Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education by
Higher education professionals have moved from teaching- to learning-centered models for designing and assessing courses and curricula. Faculty work collaboratively to identify learning objectives and assessment strategies, set standards, design effective curricula and courses, assess the impact of their efforts on student learning, reflect on results, and implement appropriate changes to increase student learning. Assessment is an integral component of this learner-centered approach, and it involves the use of empirical data to refine programs and improve student learning. Based on the author's extensive experience conducting assessment training workshops, this book is an expansion of a workshop/consultation guide that has been used to provide assessment training to thousands of busy professionals. Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education provides a comprehensive introduction to planning and implementing the assessment of college and university academic programs. Written for college and university administrators, assessment officers, department chairs, and faculty who are involved in developing and implementing assessment programs, this book is a realistic, pragmatic guide for developing and implementing meaningful, manageable, and sustainable assessment programs that focus faculty attention on student learning. This book will: * Guide readers through all steps in the assessment process * Provide a balanced review of the full array of assessment strategies * Explain how assessment is a crucial component of the teaching and learning process * Provide examples of successful studies that can be easily adapted * Summarize key assessment terms in an end-of-book glossary
Assessing General Education Programs by
General education is the core of the undergraduate experience. It provides a lasting foundation for students' future academic, civil, cultural, economic, and social lives. Additionally, as part of most general education curricula, general education as well as first-year experience programs are becoming virtually universal in colleges and universities; first-year seminars often are integrated into general education programs to promote student retention, engagement, and success. The assessment of these institution-wide efforts is particularly challenging, but many campuses have made substantial progress from which we can learn. In this book, the author draws on her experience with over sixty colleges, universities, and college systems to Establish a broad context for general education and first-year experience programs and assessment, and summarize relevant ideas from professional organizations Advise how to develop mission, goal, and outcome statements Explain how to align curricula and pedagogy with learning outcomes, develop alignment questions to be used in assessment projects, and describe how campuses can use course certification to promote alignment Describe approaches for assessment planning, criteria for selecting strategies, and ethical issues to be considered Provide examples of direct and indirect assessment strategies Discuss the infrastructure for general education assessment and offer advice for effective collaboration among faculty and staff Written for college and university administrators, assessment officers, faculty, and staff who support general education and first-year experience programs, this book is a hands-on guide for developing, aligning, and assessing general education programs in meaningful, manageable, and sustainable ways. The author presents a variety of approaches and dozens of examples to help readers understand what other campuses are doing and develop a repertoire of their own methods so they can make informed decisions about their programs.
Assessing Student Learning by
The first edition of Assessing Student Learning has become the standard reference for college faculty and administrators who are charged with the task of assessing student learning within their institutions. The second edition of this landmark book offers the same practical guidance and is designed to meet ever-increasing demands for improvement and accountability. This edition includes expanded coverage of vital assessment topics such as promoting an assessment culture, characteristics of good assessment, audiences for assessment, organizing and coordinating assessment, assessing attitudes and values, setting benchmarks and standards, and using results to inform and improve teaching, learning, planning, and decision making.
Building a Scholarship of Assessment by
In this book, leading experts in the field examine the current state of assessment practice and scholarship, explore what the future holds for assessment, and offer guidance to help educators meet these new challenges. The contributors root assessment squarely in several related disciplines to provide an overview of assessment practice and scholarship that will prove useful to both the seasoned educator and those new to assessment practice. Ultimately, Building a Scholarship of Assessment will help convince skeptics who still believe outcomes assessment is a fad and will soon fade away that this is an interdisciplinary area with deep roots and an exciting future.
The Department Head's Guide to Assessment in Administrative and Educational Support Units by
The first publication to recognize that while administrative and educational support (AES) units should conduct assessment to improve their services, their assessment focus and procedures are substantively different from those in the institution's instructional programs. The Department Head's Guide leads AES staff through formulation of administrative service objectives, to identification of means of assessment, as well as primary and secondary criteria for success, and ultimately to using the results of assessment activities to improve services. Among the AES units for which the authors provide examples of the process are the Office of the Registrar, the Library, the Career Center, and the Accounting Department. Assessment implementation in public service and research units is also discussed.
Developing Outcomes-Based Assessment for Learner-Centered Education by
The authors--a once-skeptical chemistry professor and a director of assessment sensitive to the concerns of her teacher colleagues--use a personal voice to describe the basics of outcomes-based assessment. The purpose of the book is to empower faculty to develop and maintain ownership of assessment by articulating the learning outcomes and evidence of learning that are appropriate for their courses and programs. The authors offer readers a guide to the not always tidy process of articulating expectations, defining criteria and standards, and aligning course content consistently with desired outcomes. The wealth of examples and stories, including accounts of successes and false starts, provide a realistic and honest guide to what's involved in the institutionalization of assessment.
Documenting Learning with ePortfolios by
Documenting Learning with ePortfolios provides higher education instructors with a theory-to-practice approach to understanding the pedagogy behind ePortfolios and to helping students use them to record and reflect on their learning in multiple contexts. The authors outline a framework of six critical iterative tasks to undertake when implementing ePortfolios for student success. Filled with real-life models of successful ePortfolio projects, the book also includes guidance for faculty development to support the use of ePortfolios and covers the place of ePortfolios in institutional assessment efforts. Finally, the authors offer considerations for deciding on which technological tools to deploy in implementing a successful ePortfolio initiative. "These authors achieve the very rare accomplishment of combining their years of practical experience, broad conceptual and research underpinnings, and incredibly useful examples and applications into a single, concise volume for enhancing student learning through an ePortfolio approach to our shared educational purpose." -Terrel L. Rhodes, vice president, Office of Quality, Curriculum, and Assessment, Association of American Colleges and Universities "Educators keep asking for more information about how to use electronic portfolios. This book provides answers, guidelines, examples, and scholarly insights about learning based in the wisdom of the ePortfolio community of practice-what a powerful addition to our collective knowledge! I am thankful to the authors for this boost to our field and for providing a blueprint for implementers to follow." -Trent Batson, executive director, The Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning
Field Guide to Academic Leadership by
"Once again, Bob Diamond has cut to the heart of the matter and has given us a field guide?actually a handbook?of real, hands-on academic leadership. He has assembled an elite group of contributors who provide insights and guidance, which will be useful for all academic leaders?new and old, public or private, CEO or assistant." -- Charles E. Glassick, senior associate emeritus, The Carnegie Foundatio
How Colleges Change by
Higher education is in an unprecedented time of change and reform. To address these challenges, university leaders tend to focus on specific interventions and programs, but ignore the change processes and the contexts that would lead to success. Joining theory and practice, How Colleges Change unmasks problematic assumptions that change agents typically possess and provides research-based principles for approaching change. Framed by decades of research, this monumental book offers fresh insights into understanding, leading, and enacting change. Recognizing that internal and external conditions shape and frame change processes, Kezar presents an overarching practical framework that can be applied to any organizational challenge and context. How Colleges Change is a crucial resource for aspiring and practicing campus leaders, higher education practitioners, scholars, faculty, and staff who want to learn how to apply change strategies in their own institutions.
Learning Reconsidered 2 by
More than 10,000 copies of Learning Reconsidered: A Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experienceare in circulation on college and university campuses worldwide. The publication has been used as an invitation from student affairs educators to their colleagues in other sectors of their institutions to engage in dialogue and planning for institution-wide student learning outcomes. It has become a frequent focus of professional development programs and workshops, and is the topic of many student affairs presentations. Learning Reconsidered 2: Implementing a Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experienceis a blueprint for action. It shows how to create the dialogue, tools, and materials necessary to put into practice the recommendations in Learning Reconsidered. This companion book brings together new authors, discipline-specific examples, and models for applying the theories in the original publication to move beyond traditional ideas of separate learning inside and outside the classroom.
Outcomes-Based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review by
This book offers far more than an introduction to the principles of assessment of student learning outcomes in the context of program review. Within a clearly structured framework, it systematically shares the good practices of some forty institutions recognized by independent scholars for their improvements in teaching/learning, research, and service, to offer examples and ideas for others to learn from and adapt. While the book focuses on assessment of the teaching mission, these same practices apply equally to student affairs, service and research activities. This book is intended for faculty, administrators and staff responsible for implementing and sustaining outcomes-based assessment program review. It aims to help them understand the "what", "why" and "how" of outcomes-based assessment program review. Rather than adopting a prescriptive approach, it provides a rich array of case studies and ideas as a basis for reflection and discussion to help institutions develop solutions that are appropriate to their own missions and cultures. This book answers such questions as what does good outcomes-based assessment program review practice look like from an institutional perspective? How have others initiated and conducted the process? Why did they choose their particular approaches; and who is doing replicable work? It links effective assessment practices with cyclical program review so that the single process of outcomes-based assessment informs many purposes: program review, strategic planning, professional accreditation, institutional accreditation, and possibly even the assessment of general education. This book illustrates the components of outcomes-based assessment program review, presents the criteria for identifying good practices and suggests steps for implementing a sustainable outcomes-based assessment program--and does so in a way that will engage readers in critical inquiry about what works well and what needs to be improved.
Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education by
American higher education needs a major reframing of student learning outcomes assessment Dynamic changes are underway in American higher education. New providers, emerging technologies, cost concerns, student debt, and nagging doubts about quality all call out the need for institutions to show evidence of student learning. From scholars at the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education presents a reframed conception and approach to student learning outcomes assessment. The authors explain why it is counterproductive to view collecting and using evidence of student accomplishment as primarily a compliance activity. Today's circumstances demand a fresh and more strategic approach to the processes by which evidence about student learning is obtained and used to inform efforts to improve teaching, learning, and decision-making. Whether you're in the classroom, an administrative office, or on an assessment committee, data about what students know and are able to do are critical for guiding changes that are needed in institutional policies and practices to improve student learning and success. Use this book to: Understand how and why student learning outcomes assessment can enhance student accomplishment and increase institutional effectiveness Shift the view of assessment from being externally driven to internally motivated Learn how assessment results can help inform decision-making Use assessment data to manage change and improve student success Gauging student learning is necessary if institutions are to prepare students to meet the 21st century needs of employers and live an economically independent, civically responsible life. For assessment professionals and educational leaders, Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education offers both a compelling rationale and practical advice for making student learning outcomes assessment more effective and efficient.
Assessing Student Learning (eBook via EBSCOhost) by
The first edition of Assessing Student Learning has become the standard reference for college faculty and administrators who are charged with the task of assessing student learning within their institutions. The second edition of this landmark book offers the same practical guidance and is designed to meet ever-increasing demands for improvement and accountability. This edition includes expanded coverage of vital assessment topics such as promoting an assessment culture, characteristics of good assessment, audiences for assessment, organizing and coordinating assessment, assessing attitudes and values, setting benchmarks and standards, and using results to inform and improve teaching, learning, planning, and decision making.
Developing Outcomes-Based Assessment for Learner-Centered Education (eBook via EBSCOhost) by
The authors--a once-skeptical chemistry professor and a director of assessment sensitive to the concerns of her teacher colleagues--use a personal voice to describe the basics of outcomes-based assessment. The purpose of the book is to empower faculty to develop and maintain ownership of assessment by articulating the learning outcomes and evidence of learning that are appropriate for their courses and programs. The authors offer readers a guide to the not always tidy process of articulating expectations, defining criteria and standards, and aligning course content consistently with desired outcomes. The wealth of examples and stories, including accounts of successes and false starts, provide a realistic and honest guide to what's involved in the institutionalization of assessment.
How Colleges Change (eBook via EBSCOhost) by
Higher education is in an unprecedented time of change and reform. To address these challenges, university leaders tend to focus on specific interventions and programs, but ignore the change processes and the contexts that would lead to success. Joining theory and practice, How Colleges Change unmasks problematic assumptions that change agents typically possess and provides research-based principles for approaching change. Framed by decades of research, this monumental book offers fresh insights into understanding, leading, and enacting change. Recognizing that internal and external conditions shape and frame change processes, Kezar presents an overarching practical framework that can be applied to any organizational challenge and context. How Colleges Change is a crucial resource for aspiring and practicing campus leaders, higher education practitioners, scholars, faculty, and staff who want to learn how to apply change strategies in their own institutions.
Outcomes-Based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review (eBook via EBSCOhost) by
This book offers far more than an introduction to the principles of assessment of student learning outcomes in the context of program review. Within a clearly structured framework, it systematically shares the good practices of some forty institutions recognized by independent scholars for their improvements in teaching/learning, research, and service, to offer examples and ideas for others to learn from and adapt. While the book focuses on assessment of the teaching mission, these same practices apply equally to student affairs, service and research activities. This book is intended for faculty, administrators and staff responsible for implementing and sustaining outcomes-based assessment program review. It aims to help them understand the "what", "why" and "how" of outcomes-based assessment program review. Rather than adopting a prescriptive approach, it provides a rich array of case studies and ideas as a basis for reflection and discussion to help institutions develop solutions that are appropriate to their own missions and cultures. This book answers such questions as what does good outcomes-based assessment program review practice look like from an institutional perspective? How have others initiated and conducted the process? Why did they choose their particular approaches; and who is doing replicable work? It links effective assessment practices with cyclical program review so that the single process of outcomes-based assessment informs many purposes: program review, strategic planning, professional accreditation, institutional accreditation, and possibly even the assessment of general education. This book illustrates the components of outcomes-based assessment program review, presents the criteria for identifying good practices and suggests steps for implementing a sustainable outcomes-based assessment program--and does so in a way that will engage readers in critical inquiry about what works well and what needs to be improved.
