Academic Assessment Example
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for academic assessment are written to assess what students should know or be able to do once they complete the program. Assessment is the ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning through the systematic gathering, analysis, and interpretation of data for program improvements. SLOs are developed from the program goals and objectives. Keep in mind that goals, objectives, and SLOs should align with the institutional mission. Below you will find all of the components that are included in the assessment report.
Important Reminder: If it is not documented, then it never happened!
Program Objective
Students completing the Technology Science program will be able to demonstrate the ability to use multimedia platforms to deliver various presentations.
Desired Outcome
What skills, knowledge, and abilities should students have once they complete the program?
The desired student learning outcome should be clear, performance based, measurable and student-focused. As you begin to develop the student learning outcome, it may be helpful to decide the intended mastery level using Bloom’s taxonomy. Once the mastery level has been established, the student learning outcome is written using an action verb that aligns with the appropriate cognitive learning domain.
Example:
Students will be able to use at least six core multimedia components to deliver presentations on multimedia development.
University Goal(s): Goal 1 and Goal 2
Note: All outcomes must align with the institutional goals as identified in the Alcorn State University Strategic Plan.
Assessment Method
What steps will you take to assess the desired outcome? How will you determine mastery has been achieved?
The assessment method explains how the desired outcome will be measured for success. The established assessment method must relate to the desired outcome. Also, there should be at least two ways to measure a single desired outcome using at least on direct assessment method. Using multiple measures allows for triangulation of the data to strengthen the validity of your results.
Example:
Assessment Method #1 (Direct Assessment)
Students will present their multimedia presentations orally during the spring semester to a faculty panel who will use a rubric to assess each student’s presentation. Presentations will be made during the senior capstone course.
Note: Attach the scoring rubric as documentation.
Criteria for success
What will be used to determine student success based on the outcome and assessment method?
Example:
Eighty-five percent of the graduates will score above-average or better when orally presenting their presentations A rubric will be used to assess each presentation.
Results
What did the data say? What are the results of your data collection and analysis? The results can be written with a simple statement by providing the actual results.
Example:
The criteria was not met. Sixty-eight percent of the graduates scored above average or better on their oral presentations.
Note: Provide documentation of the results. The data should be reported in aggregate form with identifying information redacted.
Use of Results
What action was taken as a result of the data? What was done to improve student learning as a result of your findings?
Example:
Faculty decided to add an additional oral communications course to the curriculum for the upcoming fall semester. Data analysis showed that students were able to demonstrate the use of various multimedia formats during the presentation, but they were not able to effectively explain the different aspects of the multimedia platform.
Attach course syllabus as documentation.
Follow-up to Actions Taken
Was student learning improved as a result of the implemented action?
Example:
After adding an additional communications course last fall to the Technology Program curriculum, students were able to demonstrate that they could more effectively speak about their presentations. After assessing this student learning outcome this year, eighty-nine percent of the students scored above-average or better during oral presentations.
Attach documentation of your findings.
Assessment Method #2 (Direct Assessment)
Students will write one scholarly paper to demonstrate how to use one multimedia platform.
Criteria for success
What will be used to determine student success based on the outcome and assessment method procedures?
Example:
Seventy-five percent of students will demonstrate the use of one multimedia platform scoring above average or better on a written assignment.
Results
What did the data say? What are the results of your data collection and analysis? The results can be written with a simple statement by providing the actual results.
Example:
The criteria was met. Eighty-five percent of the graduates scored above average or better on the written multimedia assignment.
Note: Provide documentation of the results. The data should be reported in aggregate form with identifying information redacted.
Use of Results
What action was taken as a result of the data? What was done to improve student learning as a result of your findings?
Example:
After reviewing the data, faculty decided to raise the benchmark for the next assessment cycle and randomly assign students a multimedia platform to write their paper on rather than allow them to self-select the platform.
Follow-up to Actions Taken
Was student learning improved as a result of the implemented actions?
Example:
The benchmark was raised to eighty-five percent and platforms were randomly assigned for this assessment cycle. The criteria was met. Eighty-six percent of the students scored above average on the multimedia platform writing assignment and the students did not self-select for this assessment cycle. The faculty decided to assess this student learning outcome for another year using the same criteria.
Attach documentation of your findings.
Assessment Method #3 (Indirect)
Graduates of the Technology Science program will express satisfaction with the extent to which their problem solving skills were developed during program matriculation. The questionnaire will be administered during the senior capstone course.
Note: Attach the questionnaire as documentation.
Criteria for success
What will be used to determine student success based on the outcome and assessment method procedures?
Example:
Students will indicate an average score of 4 (above satisfied) using a 5-point Likert scale on questions pertaining to the program’s enhancement of their problem-solving abilities.
Results
What did the data say? What are the results of your data collection and analysis? The results can be written with a simple statement by providing the actual results.
Example:
The criteria was met. The mean score was 4.5.
Note: Provide documentation of the results. The data should be reported in aggregate form with identifying information redacted.
Use of Results
What action was taken as a result of the data? What was done to improve student learning as a result of your findings?
Example:
After reviewing the data, faculty decided to leave the benchmark as it is at this time. This outcome will continue to be measured on an annual basis.
Follow-up to Actions Taken
Was student learning improved as a result of the implemented actions?
Example:
The assessment of this outcome has remained the same. Faculty decided to assess this outcome using actual exit interviews instead of a simple questionnaire. Faculty felt like more robust information would be gained by conducting open-ended interviews.
Broad Action Verbs to Avoid:
Understand
Appreciate
Know
Learn
Become Familiar With
Become Aware Of
Able to
Acknowledge
Believe
Capable Of
Comprehend
Conscious Of
Enjoy
Experience
Memorize
Show Interest In