Module 2

Defining Goals, Setting Objectives,

and Creating Assessments for Student Learning

2.15.05

Cycle ofAssessment

andImprovement

ChooseImprovement

TakeStock

NORMSTUDENTLEARNINGOUTCOMES

NormAssessments

Identify,Implement,

EvaluateImprovements

BuildInstitutional

Capacity

Implementand

AnalyzeAssessments

NOTE:Separating student learning outcomes fromthe assessment of student learning outcomes-wastes time, -confuses the coherence of programs, and-looses opportunities for

collaboration and collective norming.

NO SLOs WITHOUT ASSESSMENT; NO ASSESSMENT WITHOUT SLOs!!

Step 1: SETTING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

• Faculty discuss what students should know and be able to demonstrate upon completion of the program.

Expectations are collaboratively authored and collectively accepted. Full- and adjunct/ part-time faculty who teach courses come to consensus.

1Maki, P.L. (2004). Assessing for Learning. American Association for Higher Education, Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Setting objectives for a program

• use active verbs that identify student performance: create, apply, construct, formulate

• align with desired outcomes for program or degree, or licensure

• align with disciplinary philosophy of learning• can be assessed qualitatively or

quantitatively: no SLOs without assessment!

DIALOGUE ABOUT OBJECTIVES

• What are the critical minimum learning/ performance outcomes for students in this program?

• What do students need to progress to what they are likely to do after this program?

• What outcomes do students need to meet their own goals (vocational certificate, AAS, transfer?)

• What outcomes has the college defined?

Step 2: Creating SLOs and Assessments

• Align assessment procedures with programmatic philosophy and assumptions about learning -- What are the values of program?

• Collectively identify types of assessments appropriate for program goals

• Collectively set rubrics for scoring

Assessment should fit the nature of a program’s goals using methods which reflect the type of learning that is valued, rather than methods which are most easily constructed or scored. For example, if courses emphasize open-ended problems, the assessment procedure should emphasize the same objective. Facing students with multiple-choice tests to measure open-ended problem solving would be inappropriate.

<www.maa.org/past/ql/ql_part4.html>

Choosing types of SLOs

Return to the primer:Which methods are consistent with goals?Which can be measured in valid and reliable ways?

What are the costs (money costs, faculty time, students time) with

different methods of assessment? Which can be easily understood?

Criteria/ Standard/

Primary Trait

Excellent Superior Satis-factory

Poor Unsat

STARTHERE

BUILDING RUBRICS FOR QUALITATIVE OBJECTIVES1

1Adapted from Scroggins, B. (2004). Targeting Student Learning. Modesto,CA: Modesto Junior College.

ACTIVITY: MORE DIALOGUE1

What do faculty do now?• How do you determine an A from a B from a C;

acceptable from not acceptable? “I know it when you see it” versus written criteria for grading every assignment?

• Are your criteria easy enough to use that you use them every time? (consistent use)

• Do you share criteria and rubrics with students before assignments? Do you encourage students to self-assess their work using the criteria and rubrics?

• How do you use the results of assessment, of criteria to improve your assessment methods, criteria, and/or rubrics?

1Adapted from Scroggins, B. (2004). Targeting Student Learning. Modesto,CA: Modesto Junior College

Cycle ofAssessmentImprovement

ChooseImprovement

TakeStock

NormStudentLearningOutcomes

NormAssessments

Identify,Implement,

Evaluate,Improvements

BuildInstitutional

Capacity

IMPLEMENTAND

ANALYZEASSESSMENTS

Step 3: Implementing Assessment

• Gather results/ data across sections of a course and/or across courses within a program and/or across courses in a sequence

• Share and discuss results; identify gaps in student learning; discuss effectiveness of current teaching and assessment methods

• Use accessible terminology and formats for reporting data

Step 4: Analyzing Results

• Plotting students’ achievement along agreed-upon criteria/ standards/ traits focuses attention on patterns of strengths and weaknesses

• Visually presented using comparative tables focuses attention on why some groups do well while others do not

• Focus attention on WHY.• Focus on WHOM.

SLO Statements

Assessment Methods/Criteria

Results of Assessments

ACTIVITY: COMPILING RESULTS

Examining equity

Who succeeds? Who fails?Which groups? Racial/ethnic

groups;gender; first-time college students; older/younger students?What can the college do to reduce differences among groups?What requires policies from outside the college? The problem of the family/ work/schooling dilemma.