Assessment of Student Learning

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Assessment of Student Learning

• Faculty In-service
• June 5, 2006

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Goals for the morning

• To gain familiarity with the available national
  data
• To consider how we are doing on our learning
  objectives

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Surveying our Students

• Three surveys conducted by HERI
• Cooperative Institutional Research Project (CIRP)
• Annual project began in 1966
• Nations longest and oldest empirical study of
  higher ed.
• This past year surveyed 263,710 college freshman
  at 385 institutions.
• College Student Survey (CSS)
• Annual survey
• This past year surveyed 30,250 graduating
  students from 116 institutions
• Mirrors CIRP on many items
• Provides the opportunity to do longitudinal work.
• Faculty
• Conducted every three years starting in 1989
• 421 institutions participated in 2004 for a total
  of 41,000 faculty.
• Focuses more on faculty and less on student
  learning

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Surveying our Students, cont.

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Began in 1999
• 348,000 students, 437 institutions (2003)
• Participation cycle every four years
• Randomly selected sample
• Response rate 58
• Uses student engagement as a proxy for learning
• Focuses on student behavior and effective
  educational practices that result in desired
  outcomes from college.
• Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE)
• Began in 2003-04 we participated total of
  14,000 faculty
• We will participate next year to be in sync with
  NSSE
• Measures faculty expectations for student
  engagement
• Importance faculty place on various aspects of
  learning

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Surveying our Students, cont.

• Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)
• Developed by CAE and RAND
• We participated in the trial run
• Institution is the unit of analysis
• Looks at critical thinking, analytic reasoning
  and written communication
• First assessment tool to measure learning
• Most referenced instrument when higher ed.
  discusses mandatory assessment
• Hardwick Day
• 35 year retrospective alumni survey
• Conducted Fall 2005
• For this presentation focuses on graduates since
  1990

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In honor of assessment, a quiz will be part of
the mornings activities
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Question 1

• Which do faculty believe is a more important goal
  for an undergraduate education
• Instill a basic appreciation for the liberal arts
• Master disciplinary knowledge

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Demonstrate knowledge in disciplinary field as
articulated by the departments.

• Will you/do you intend to do a research project
  with a faculty member outside of coursework..
• Seniors 23 Freshman 30
• To what extent do you structure your courses so
  that students acquire job or work related
  knowledge and skills.
• Faculty 55, Quite a bit/Very Much
• To what extent has your education contributed to
  acquiring job or work related knowledge or
  skills
• Seniors 72, Quite a bit/Very Much
• Did your major play an important role in being
  accepted into grad school or finding your first
  job
• 74 of alumni say Yes

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Integrate liberal arts and disciplinary knowledge

• How often do you put together ideas/concepts from
  different courses when completing assignments or
  during class discussion
• Seniors 60 Freshman 46, Quite a
  bit/Very much
• How important is it that your students put
  together ideas/concepts from different classes.
• Faculty 56, Important/very important
• Faculty believe an important/essential goal for
  undergraduate education is.
• Master disciplinary knowledge99
• Instill basic appreciation for the liberal
  arts67

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Question 2

• Input data was used to predict how students would
  perform on a task of critical thinking. How
  would you expect our freshman students, tested at
  the end of their first year, to rank?
• Out perform expectations
• Perform about average
• Perform below expectations

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Apply knowledge, inquiry, and critical thinking
skills in problem solving

• To what extent has your education contributed to
  thinking critically and analytically
• Seniors 81 Freshman 86, Quite a
  bit/Very much
• To what extent do you structure your courses so
  students think critically and analytically.
  Faculty 96, Quite a bit/very much
• To what extent has your education contributed to
  skills to solve complex real-world problems
• Seniors 54 Freshman 46, Quite a bit/Very
  much
• To what extent do you structure your courses so
  students learn to solve complex real world
  problems . . .
• Faculty 63, Quite a bit/very much
• The CLA indicates our students outperform
  expectations on a task of critical thinking.

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Question 3

• Among freshman, what percentage believe it is
  important to keep up on global affairs?
• 20
• 40
• 60

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Demonstrate a global perspective

• Compared to when you started college, your
  understanding of global issues is . . .
• Seniors 27, much stronger
• To what extent is it important to improve your
  understanding of other countries and cultures . .
  .
• Freshman 67, Agree/strongly agree
• To what extent is it important to keep up on
  global affairs . . .
• Freshman 40, Agree/strongly agree
• To what extent should racial/ethnic diversity be
  more strongly reflected in the curriculum . . .
• Faculty 76, Agree/strongly agree

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Question 4

• Freshman and seniors were asked how often they
  prepared 2 or more drafts of a paper before
  turning the assignment in. Do you think it is .
  . .
• a. 35 b. 50 c. 75
• What percentage of faculty believe it is
  important or very important to prepare two or
  more drafts of a paper before turning it in?
• a. 35 b. 50 c. 75

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Communicate effectively

• To what extent has your education contributed to
  the development of speaking clearly and
  effectively
• Seniors 65 Freshman 54
• To what extent do you structure your course so
  students learn to speak clearly and effectively
• Faculty 43, Quite a bit/Very much
• In your experience how often have you prepared
  two () drafts of an assignment . . .
• Seniors 34 Freshman 34, Often/very often
• How important is it that students prepare two ()
  drafts of an assignment . . .
• Faculty 50, Very important/important

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Question 5

• Freshman and seniors were asked to what extent
  their education contributed to their ability to
  work effectively with others. Was it . . .
• a. 30 b. 50 c. 70
• What percentage of faculty structure their
  classes so that students learn/develop working
  effectively with others?
• a. 40 b. 60 c. 80

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Demonstrate interpersonal skills necessary for
effective personal and professional relationships

• Compared to when you started college, your
  interpersonal skills are. . .
• Seniors 34, Stronger/much stronger
• To what extent has your education contributed to
  your ability to work effectively with others. . .
  .
• Seniors 73 Freshman 70, Quite a
  bit/very much
• To what extent do you structure your classes so
  that students learn/develop working effectively
  with others . . . .
• Faculty 58, Quite a bit/very much
• Was your college effective at helping you work as
  part of a team . . .
• Alumni 75 say yes

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Question 6

• Among seniors, what percentage believe their
  education at Seattle Pacific contributed to their
  understanding of people of other racial and
  ethnic backgrounds?
• 35
• 50
• 75

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Engage with diverse others

• Indicate the importance to you personally to help
  promote racial understanding
• Seniors 40 Freshman 26,
  Important/very important
• To what extent does your institution encourage
  contact among students from different
  backgrounds
• Seniors 35 Freshman 47, Quite a bit/very
  much
• To what extent do you structure your class so
  students learn and develop an understanding of
  people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
  Faculty 35, Quite a bit/very much
• To what extent has your SPU education contributed
  to your understanding of other racial and ethnic
  backgrounds
• Seniors 34 Freshman 47, Quite a bit/very
  much
• How effective was your college experience in
  helping you develop skills that enabled you to
  relate to people of different backgrounds
• Alumni 59

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Question 7

• What percentage of our recent alumni (since 1990)
  believe their SPU education helped them integrate
  their faith with other aspects of life?
• 30
• 50
• 70

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Reflect upon ideas and actions through the lens
of Christian faith and ethics

• To what extent has your education helped you
  develop a personal code of values and ethics . .
  . .
• Seniors 72 Freshman 77, Quite a bit/very
  much
• To what extent do you structure your courses so
  that students develop a personal code of values
  and ethics . . . .
• Faculty 54, Quite a bit/Very much
• Do you agree that your college helped you
  integrate your faith with other aspects of your
  life?
• Alumni 50 say Yes
• Is it important for you to be free to consider
  the moral and ethical side of decisions your make
  . . . .
• Alumni 76, agree

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Question 8

• To what extent has your SPU education contributed
  to your knowledge, skills and personal
  development with regards to voting in local,
  state or national elections (asked of seniors)?
• 10
• 20
• 30

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Balance interests of self, others and the
community in pursuit of the common good

• Your college encouraged you to engage the culture
  in order to make a difference in society . .
• Alumni 77, agree
• It is important to you to influence the political
  structure . . . .
• Seniors 22 Freshman 15, Important/very
  important
• To what extend has your education contributed to
  your knowledge and skills in voting in local,
  state, or national elections . . . .
• Seniors 11 Freshman 13, Quite a bit/very
  much
• Your college was effective was in developing your
  awareness of world events . . . .
• Alumni 58, agree

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Conclusion

• Consider each of these learning objectives. On
  which ones are we doing well?
• For which learning objectives do we see the
  greatest area for improvement?