INTRODUCTION TO ASSESSMENTLeadership Development Program

September 2010

Presentation Goals

By the end of this presentation,

participants will be able to:

Understand the role of Assessment within NAU

Present HLC Academy for Assessment project goals and progress at their campuses

Views of Assessment

“Education tests who more effort needed in reading comprehension”

Headline from Caledonion-Record, St. Johnsbury, VT

“Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?”

George W. Bush

“Institutional assessment efforts should not be concerned about valuing what can be measured but instead about measuring that which is valued.”

Dr. Trudy Banta

What is Assessment?

Process of documenting in measurable terms the development of student learning Formative (diagnostic) Summative (evaluative)

“When the cook tastes the soup, that's formative. When the guests taste the soup, that's summative.”

--Robert Stake, University of IllinoisCenter for Instructional Research and Curriculum Evaluation (CIRCE)

HLC Criterion Three Student Learning & Effective Teaching

The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is

fulfilling its educational mission.

Core Component 3a: The organization’s goals for student learning outcomes are stated for all educational programs and make effective assessment possible

The organization clearly differentiates its learning goals for undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs by identifying the expected learning outcomes for each.

Assessment of student learning provides evidence at multiple levels: course, program, and institutional.

Assessment of student learning includes multiple direct and indirect measures of student learning.

www.ncahlc.org

HLC Criterion Three Student Learning & Effective Teaching

Results obtained through assessment of student learning are available to appropriate constituencies, including students themselves.

The organization integrates into its assessment of student learning the data reported for purposes of external accountability (e.g., graduation rates, passage rates on licensing exams, placement rates, transfer rates).

The organization’s assessment of student learning extends to all educational offerings, including credit and noncredit certificate programs.

Faculty are involved in defining expected student learning outcomes and creating the strategies to determine whether those outcomes are achieved.

www.ncahlc.org

Assessment of Student Learningwithin NAU

Faculty and administrators routinely review the effectiveness and uses of the organization’s program to assess student learning.

The organization’s assessment of student learning extends to all educational offerings

Faculty are involved in defining student learning outcomes and creating assessment strategies to measure achievement of outcomes

Assessment results inform improvements in curriculum, instruction, and student services.

Core Component 3aAssessment of Student Learning

MyNAU Academics link for the university and academic programs’ assessment plans.

NAU Assessment of Student Academic Achievement Flowchart (pg. 18 of institutional Assessment plan)

HLC Academy for the Assessment of Student Learning

NAU was accepted into the Academy in March 2010

Time to “get back to the fundamentals”

Project goals, timelines, and progress

Project success depends on university-wide involvement

More information on MyNAU

Core Abilities

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving The process of actively and skillfully gathering,

organizing, and analyzing information to propose solutions and evaluate their effectiveness.

Professional Competence A combination of knowledge and capabilities which

allow the performance of an occupation according to standards of practice for the chosen field.

Communication The exchange of information between people by

means of speaking, writing, visual, and other appropriate modes of expression.

Core Abilities

Collaboration The ability to interact with others to create

relationships, partnerships, and professional networks.

Personal and Social Responsibility The development of a strong work ethic,

personal integrity, and competence in ethical and moral reasoning, as well as the ability to consider the viewpoints of others, and the responsibility to contribute to one’s wider community.

On the Horizon

Revised Program Assessment plans Beginning Spring

2011 eLumen

Powerful software used for measuring institutional, programmatic, and student outcomes.

Anticipated to be fully integrated by Fall 2011

Time for Q&A

References

The Higher Learning Commission. (2003). Handbook for Accreditation (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Author.

Criteria for accreditation. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.ncahlc.org