Organizing for General Education Assessment

1. MSCHE Student Learning Assessment Institute September 2009 Organizing for General Education Assessment Linda Suskie, Vice President Middle States Commission on Higher Education 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104 Web: www.msche.org E-mail: LSuskie@msche.org

2. Big Questions Topics to be covered today Middle States expectations Organizing for Gen Ed assessment Topics beyond the scope of this institute Articulating student learning goals Assessment toolbox

3. More Big Questions Using what was learned to move to the next level How can I apply this to my freshman seminar course? How do you develop rubrics for outcomes like leadership?

4. More Big Questions Topics we addressed yesterday Course-program-institution assessment Getting colleagues on board with assessment

5. Value Innovation Value, respect, & reward efforts to improve teaching. Regard assessment results as evidence of teaching effectiveness. Encourage assessment as a form of scholarship.

6. Why Should Faculty & Staff Engage in Assessment? Incentives & Rewards Mini-grants Assessment recognition event Refreshments Certificate of recognition Thank you note Innovation grants

7. Use Assessment Results to Inform Important Decisions on Important Goals. Give funding priority to resource requests supported by assessment evidence. Move programs engaged in serious assessment efforts to the top of the funding list.

8. Time? Stop doing something else. Keep things simple.

9. Stop Doing Something Else. Reconsider Committees Program review New programs & courses Other new initiatives Specialized accreditation What do they contribute? What are the benefits? What do they consume in time and dollars? Consider scholarship of teaching as a form of research.

10. Keep Things Simple. Start with what you have. “Start small.” Start with important goals. Use quick & easy assessment tools Look at samples. Stagger assessments. Be realistic about quality. Only do what’s useful. Don’t create unnecessary rules.

11. How Does the Administration Support Assessment? Promote and facilitate assessment. Help faculty find time. Build on past & current assessment successes. Professional development opportunities Technical support

13. Why is it so hard to assess General Education? • Unclear definitions of Gen Ed & its components • Lack of ownership • Lack of concern & engagement • Lack of coordination • Some Gen Ed curricula are ineffective • Outdated • Politically driven • Little interest in improving Gen Ed • Time consuming to assess & improve

14. Do Faculty Lead Assessment? Is there a faculty-led assessment steering committee? What is it empowered to do? Does it have the right people? Is it effective?

15. Are the Right People Coordinating & Guiding Assessment? Sensitivity and open-mindedness to diverse perspectives and values Flexibility A passion for teaching and learning Sufficient perceived assessment expertise

16. Invite Open Participation. • Invite faculty teaching Gen Ed courses to participate in discussions.

17. Be Flexible. Diverse approaches to assessment ways of documenting & reporting on assessment deadlines

18. The Teaching-Learning-Assessment Cycle Learning Goals Using Results Learning Opportunities Assessment

19. Analyzing Your Current General Education Curriculum. • Grid of Gen Ed goals x courses • Look for underrepresented and “overkilled” Gen Ed goals. • Transcript analysis • What courses do students usually take to fulfill Gen Ed requirements? • Are students achieving a Gen Ed goal through courses in their majors? • Syllabus analysis • Do students have enough classwork & assignments to achieve this goal?

20. Aligning Goals & Curricula • Do you want to develop a new General Education curriculum? • Or keep and tinker with the one you have?

21. Consider Modifying Syllabi. • State relevant General Education goals. • Grid of General Education goals x assignments • Reapprove all General Education courses regularly (every five years?). • Check that classwork and assignments address relevant General Education Goals.

22. Build on Existing Learning Experiences and Assessments. • Focus on only the most popular Gen Ed courses? • Ask faculty how students achieve your goals. • Homework/classwork (e.g., lab reports) • End-of-course papers, projects, performances, presentations • Final exams in Gen Ed courses • “Capstone” experiences • Field experience evaluations • Surveys • Create grid of Gen Ed goals x existing assessments?

23. Create New/Improved Tools As Needed. • Course-specific assessment • All sections of each course have common assessment approaches. AND/OR • Multi-course assessment • All courses with common goals have common assessment approaches. AND/OR • Institution-wide assessment • Published tests & surveys • Portfolios • Capstone experiences

24. Useful and Not Too Much Work • Set of questions on final exams • Identical on all exams in multiple courses • Identical on all exams in one course • Rubric (rating scales/grading criteria) • For papers, projects, performances, presentations, portfolio • Reflective writing • For the “ineffables” (attitudes, values)

25. Useful But More Time & Work • Portfolios • Locally developed tests • Locally developed surveys • Interviews & focus groups Expensive But Sometimes Useful • Published tests • Published surveys