WRITING LEARNING OUTCOMES AND MAPPING CURRICULUM

UK Office of Assessment

Workshop Agenda

2:30-3:30pm: The Provost’s Learning Initiative Commitment vs Compliance The Assessment Process Curriculum Mapping Examples

3:30-3:45pm: Break

3:45-5:00pm: Breakout Work Sessions

Defining and Refining Outcomes Mapping Program Curriculum Identifying and Using Evidence to Improve Learning

Office of Assessment

Primary Charge: Campus-wide assessment of student learning at

the program level (General Education) Other Charges:

Providing consultation, training, logistical support for all academic and co-curricular units

Staff Dr. Marsha Watson: Director of Assessment Dr. Kenneth Royal: Assistant Director of Measurement

& Analysis Dr. Julie Johnson: Assessment Specialist Natasha Mamaril and Letao Sun: Graduate Assistants

The LEARNING Initiative Dual Track Implementation Strategy

Completion DatesNot actively engaged in program level assessment

Actively engaged in program level assessment

Sept 2009Program level student learning outcomes revised and/or updated

Dec 2009 Assessment strategy in place

Jan-Mar 2010 Assessment strategy implemented

April 2010Assessment results available for faculty reflection and action

May 2010First cycle completed and improvement plans submitted

At least one cycle completed and improvement plans submitted

September 2010 First annual LEARNING Improvement awards announced

May 2011 Two cycles completed At least two cycles completed

August 2011 SACS Compliance Audit begins

September 2011 Second annual LEARNING Improvement awards announced

Provost’s Learning Initiative

Goal: Two full cycles of assessment completed by May 2011 Includes the following activities:

Establish or strengthen ongoing program-level assessment to promote student learning and curriculum improvement for all degree programs

Formulate a plan to develop learning outcomes assessment coordinators in every college

Create Provost’s Learning Improvement Awards Implement a dual track strategy to advance

continuous improvement through assessment

Commitment vs Compliance

Assessment is more than a response to demands for accountability, more than a means for curricular improvement. Effective assessment is best understood as a strategy for understanding, confirming, and improving student learning.

Six Fundamental Questions

How are your stated student learning outcomes appropriate to your mission, programs, degrees, and students?

What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes?

In what ways do you analyze and use evidence of student learning?

How do you ensure shared responsibility for student learning and for assessment of student learning?

How do you evaluate and improve the effectiveness of your efforts to assess and improve student learning?

In what ways do you inform the public and other stakeholders about what and how well your students are learning?

Articulate your expectations in the form of learning outcomes

Measure achievement of expectations Collect & analyze data Use evidence to improve learning Assess effectiveness of improvement

The Assessment Process

Formulate Statements of

Intended Learning Outcomes

Develop or Select Assessment Measures

Create Experiences Leading

To Outcomes

Discuss and Use Assessment Results to

Improve LearningFormative-Based

RevisionsFormative-Based

Revisions

Review of Assessment Basics Three levels of assessment

Course Program

Undergraduate majors/programs General education program Graduate majors/programs

Institutional Course, Program, and Institutional

outcomes are aligned but not identical

Review of Assessment Basics

Course Level: Focused on ongoing pedagogical improvement Self-generated tools, Classroom Assessment

Techniques Embedded assessment

Program-Level: Focused on curricular improvement; planning and

budgeting Self-generated, standardized tools Curriculum & Course Mapping

Design Backward

Deliver Forward

IntendedLearning

Outcomes of theInstitution

IntendedLearning

Outcomes of theAcademicProgram

IntendedLearning

Outcomes of theCourse

IntendedLearning

Outcomes of theUnit

IntendedLearning

Outcomes of the lesson

Huba, M.E. and Freed, J.E. (2000).  Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning (p. 108).   Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, MA.

Designing Assessment & Improvement Strategies Why begin by mapping program

curriculum? To improve learning across programs and

over time, two lenses are needed, both of which are made clear by curriculum/course mapping: A zoom lens into curriculum for a specific

degree program A wide-angle lens to see the total

undergraduate / graduate learning experience in a disciplines or set of disciplines

Outcomes & Curriculum Mapping Never “completed”

Both statements of learning outcomes and curriculum maps are living documents

Help to provide authentic evidence of the learning taking place or being planned within an institution, college, degree program Not for use in evaluation of teaching effectiveness

Encouraging individual and collaborative renewing and re-visiting of outcomes, curriculum maps, assessment strategies through collaborative dialogue is essential to being a thriving educational environment that continually improves student learning.

1. UK Department of Forestry2. Colorado Mountain College

Curriculum Mapping Examples

Breakout Work Sessions

Session 1: Refining and Defining Learning Outcomes

Session 2: Mapping Program Curriculum

Session 3: Identifying and Using Evidence to Improve

Learning