Assessment Planning for Academic Degree Programs

Monday, April 4, 201612:00noon – 2:00pm

Union South

Mo Bischof, Associate Vice Provost, Provost OfficeLaura Grossenbacher, Director of Undergraduate Program Review,

College of EngineeringRegina Lowery, Assessment Coordinator, Provost Office

http://provost.wisc.edu/assessment/1

Session Overview

1. Welcome and Introductions2. Context and Overview3. Assessment Planning: Framework and Definitions 4. Plan Development: Questions, Discussion and Drafting

5. Resources and Support

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Today’s Focus

Ø Getting started; refining your assessment plan.

Ø Review/discuss drafts, build next steps.Particularly the “how” component of plan

Ø Simple, smart, meaningful and evolving.

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Context and Overview: Nationally

Ø Focus on student learning in higher education has shifted — “value question”

Ø Shift from inputs (delivering content) to outputs (outcomes/learning impact)

Ø Emerging pedagogies/technology — enhanced learner-centered approaches

Ø Shift in external accreditation requirements

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Context and Overview: UW-MadisonØ Assessing learning is an integrated, ongoing

component of academic life ---not new!Ø Supports academic planning, curricular & co-curricular

development

Ø Ensures the quality of our academic programs and supports program review

Ø Aligns with the University Assessment Plan endorsed by UCAAA & UAPC, 2015Ø Higher Learning Commission (HLC) criteria for reaccreditation

Ø Telling YOUR story

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Elements of Assessment Planning (WWHSW)

What – What are students expected to learn?

Where – Where in the curriculum are students expected to learn and apply the knowledge and skills specified as the learning goals?

How – How do program faculty know (what is the evidence) that students are learning what they expect them to learn?

So What – After reviewing the assessment activity findings (evidence), determine if students are meeting the expectations. Validate that expectations are being met or consider ways to improve.

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Assessment Cycle (WWHSW)

Academic Program

Assessment(WWHSW)

WHATDevelop/Revise Learning Goals

WHEREMap Learning Goals

to Curriculum & Student Experiences

HOWDevelop & Conduct

Assessments (metrics, measures)

SO WHATInterpret/Report and Use Findings

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Key terms defined

Direct measures: regular assessments that measure students’ demonstrated learning (artifacts) through homework questions, writing samples, exams, final papers, projects, presentations, portfolios, etc.

Indirect measures: perceived learning gathered through self-reports (course evaluations, exit surveys, employee survey, focus groups, exit interviews, or alumni surveys)

Formative assessments: gathering feedback at intervals within a process (course/program) -- feeds improvement in ‘real time’

Summative assessments: evaluating student learning at the end of a unit (final exams, papers, performances/certification or board exams/post-grad surveys) to compare to an established standard or benchmark

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Getting started.What: Learning Goals

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Where: Curricular Review (mapping)

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How: What are you already doing? Low hanging fruit! Start with indirect measures…

Ø Graduating seniors or graduate student exit survey

Ø Student focus groups

Ø Alumni surveys

Ø Employee or internship site surveys

Ø Course evaluations – student feedback about their learning

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Among other indirect measures, we use Alumni Surveys about once every six years.

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An easy indirect measure: Add course evaluation questions that ask about student learning gains:

How well did this course prepare you to give formal technical presentations?

How well did this course help you to understand ethical responsibilities in engineering?

The UW-Madison Program Learning Assessment and Course Evaluation (PLACE/AEFIS) suite of tools makes adding questions to existing course evaluations relatively easy.

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So What? After reviewing the assessment activity findings (evidence), determine if students are meeting the expectations. Validate that expectations are being met or consider ways to adjust/improve.

Remember: Assessment without using the data is just a meaningless exercise: take the time you need to analyze the data and think about where your program could do continuous improvement.

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A Sustainable Assessment Plan: Hints

1. Have a regular data collection plan/3-5 year cycle. Year 1 - administer senior exit surveyYear 2 - review embedded question responses from

student course evaluationsYear 3 – review past three years’ senior theses using a rubric

(direct measure)Year 4…

Repeat/revise.

***Plan time and resources for analysis/reporting.

2. Align with other departmental priorities or activities (program review, curriculum review, accreditation visit, course evaluation, alumni visits)

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Assessment Planning, REMEMBER:

DOs: Keep it simple, smart, meaningful, evolving

DON’Ts: Don’t do it ALL, all the time!!!

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Remember that the assessment process is iterative.

Questions?

Table discussions:* start with your program learning goals* what do you need to get to the next step(s)? * work together at table; resource folks to help

What do you need to know more about?

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Program Assessment Planning Toolshttp://provost.wisc.edu/assessment/

Program Learning Goals: See website

Templates and Examples:• Undergraduate Degree Program Template• Graduate Degree Program Template

Tools for each planning stage

Examples from peer institutions, UW-Madison

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Key Resources and SupportOffice of the Provost: • Mo Bischof, Associate Vice Provost, mo.bischof@wisc.edu• Regina Lowery, Assessment Coordinator

regina.lowery@wisc.edu

School/College academic associate deans - University Council on Academic Affairs and Assessment (UCAAA)

Graduate School colleagues

Division of Continuing Studies colleagues

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THANK YOU!

http://provost.wisc.edu/assessment/

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