Download - Student Learning Assessment
1
Student Learning Assessment
Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding & improving student
learning
Formative Assessment – Ongoing feedback for thepurpose of improving learningand student performance
Summative Assessment – Culminating evaluation ofStudent performance against aSet of predetermined standards
Content-based Assessment – The testing of a student’sunderstanding of a predeterminedbody of knowledge
Outcomes-based Assessment – The testing of a student’s ability to useknowledge and skills to create acomplex and multifaceted product or by completing a complex task
2
How might we do assessment?
Possible Units of Analysis
Institution
College
Program
Course
Individual student
Possible Targets
Institution-wide learning outcomes
College-wide goals
Program goals
Course goals
Student goals
3
Working ideas of how to assess Institution level
Program level
Course level
Individual level
NSSE Benchmarks
Program-wide Learning Outcomes & Maps
Project or Synthesis ExerciseCourse student evaluationsFaculty e-portfolio
Student e-portfolio
5
Program Overview
What do you know about college student engagement?
What is NSSE?
NSSE 2005
University of Idaho data
Using NSSE data
Questions and discussion
6
What Really Matters in College Student Engagement
The research is unequivocal-
Impact of college is largely determined by individual effort.
Students are not passive recipients of institutional efforts to “educate” or “change” them.
Important to focus on ways in which an institution can shape its academic, interpersonal, and extracurricular offerings to encourage student engagement.
Pascarella & Terenzini. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research
7
What is NSSE?(pronounced “nessie”)
Evaluates the extent to which first-year and senior students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development
Supported by grants from Lumina Foundation for Education and the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College
Co-sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning
8
Why A National Survey?
Refocus conversations about undergraduate quality to what matters most
Enhance institutional improvement efforts
Foster comparative and consortium activity
Inform accountability
Provide systematic national data on “good educational practices”
9
Effective Educational Practices
Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Cooperation among
students Respect for diverse talents
and ways of learning
Chickering and Gamson. (1987). Seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education.
10
NSSE Project Scope
Almost 1000 different colleges and universities
50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada
Data from more than 880,000 students
Institutions include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and all female and all male colleges
Year Colleges/
Universities
2001 321
2002 366
2003 437
2004 473
2005 529
11
Use and Validity of Self-Reports
Validity of Self-Reporting Improves When…
Requested information is known to respondents
Questions are clear and unambiguous
Respondents take questions seriously and thoughtfully
Answering does not threaten, embarrass, or violate privacy or compel a socially desirable response
National assessment experts designed the NSSE survey, The College Student Report,
to meet these conditions
12
What Does The College Student Report
Cover?Student Behaviors in CollegeStudent Behaviors in College
Institutional Actions And RequirementsInstitutional Actions And Requirements
Student Reactions to CollegeStudent Reactions to College
Student BackgroundInformation
Student BackgroundInformation
Student Learning & Development
13
Survey Administration
Administered to random sample of first-year & senior students
Paper & Web-based survey
Flexible to accommodate consortium questions
Multiple follow-ups to increase response rates
14
NSSE 2005 Institutionsby Carnegie Classification
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Doc/Res-Ext Doc/Res-Int Master's Bac-LA Bac-Gen
Carnegie Classification
% o
f s
ch
oo
ls All 4-YearSchools
NSSESchools
15
NSSE 2005 RespondentsRace and Ethnicity
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
AfricanAmerican,
Black
AmericanIndian
AsianAmerican,
PacificIslander
White,Caucasian
Hispanic
NSSE Repondents UI
Percentage of
Respondents
16
NSSE 2005 Response Rates
University of Idaho’s response rate = 44%
39% overall for all NSSE 2005 institutions
35% for Paper mode institutions
42% for Web-only institutions
39% for Web+ institutions
Response rates ranged from 9% to 89%
17
External Campus Uses
Assess status vis-à-vis peers, competitors
Identify, develop, market distinctive competencies
Encourage collaboration in consortia (e.g., state-wide NSSE conference)
Provide evidence of accountability for good processes (while awaiting improvement in outcomes)
PublicAccountability
FundRaising
GoverningBoards
ProspectiveStudents
Alumni
StatePolicy
MakersPerformanceIndicators
Focus on Right Things
AccreditingBodies
Media
Parents
18
Internal Campus Uses
Gauge status of campus priorities
Examine changes in student engagement between first and senior years
Assess campus progressover time
Encourage dialogue aboutgood practice
Link with other data to test hypotheses, evaluateprograms
Improve curricula, instruction, services
InstitutionalImprovement
LearningCommunitie
s1ST Year
and Senior
ExperienceAcademicAffair
LearningAssessment
FacultyDevelopment
AcademicAdvising
PeerComparison
StudentAffair
InstitutionalResearch
EnrollmentManagement
19
Using NSSE Data
Discover current levels of engagement (institution, major field, year in school)
Determine if current levels are satisfactory (criterion reference, normative, or peer comparison)
Target areas for improvement
Modify programs and policies accordingly
Teach students what is required to succeed
Monitor student & institutional performance
Areas of Effective
EducationalPractice
Areas for InstitutionalImprovement
20
NSSE Benchmarks of Effective Practice
Level of Academic Challenge
Active and Collaborative Learning
Student-Faculty Interaction
Enriching Educational Experiences
Supportive Campus Environment
21
University of Idaho
Benchmark description and survey items
Comparison of UI to selected peers
Comparison of UI to all NSSE schools
First-Year to Senior comparison
What does it mean for us?