Transcript Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes: What Can the Graduate

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:
What will students be able to know, do,
and think when they graduate?
Presented by
Horace D. (“H.D.”) Stearman, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Effectiveness
Assessment Is Not Optional


In response to increasing public demands for accountability in higher
education, regional accreditors have set out explicit expectations for
institutions to measure student achievement (assessment) and to use that
information for improvement (institutional effectiveness)
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities prescribes in
Standard 1.B of its Accreditation Handbook that “[t]he institution engages
in ongoing planning to achieve its goals. It also evaluates how well, and in
what ways, it is accomplishing its mission and goals and uses the results for
broad-based, continuous planning and evaluation. Through its planning
process, the institution asks questions, seeks answers, analyzes itself, and
revises its goals, policies, procedures, and resource allocation.”
Assessment Is Continuous Quality Improvement

It is a formative evaluation process

It is continuous

It is focused on improvement of student learning
Levels of Assessment

Classroom Assessment
Assessment of individual students’ performance at the course level

Course Assessment
Assessment of how well a course is contributing to student learning outcomes for the program

Program Assessment
Assessment of how well an academic program is meeting its student learning outcomes

Institutional Assessment
Assessment of campus-wide issues or programs
Effective Program Assessment Should Answer
These Questions

What are you trying to accomplish?

How well are you doing it?


Using the answers to the first two questions, how can you improve what
you’re doing?
How can student learning be improved?
Seven Steps to Successful Assessment

1) Define student learning outcomes

2) Create curriculum map

3) Develop relevant measures of learning

4) Conduct measures of learning

5) Analyze results

6) Determine actions for improvement

7) Follow-up to see if improvement occurs
Design Assessment to “Close the Loop”

Develop assessment plan and measures for future period
(Plan)

Collect data in current period and analyze to produce findings
(Do)

Use findings to determine what needs to be improved
(Study)

Make changes and measure the effects in a future period
(Act)
Cardinal Rules of Student Learning Outcomes


A student learning outcome must contain a verb that describes an
observable or identifiable action
A student learning outcome must focus on the student as a performer:
What is the student expected to be able to know, do, or think?

A student learning outcome does not use words like know, understand,
value, appreciate, or learn because they don’t lend themselves to objective
measurement
Concrete Outcome Verbs
analyze, compute, classify, compare, contrast, define, direct, derive,
designate, discuss, display, evaluate, identify, infer, integrate, interpret
justify, list, organize, report, respond, solicit, state, synthesize, name
Verbs from Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy






Remembering
define, describe, list, reproduce, enumerate
Understanding
classify, explain, discuss, give example, summarize
Applying
determine, develop, compute, chart, utilize
Analyzing
correlate, diagram, distinguish, outline, infer
Evaluating
compare & contrast, critique, justify, conclude
Creating
adapt, combine, compare, contrast, design, generate
Creating Program Learning Outcomes
Top-down Approach
Start with phrases related to expectations: communication, problem-solving, critical
thinking/inquiry guided, entrepreneurship, ethics…
Construct program learning outcomes that depict your expectations related to these ideas.
Bottom-up Approach
Start with course objectives.
Group related course objectives together.
For each group of related course objectives, construct one or more program learning outcomes
that depict your expectations related to this group.
Our Charge from NWCCU On-Site Team
October 3, 2008
The Committee recommends that Rocky Mountain University of Health
Professions (RMUoHP) thoughtfully execute its newly developed strategic
plan and assessment system with ongoing attention to provision of
adequate resources to maintain and develop quality programs.
(Standards 1.B.2, 1.B.4, 1.B.5, 1.B.6, 1.B.7, 1.B.8, 1.B.9)