The Role of Assessment in the Teaching and Learning Process

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The Role of Assessment in the Teaching and
Learning Process

• What are the benefits?

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Assessment Goal

• Assessment is a rich conversation about
• student learning informed by data.
• Ted Marchese
• The ultimate reward from assessment occurs when
• faculty use assessment evidence to improve their
• programs.
• Catherine Palomba

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Assessment at its best!

• We design instructional strategies to assist
  students to learn.
• We assess the results.
• Based on those results, we try something new and
  different and see those results --- that is the
  real goal of assessment to show us where
  students are doing well and not doing well so we
  can made adjustments that help students succeed.

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The REAL Bottom Line in Assessment

• We CARE about student success!!!!

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Gaining the benefits of assessment requires a
solid foundation.

• You must begin at the end by asking the
  questions
• What is it that I want students to be able to
  do when they exit my course?
• (These should be your student learning outcomes
  for the course)
• AND

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More foundation

• How will I know what students know/can do?
• (This is the essential assessment question.)
• Look inside the course to identify core
  elements that can be assessed.
• Decide on the best form of assessment and design
  an embedded assessment tool.

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Data Collection Keep it simple!

• Identify particular questions/activities/assignmen
  ts that will be used for assessment.
• Use rubrics, grading sheets, etc. so you have a
  record (and so expectations are clear to
  students).
• Know your benchmarks be realistic - what is
  success?
• Think ahead to what you will need to do with the
  data you collect will it answer the questions
  that need answering?

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Analyzing the data

• To aggregate or not?
• Overall question Was the benchmark attained?
• Breakdown Look at the percentage who exceeded,
  met, approached, or did not meet the benchmark
  (SUNY categories other standards are useful
  too).
• Ex. From SUNY Information Management
  Understand and use basic research techniques
  44-17-30-9 n222

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Drilling down what else?

• Key analysis question Where are students doing
  well and where are students having problems?
• Analyze the sub-sections of your assessment
  tool.
• Ex. On the SOC 101 grading sheet, the benchmark
  was met but students consistently did poorly on
  the Review of the Literature.

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What then?

• Review your tool --- are the directions clear, is
  it a valid measure of what you want to measure,
  are the questions well-formulated?
• Review your use of class time --- are you
  providing enough assistance/time to help students
  succeed on this task?
• Review your instructional strategies---are there
  different ways to teach the material?
• Recognize factors that affect student
  success---are there some beyond your control?
• Make changes and assess again---it is a process!

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Where does this fit in the big picture?

• Course-level assessment is linked to
  program-level assessment ---- every student
  learning outcome (course level) should link to at
  least one program outcome (What are we saying a
  graduate of the program can do when s/he receives
  his or her degree? These are program-specific
  outcomes). So, course-level assessment documents
  program goal/outcome attainment.

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More of the big picture

• Institutional-level outcomes/competencies (What
  do we say that ALL graduates can do when they
  receive their degree?). Course level assessment
  should link to program outcomes which should link
  to college-wide outcomes --- so it is a
  comprehensive package --- and the base is
  course-level assessment --- the action is in our
  classrooms!!!

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And, the even bigger picture

• SUNY --- General Education assessment, Assessment
  of the Major/Program, and Strengthened
  Campus-based Assessment.
• Middle States --- Comprehensive Assessment Plan,
  incorporating all three levels of assessment
  documented evidence that assessment has had
  impact on the teaching and learning process an
  assessment of the assessment process.

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So, what were those benefits??

• Shift from a teacher-centered classroom to a
  student-centered/learning-centered classroom.
• Discussions with colleagues about the teaching
  and learning process.
• Collaboration on what works and what needs to be
  changed.
• Clearer knowledge of what underlies our teaching.
• Better understanding of the linkages between what
  is done in the classroom and the big picture.

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A Final Quote

• Without dialogue, assessment is an empty and
• intellectually unfulfilling mechanical process
  removed
• from the profession of teaching and the process
  of
• learning. However, with dialogue raising
  questions,
• seeking answers, interpreting evidence,
  implementing
• changes, and examining their effects assessment
• becomes integral to our work. Internally driven
• assessment engages us in improving our students
• learning.
• Peggy Maki

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For more information

• Ruth E. Andes, Ph.D.
• Genesee Community College
• College Road
• Batavia, NY 14020
• [phone], Ext. 6308
• reandes_at_genesee.edu