Assessment of Student Learning - Minnesota State University Moorhead

Designing Effective Assessment Plans

Overview
Learning vs. teaching. In the past, we measured effective teaching. We assumed that if qualified and effective teachers used appropriate materials and methods, than we were doing our job. The focus now is on student learning, recognizing that what is important is how students learn. Thus, assessment measures must focus on student learning.

Identifying Student Learning Outcomes

Limited in number. It is difficult to assess more than 4-6 student learning outcomes. As some outcomes are achieved, new outcomes can be identified. Or, some of the outcomes can be assessed one year, and others the next.
Limited in scope. It is important to operationalize student learning outcomes into some kind of action that students can demonstrate. It may be a test, it may be a paper, or it may be the creation of some kind of project. It is important that learning outcomes can be individually measured. Using an action verb at the beginning of the student learning outcome can be an effective way of identifying how the outcome will be measured.
Limited to your teaching and expertise. It is advisable to include learning outcomes your department can influence in some way. Improving writing, for example, may be beyond the scope of your department’s curriculum. Generic learning outcomes (e.g. ability to write or speak) will be measured through liberal studies assessment.
Focused on continuous improvement. Once you’ve shown evidence of ability to achieve basic learning outcomes, develop more focused outcomes to identify areas where you can improve. The goal of assessment is provide feedback to the program so it can continually improve student learning. Considering past learning outcomes and the program’s success in achieving those outcomes may suggest ways of focusing new outcomes to provide more information to the program. Programs should hypothesize about areas of weakness and develop outcomes to confirm or deny expectations and identify ways of fixing those weaknesses. Effectively constructed outcomes can help support arguments for additional university support, offered through Instructional Improvement Grants.

Measuring Student Learning Outcomes
Departments/programs should address the following questions when considering how to measure student learning:

Who will be measured? Departments/programs do not need to measure each student each year. Random samples of students can be used. Some departments assess students in a senior capstone course. Assessing students in selected courses is also possible. Students should be assessed after they have been exposed to the content matter described in the learning outcomes. Often, assessment occurs during the last semester or two of the student’s career, but assessment can take place at any time. If using a pre-test/post-test measurement design, students should be assessed before and after completion of learning outcome content.
When? Data about student learning should be gathered at least annually.
By whom? Departments should specify that a particular person or committee be charged with assessment duties. When using embedded assessment, course instructors can be charged with gathering data. Assessment is most useful when results are analyzed, discussed, and implemented by as wide a group as possible.
How? The table below describes some of the various assessment measures that can be used. Multiple measures are not necessary for each outcome, but the program should use more than measure throughout its assessment plan.

Measure	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages
Portfolio Review	An evaluator or evaluators evaluate a collection of student work. Uses rubric.	Evaluates longitudinal work of students	Time-consuming Requires diligence Difficult to score
Objective Exam	Use of a multiple-choice/true-false exam to measure student learning; may include pre-test/post-test design.	Tests actual knowledge Can be used to measure improvement	Difficult or expensive to design Difficult to test all students
Embedded assessment	Use of an in-class graded or ungraded activity or assignment as a way of measuring student learning. Uses rubric.	Unobtrusive Easily administered and scored	Limited in scope
Student interviews	Asking students direct questions about their learning and experiences in the program. May use a rubric.	Can probe knowledge and affective responses	Difficult to score Time-consuming Possibility for bias in student answers.
Surveys	Asking questions of faculty, employers or alums about student learning.	Easy to administer Easy to score	Difficult to determine causality Difficult to design valid instruments Possibility for bias in the answers
Indirect measures	Other measures including scores on placement tests, national awards and honors, etc.	Compares MSUM students to national averages and other schools	Not directly tied to student learning outcomes

Communicating and Integrating Assessment Results

Determining what you expect. Department should determine what is a reasonable expectation for their students on a given measure.
Making changes as a result. Stretch your assessment to examine areas where you may have weaknesses and can make improvements. The feedback loop is essential for assessment to be effective. Gathering data is not enough. It must be communicated to the department and university so that improvements can be made in student learning. Instructional Improvement Grants are available to improve student learning, based on assessment reports. Some of the changes that may result from assessment include:
- Instructional Improvement Grants. Information is included in this packet.
- Curricular changes: New classes, new requirements, new prerequisites.
- Remedial steps: Courses student should take before entering a particular program or a specific course within a program.
- New equipment purchases. Offering evidence that equipment purchases can improve student learning is persuasive.
- New faculty hires. Offering evidence that a new faculty position would enhance student learning is persuasive.