SATISFYING ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS THROUGH

ASSESSMENT ITEM CATEGORIZATION

Dan ThompsonCoordinator of Instructional Design, Assessment, and

Educational TechnologyOklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences

Session Objectives At the completion of this session,

participants will be able to:Describe category mapping and how to

appropriately use this feature in curriculum mapping for accreditation

Utilize category mapping to appropriately align assessment items with necessary accreditation requirements

Create a simple categorization process that is conducive for curricular mapping to assist in meeting accreditation needs

What are Categories? Each item in ExamSoft can be tagged to

categories that will allow us to identify the exact subject matter, difficulty level (ex. Bloom’s), author, instructional method implemented, style of question, learning objective(s) being assessed, etc.Items can be placed into an unlimited number of

categories Stats can be acquired based on each

category to learn the desired information.

How to Categorize Questions Questions can be easily categorized when the question

is being created in ExamSoft Questions that have already been created and used in

assessments can be categorized as well Statistical analyses of these questions can be done

retroactively Categories should be pre-made, which will allow

question creators to simply click on the categories and add them for each question

Categories work as a folder structure if needed Very helpful in staying organized in curricular mapping and

preparing for accreditation!

Faculty/Staff Roles for Curricular Mapping

Primary item categorization in the system is completed by instructional design staffFaculty and academic support staff contribute

to this effort as well**Recommendation: create a process first and

limit the number of individuals that work with this process.○ Improves consistency and program organization

Faculty/Staff Roles for Curricular Mapping

Content experts are needed for this process as assessment items need to be matched to learning objectivesAssessment items can be mapped to more than

one learning objective if applicable Category statistics are monitored and

reviewed to assure program effectiveness and to identify areas for improvement

Categorization Structure Methodology

Systems-based curriculum For curricular mapping and in

preparation for accreditation, items are categorized by:Discipline

○ Example: pharmacology, physiology, histology○ Case-based clinical lectures/sessions and

clinical problem solving group sessions ○ Indicates that we address the content (by

quantity) in our curriculum appropriately

Categorization Structure Methodology Items are also mapped to the learning

objectives they address Functions on two levels:

Small scale:○ Indicates that we are assessing our learning objectives○ The mapped items can come from quizzes, exams, and/or

other assignments○ Shows student outcomes by learning objective – are students

appropriately meeting the learning objectives and therefore reaching our course goals? This allows us to prove that statistically

Categorization Structure Methodology

Large scale:Completes the back end portion of the

curricular mapping for accreditationThroughout the curriculum mapping for

accreditation process, the focus is to completely map the curriculum from the beginning (program mission) to the end (course assessments)

This ties the process together and closes the loop on curricular mapping for accreditation

Moving Forward Our categorizing of assessment items

with learning objectives is currently growing

Once completed, an overall view of how we are meeting learning objectives (and therefore course goals, program goals, mission, etc) will be available

This initiative is being continued after receiving positive feedback

Tips/Tricks Begin this process as early as possible Establish the process before categorizing any

exam itemsIdentify individual roles in the mapping processCreate the folder structure in advance

○ *The folder structure can be altered, so this process can be flexible to meet an evolving curriculum

Be proactive – ask/require faculty to identify which learning objectives their assessment items map to when questions are entered into ExamSoft This was not done at our institution initially Retroactively categorizing items is an option, but is a more

difficult task

Unintended (Positive!) Outcomes Created an opportunity to improve and

streamline our learning objectives to improve communication with students

Improved faculty knowledge in the educational process – built in faculty development!

Thank you!! Questions? Dan.thompson@okstate.edu