Suggested Assessment Procedure
“Closing the Loop:” Ways Faculty Can Use Assessment to Manage Student Learning
There are several ways that departments and programs can organize assessment plans that assure that faculty are central to the assessment and management of student learning. It is suggested that each assessment plan have the following characteristics:
- Student learning objectives should be clearly stated. For example, if an program’s objective is to teach students to “reason clearly” using the subject knowledge of a discipline, then this should be made explicit in an assessment plan, and should be found in course syllabi in one form or another;
- Assessment(s) should directly measure student learning and should address each learning objective. Preferably, assessment(s) should directly assess student learning, meaning that actual student performance (samples of student work) should be evaluated on a periodic basis;
- Faculty should periodically review assessment(s) and discuss what such assessment(s) reveal about the quality of student learning in respect to each identified student learning objective;
- Faculty discussions should periodically lead to recommendations, be they “small” changes course syllabi, changes in curriculum, department or program-led initiatives to focus on certain subjects, teaching initiatives, etc.
- Assessment(s) should be reviewed after recommendations are put in action to address whether or not such recommendations made a difference in respect to
In order to organize an effective assessment plan, to demonstrate that assessment has enhanced student learning, and to generate a running record of assessment activity, it is recommended that a department or program organize a file containing the following components:
- A program and/or department’s assessment plan, which clearly identifies the following:
- Student learning objectives/aspirations;
- Assessment(s) that measure the quality of student learning in respect to each objective;
- A schedule of when faculty will discuss the quality of student learning, in respect to each objective/aspiration, in light of the assessment(s) used
- Summaries of the assessments used to measure student learning
- Faculty meeting minutes or other documentation indicating when the quality of student learning was discussed in light of assessments used, recommendations made, etc.
- Documentation that these faculty discussions and any recommendations made as a result led to initiatives, action, etc.
- Indications that the above process resulted in improvements in student learning, in light of the identified student learning objectives.
The provost’s web site has a number of PowerPoint presentations and other resources that can assist faculty, department chairs, undergraduate and graduate directors, and other interested parties in developing an assessment plan, developing and using assessments, applying an assessment plan to enhance student learning, etc. The web site also has a list of seminars that can be conducted, upon request by departments, programs, and groups of faculty. Interested parties are invited to contact Sean McKitrick at 777-2150 or at .