undergoing Program Review. Lastly, assessments should be
conducted in a manner that provides useful information and minimizes the
burden on faculty and students.
What's a program outcome? What's a learning
outcome?
Examples of program outcomes that are not learning outcomes are: graduation
rates, retention rates, publishing in top tier journals, alumni job placement,
etc.
Learning
outcomes are a type of program outcome: learning outcomes focus on the
skills, knowledge, and attitudes that students learn in your program.
What knowledge, skills or attitudes distinguish the graduates of your
program from other students? We ask that you identify 3-5 program outcomes,
two of which are learning outcomes. [To
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Why not use grades?
Course grades, although one source of information about student achievement,
are usually insufficient measures of program student learning outcomes.
Grades
- May not be useful in identifying particular areas of strength
or weakness
with respect to a program’s learning outcomes, e.g., the ability
to
construct well-supported, clearly articulated and sustained arguments.
- Can include factors not
directly related to a program’s learning
outcomes, such as class participation and general education outcomes,
e.g., writing
- Are approached differently by individual faculty members, whose
grading policies and practices vary.
In addition, program learning
outcomes often span multiple courses, and individual course syllabi
do not always align exactly
with the program’s
learning goals. [To
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Will
graduate students and faculty have to apply rubrics to all of our
grading from now on?
No. Assessment is focused on program learning
outcomes. Course learning outcomes
are assessed by faculty teaching the courses. Not all learning outcomes
can
or
should
be
assessed. [To
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How often do programs have to conduct assessments?
Assessments should
be ongoing and reporting how the results have been used to improve
programs will be included in annual reports and Program
Review reports (Program Review is currently on a 6-year cycle). The
Provost's office recommends staggering assessments of important program
outcomes; for example, collecting data one year and analyzing
and developing plans of action the next. There is no point to collecting
data that will not be used.
Will who have access to assessment plans? Will
they be made public?
Access to the plans will be restricted to those individuals identified
by Department Chairs, Program Directors, Deans and the Provost.
The plans will not be made public. They are intended for internal use.
Some plans will be used as examples of assessment
for
the
SACS review,
but
permission
will
be
obtained
prior
to their use. [To top of page]
What happens to the data we collect?
Assessment
data is not stored in the matrix or WEAVE, the online information management
system the University will be using in the future. Programs control access
to and use of the actual data. Results of the data analysis, should
be recorded in a program's assessment matrix, WEAVE, or equivalent, and
reported by programs in annual reports and during
the Program Review process. Primarily reviewers will want to see how the
data was used
for program
improvement, not the data itself. [To
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My program serves a large number of students.
How do I assess the learning outcomes of so many?
Sampling is acceptable and encouraged for large programs. Contact IAS
for appropriate sample sizes. Not all learning outcomes can or should
be assessed.
Assessments should be targeted to those outcomes identified by a program
as most important. Using samples of student work already being produced
and applying rubrics for grading a portion of an assignment used for assessment
can
reduce the burden on students and faculty. [To
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My program has only a few students. How
do I assess student learning outcomes?
Qualitative assessments can yield useful information for improving
your program. Rubrics can still be useful, but results
need not be quantitative from very small programs. Sometimes a discussion
among faculty in the program is sufficient. [To
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We use student opinion surveys. Can we use those
to assess learning outcomes?
Surveys can yield useful information for assessing how students perceived
what they learned, but they should be used to supplement direct measurement
of learning outcomes, such as an explicit review of exams or papers. For
more about direct and indirect methods of assessment, please see pages
10 and 11 of the Assessment Guide.
[To top of page]
What are the minimum requirements for what has
to go in the matrix?
For programs that do not have assessment plans currently in place, we
are recommending 3-5 program outcomes be identified, with at least 2 of
those being learning outcomes. For one of those learning outcomes, the
matrix should be filled in as completely as possible, including the assessment
method your program plans to use, standards to be applied, and how results
will be reviewed. Data not yet collected obviously cannot be interpreted.
What could be put into the fourth column (analysis/interpretation) is
who will tabulate and review the data. See the example of a completed
matrix on page 22 of the Assessment Guide.
[To top of page]
When are the first and second drafts of
the matrix due?
This date varies by school. Please see the timeline.
[To top of page]
Do we have to put our assessment
plan into the matrix format?
No. If you are already using a different format that works for your program,
please feel free to submit that. It should contain all of the information
requested
in the matrix. [To top of page]
We
have reviewed the curriculum within the last five years and created
new courses and/or changed existing courses as a result. Do you want
to know about that?
Yes. Going back at least five years, we would like to see
information on what assessments have been done, what the results showed,
and how the results were used. It is not necessary
to write a report or summarize this information. IAS will
summarize this important information to support the re-accreditation
application. [To
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Do
you want to know about other improvements to our program?
Yes. We would like to hear about any changes to enhance or
improve your program in the last five years, including those not related
to student learning. [To
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