Mature Assessment Processes

1
Mature Assessment Processes

• David L. Soldan
• Kansas State University
• United States Naval Academy
• March 2007

2
Who are we assessing?

• ABET requires assessment of programs, not
  students.
• Student attainment of outcomes is an indication
  of program quality.

3
What is required?

• an assessment process, with documented results,
  that demonstrates that these program outcomes are
  being measured

4
How do we assess?

• Direct measures -- provide for the direct
  examination or observation of student knowledge
  or skills against measurable learning objectives
• Indirect measures -- ascertain the opinion or
  self-report of the extent or value of learning
  experiences.

5
Validity of assessment?

• Relevance -- measures the outcome as directly as
  possible
• Accuracy -- measures the outcome as precisely as
  possible
• Utility -- provides results with clear
  implications for program improvement