STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT Student Affairs

Presented by: Dr. Tara Rose, Director Office of University Assessment University of Kentucky

Overview Levels of Assessment

Why Student Learning Assessment

Importance of Student Learning Assessment

Importance of Intentional Planning

Student Learning Outcomes in Student Affairs

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Levels of Assessment Classroom assessment

• Determination of individual student performance at course level by instructors

Course assessment • Determination of how well a course is meeting student learning

outcomes

Program/Unit assessment • Determination of how well an academic program is meeting student

learning outcomes • Determination of how well an administrative or educational support

program is meeting its objectives

Institutional assessment • Determination of institutional performance

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Why do Assessment? External drivers

• Regional and program-level accreditation criteria – Documentation that you have established an effective assessment process that

leads to continuous improvement – SACSCOC, ABET, AACSB, NCATE

Internal drivers • Good management • Quality motivation • Knowing where you are • Knowing where you have been • Knowing what is possible and how to get there

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Importance: Assessment and the University Recruitment—better identify students, help students know

expectations

We deliver on our promises

Continuous improvement

Be part of a learning and teaching community that is interested in improving programs

Supports decisions regarding resource allocation

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Importance: Assessment and the University / Administrators Accreditation - Federal Funds

Accountability - need to be able to prove you are delivering what is promised. External recognition of the quality.

Be consistent in providing the education

Forces the identification of the learning goals for the university

Preventing the institution from becoming static. Focuses on improvement

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Importance: Assessment and Faculty To improve your own teaching

Provides ideas for growth and development of the course

Allows a group to see how well courses are doing to achieve the goals of a program (compare)

Discover what support services are missing for the course

See if the students are learning what is intended

How teaching translates into learning

Find weaknesses in the course and program and delivery

Find weaknesses in student preparation

Assess what was really learned compared to what was intended

Are students learning what they are supposed to learn

Think critically about why students are or are not meeting the learning outcomes and the student needs

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Importance: Assessment and Students Working together to ensure that they are getting value out of the program/unit. A commitment to the

student

A feeling they have a role to play in the program/unit

Confidence that the current course prepares them for the next course

Ability to determine whether the students understand goals of outcomes/objectives

Students gain value from assessment. Gives them an idea of how they are graded.

Students learn their strengths and weaknesses

Transparency - they know whether or not they are meeting the outcomes/objectives

Students take charge of their learning

Better information about what is being asked of them

Grading is less arbitrary if tied to learning outcomes

Helps the professor teach them better

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Intentional Planning: Mechanics of Assessment Plan

• Mission – purpose

• Objectives or Outcomes – what you intend to achieve

• Methods – how you plan to get there

Measure • how well are you doing

Act • Analyze your results • Plan changes • Take action • Assess impact

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Intentional Planning: Identify Scope of Assessment What should assessment include?

• Assess resources (facilities, space, students, faculty) • Assess processes (curriculum, advising, co/extra curricular activities) • Assess results (outcomes/objectives – learning, impact, satisfaction,

service) • Who receives feedback and how (faculty, program, alumni,

community)

Academic program assessment typically focuses on student outcomes (learning and program)

Administrative unit assessment typically focuses on quality of products, processes, and services as well as a focus on student learning outcomes

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Checklist for Assessment What are you assessing?

Why are you assessing?

What do you want to know?

From whom will you collect the data?

Who will see the results?

How will the data be used?

How often will the data be collected?

Who will collect the data?

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Planning is KEY Integrate assessment and improvement processes into existing

unit strategic planning and budgeting • Assessment is part of continuous improvement

– Assessment results drive planning and budgeting in the form of annual assessment reporting

Continuous Improvement of

Learning

Strategic Planning

Budgeting

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Assessment in Student Affairs

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Students Affairs Mission

In order to enhance the academic mission, the Division of Student Affairs collaborates with the University and beyond to create a supportive and challenging environment that provides opportunities for student learning, engagement, and success. Through the provision of high quality programs, services, and facilities, the Division promotes student development and lifelong discovery; celebrates differences; and promotes global citizenship.

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Why SLO Assessment in Student Affairs?

# 1 Reason – It’s in your Mission Statement.

We have integrity in following our mission, vision, and goals. If you claim to promote learning, or have a mission related to student learning, then you must assess learning.

Is it a struggle? YES!

Find ways to connect to some kind of student learning

Operational outcomes are important – need both to tell your story.

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Why SLO Assessment in Student Affairs? While it is clear from the standard that assessment is at the program level

for academic programs, institutions should determine the organizational levels at which assessment is useful and efficient for administrative and for academic and student support units. It is incumbent on the institution to explain how this determination follows from its mission and organizational structure (SACSCOC)

Student affairs professionals are also among the most knowledgeable people on campus for designing and implementing programs to enhance the student learning and success of these students

It is important to find opportunities where faculty and student affairs can work together in assessing student learning so that the students’ total learning experience can be understood for both accountability and improvement purposes.

Student affairs staff members need to have more than programs, activities, and experiences they think would contribute to student learning. They need to have the empirical evidence to be confident that these programs, activities, and experiences actually do contribute to student learning.

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Institutional Mismatch

Academic units articulate and assess student learning outcomes aligned with the institution’s academic expectations

Where are the institution’s other expectations – like “tolerance,” “teamwork,” and “the ability to function in an increasingly diverse world” taught and assessed? • Is “taught” even the right word?

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Shifting Perspectives

Substitute “learned” for “taught” – and the question becomes: Where are these other outcomes learned and assessed?

This shifts our perspective to: • Student demonstration emphasis instead of topic-covering • Ability to do or apply supersedes knowing • Shared responsibility for learning • Site of learning becomes less specific; boundaries become more a like

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After Learning Reconsidered Learning is not exclusively classroom-based

• Many important outcomes are: – Not taught in the classroom – The result of processes outside the classroom

“Learning” is a process based on three interdependent student experiences: • Understanding academic content and processes • Student development • Identity formation

Responsibility for learning: • Exists outside the classroom • Doesn’t always take the same form

Some entities on campus produce learning, some facilitate learning, some support learning • Thus, responsibility for assessing learning exists outside the classroom as well

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Learning in Non-Classroom Settings Critical thinking

Working with others

Global competence

Communication

Adaptability

Preparation for life-long learning

Ethical behavior

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Co-Curricular Learning Outcomes The cognitive and affective competencies we intend students to be

able to acquire with what they have learned

Achievement of outcomes indicates institutional and departmental effectiveness • Examples of co-curricular learning outcomes

Must be: • Intentional • Carefully planned and designed • Coordinated • Carefully implemented • Part of the structure of a student’s experience • Assessed

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Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Model

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Co-Curricular Assessment

The “Effectiveness Model” • Focus on student performance as a result of – or even within – a

planned, structured co-curricular activity • Can be based on observation or objective measures • Requires carefully designed and consistent measuring practices

Apply external standards, like CAS

Use surveys and questionnaires

Develop direct measurement strategies

All of the above

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Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) Standards for 44 functional areas

Student Outcomes Domains • Knowledge acquisition, construction, integration and application • Cognitive complexity • Intrapersonal development • Interpersonal competence • Humanitarianism and civic engagement • Practical competence

Dimensions of Outcome Domains

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Standard (Subject Area)

(44 total)

Domains

Knowledge Acquisition

Understanding knowledge from a

range of disciplines

Connecting knowledge to other knowledge, ideas, and experiences

Constructing Knowledge

Relating knowledge to daily life

Cognitive Complexity

Critical Thinking

Reflective Thinking

Effecting Reasoning

Creativity

Intrapersonal Development

Realistic self-appraisal, self-

understanding, and self-respect

Identity Development

Commitment to ethics and integrity

Spiritual Awareness

Interpersonal Competence

Meaningful relationships

Interdependence

Collaboration

Effective Leadership

Civic Engagement

Understanding and appreciation of

cultural and human differences

Global perspective

Social responsibility

Sense of civic responsibility

Practical Competence

Pursuing goals Communicating effectively

Technological competence

Managing personal affairs

Managing Career Development

Demonstrating Professionalism

Maintaining health and wellness

Living a purposeful and satisfying life

Example of Student Learning Outcomes

Domain: • Knowledge acquisition, construction, integration, and application

Dimension: • Connecting knowledge to other knowledge, ideas, and experiences

Learning Outcome: • Uses multiple sources of information and their synthesis to solve

problems; knows how to access diverse sources of information such as the internet, text observations, and data bases

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Example of Student Learning Outcomes

Domain: • Intrapersonal development

Dimension: • Realistic self-appraisal, self-understanding, and self-respect

Learning Outcome: • Assesses, articulates, and acknowledges personal skills, abilities, and

growth areas; uses self-knowledge to make decisions such as those related to career choices; articulates rationale for personal behavior; seeks and considers feedback from others; critiques and subsequently learns from past experiences; employs self-reflection to gain insight; functions without need for constant reassurance from others; balances needs of self with needs of others

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CAS – Assessment & Evaluation

Program & Services • Assessment Plan

– clearly articulated stated goals and learning outcomes – demonstrate accountability – evidence of improvement – describe resulting changes

• Adequate fiscal, human, professional development, and technological resources to develop and implement assessment plans.

Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education 14 28

CAS – Assessment & Evaluation Assessments must include:

• direct and indirect evaluation • qualitative and quantitative methodologies • existing evidence, as appropriate, to determine whether and to

what degree the stated mission, goals, and intended outcomes are being met as effectively and efficiently as possible

• must employ sufficient and sound measures to ensure comprehensiveness.

• data collected must include responses from students and other constituencies

• aggregated results must be shared with those groups. • results of assessments must be shared appropriately with

multiple constituents

Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education 14

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CAS – Assessment & Evaluation Results of assessments and evaluations must:

• identify needs and interests in revising and improving programs and services

• recognizing staff performance • maximizing resource efficiency and effectiveness • improving student achievement of learning and development

outcomes • improving student persistence and success

Changes resulting from the use of assessments and evaluation must be shared with stakeholders.

Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education 14 30

Student Affairs Resources The Role of Student Affairs in Student Learning Assessment

• By: John H. Schuh and Ann M. Gansemer-Topf • http://www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/documents/StudentAffairs

Role.pdf

Student Leader Outcomes and Rubrics • Texas A&M University • http://sllo.tamu.edu/rubrics

Student Affairs Assessment Academy • North Dakota State University • http://www.ndsu.edu/vpsa/assessment/resources_for_assessment/stu

dent_affairs_assessment_academy/

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Discussion and Questions

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