Assessment of Technology at the UW

March 15, 2002

Nana Lowell, Director Office of Educational Assessment

University of Washington

Office of Educational Assessment (OEA)

•Created in 1973-4

•Report to Dean of Undergraduate Education

•Primarily self-sustaining

•22 staff members, 18 FTE

Operations: Research:

Testing

Test Scoring

Course Evaluations

Program Evaluation

Assessment

Research Support

University of Washington (UW)

•Urban

•R1 institution

•16 schools and colleges

•Three campuses: Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma

•Enrollment: 25,987 undergraduate 8,428 graduate 1,724 professional36,139 total

UW Ethnic Breakdown

African American 678 160 41 879 2

Asian American 5,888 697 332 6,917 19

Hispanic American 935 185 48 1,168 3

Native American 318 74 29 421 1

All Other 18,026 7,300 1,278 26,604 74

Undergrad Grad Prof Total %

Total 35,989 100

Multiple Stakeholders

•Students -- accessibility of online resources (administrative,library, learning), dev’t of info/tech skills

•Faculty -- accessibility of online teaching resources, technical/pedagogical support

•Administration -- instructional program effectiveness,allocation of resources

•State -- instructional program effectiveness,allocation of resources

Multiple Actors

•Student Technology Fee Committee

•Faculty Council on Instructional Quality

•The Libraries

•Program for Educational Transformation Through Technology

•Ed Tech Development Group

•Student Access and Computing Group

Role of OEA

•Supplement assessment capabilities of other constituencies

•Facilitate communication, coordinate assessment efforts

•Initiate and carry out collaborative assessment at multiple levels

Recent Assessment of Tech at UW

Very Specific

•Evaluation of individual classes•General Access Computing Labs surveys (periodic)

Broader

•UWired, PETTT initiatives•Student Technology Fee survey (Sp 02)•Faculty Survey on Instructional Technology (Wi 01)•Library User Surveys (triennial) of students and faculty

Very Broad

•Assessment surveys (biennial) of current students and grads•UW Study of Undergraduate Learning (UW SOUL)•Statewide assessment of post-secondary learning outcomes

Variety of Types/Sources of Data

•Questionnaires, both hardcopy and online, with closed and open-ended questions

•Student records, esp. grades, gpa, retention

•Interviews

•Focus groups

•Student portfolios

Basic Assumptions

The purpose of educational assessment in the broadest senseis to provide information to enable the improvement of teaching and learning.

In be effective, the assessment approach taken (general strategy,research design, instrumentation, analysis and reporting) must fitthe institutional context and information needs of the stakeholders.

The more specific the focus the simpler the assessment approach.Broad studies require multiple measures and multiple types ofmeasures over time -- outcomes are generally complex and abstract. Can develop from simple to complex or vice versa. Start from where you are.

Information/Tech Literacy Example

Goal: to build an integrated assessment process from individualcourses through institution level outcomes

•Classroom assessment of student learning (tests)

Current state of affairs: working with individuals and groups onseparate projects

•Student and graduate self-ratings of ability (surveys)

•Student reflections on their learning (interviews)

•Assessment of student portfolios (rubrics)

Next step: integrate info/tech literacy in A&S curriculum