Organizing for General Education Assessment

Linda Suskie, Vice PresidentMiddle States Commission on Higher Education

3624 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104Web: www.msche.org E-mail: LSuskie@msche.org

MSCHE Student Learning Assessment Institute

September 2009

Big Questions

• Topics to be covered today– Middle States expectations– Organizing for Gen Ed assessment

• Topics beyond the scope of this institute– Articulating student learning goals– Assessment toolbox

More Big Questions

• Using what was learned to move to the next level– How can I apply this to my freshman

seminar course?– How do you develop rubrics for

outcomes like leadership?

More Big Questions

• Topics we addressed yesterday

– Course-program-institution assessment

– Getting colleagues on board with assessment

Value Innovation

• Value, respect, & reward efforts to improve teaching.

• Regard assessment results as evidence of teaching effectiveness.

• Encourage assessment as a form of scholarship.

Why Should Faculty & Staff Engage in Assessment?

• Incentives & Rewards

– Mini-grants

– Assessment recognition event

– Refreshments

– Certificate of recognition

– Thank you note

– Innovation grants

Use Assessment Results to Inform Important Decisions on Important Goals.

• Give funding priority to resource requests supported by assessment evidence.

• Move programs engaged in serious assessment efforts to the top of the funding list.

Time?

• Stop doing something else.

• Keep things simple.

Stop Doing Something Else.

• Reconsider– Committees– Program review– New programs &

courses– Other new

initiatives– Specialized

accreditation

• What do they contribute? What are the benefits?

• What do they consume in time and dollars?

• Consider scholarship of teaching as a form of research.

Keep Things Simple.

• Start with what you have.

• “Start small.”• Start with important

goals.• Use quick & easy

assessment tools• Look at samples.

• Stagger assessments.

• Be realistic about quality.

• Only do what’s useful.

• Don’t create unnecessary rules.

How Does the Administration Support Assessment?

• Promote and facilitate assessment.• Help faculty find time.• Build on past & current assessment

successes.• Professional development opportunities• Technical support

Student-Level Assessment

Course-Level Assessment

Program-Level Assessment

Assesses individual students on course-level goals

Assesses students as a whole on course-level goals

Assesses students as a whole on program-level goals

Tests & assignments, summarized into a grade

Tests & assignments, with item scores aggregated across students

•Tests & assignments in capstone & other key courses

•Field experience supervisor evaluations

•Portfolios

•Published tests

•Surveys, interviews, etc.

Aggregated across students

Why is it so hard to assess General Education?

• Unclear definitions of Gen Ed & its components• Lack of ownership

– Lack of concern & engagement• Lack of coordination• Some Gen Ed curricula are ineffective

– Outdated– Politically driven

• Little interest in improving Gen Ed• Time consuming to assess & improve

Do Faculty Lead Assessment?

• Is there a faculty-led assessment steering committee?

• What is it empowered to do?• Does it have the right people?• Is it effective?

Are the Right People Coordinating & Guiding Assessment?

• Sensitivity and open-mindedness to diverse perspectives and values

• Flexibility• A passion for teaching and learning• Sufficient perceived assessment expertise

Invite Open Participation.

• Invite faculty teaching Gen Ed courses to participate in discussions.

Be Flexible.

• Diverse – approaches to

assessment– ways of documenting

& reporting on assessment

– deadlines

The Teaching-Learning-Assessment Cycle

Learning Goals

Using Results

Learning Opportunities

Assessment

Analyzing Your Current General Education Curriculum.

• Grid of Gen Ed goals x courses– Look for underrepresented and “overkilled” Gen Ed

goals.

• Transcript analysis– What courses do students usually take to fulfill Gen

Ed requirements?– Are students achieving a Gen Ed goal through

courses in their majors?

• Syllabus analysis– Do students have enough classwork & assignments

to achieve this goal?

Aligning Goals & Curricula

• Do you want to develop a new General Education curriculum?

• Or keep and tinker with the one you have?

Consider Modifying Syllabi.

• State relevant General Education goals.• Grid of General Education goals x assignments• Reapprove all General Education courses

regularly (every five years?).– Check that classwork and assignments

address relevant General Education Goals.

Build on Existing Learning Experiences and Assessments.

• Focus on only the most popular Gen Ed courses?• Ask faculty how students achieve your goals.

– Homework/classwork (e.g., lab reports)– End-of-course papers, projects, performances,

presentations– Final exams in Gen Ed courses – “Capstone” experiences– Field experience evaluations

• Surveys• Create grid of Gen Ed goals x existing

assessments?

Create New/Improved Tools As Needed.

• Course-specific assessment

– All sections of each course have common assessment approaches.

AND/OR

• Multi-course assessment

– All courses with common goals have common assessment approaches.

AND/OR

• Institution-wide assessment

– Published tests & surveys

– Portfolios

– Capstone experiences

Useful and Not Too Much Work

• Set of questions on final exams

– Identical on all exams in multiple courses

– Identical on all exams in one course

• Rubric (rating scales/grading criteria)

– For papers, projects, performances, presentations, portfolio

• Reflective writing

– For the “ineffables” (attitudes, values)

Useful But More Time & Work

• Portfolios

• Locally developed tests

• Locally developed surveys

• Interviews & focus groups

Expensive But Sometimes Useful

• Published tests

• Published surveys