Selecting What to Assess

As the goal of this larger process is to generate actionable feedback on stated learning outcomes, carefully selecting something to assess is crucial. There should be no need to create a new course or assignment; ideally, it would be specific student work that is authentic and embedded in the curriculum. There are plenty of options, with two overarching guidelines: 

1. Most importantly, the student work should cover a full program cohort. Specifically, the selected assignment(s) should be required for all majors in a undergraduate programs or all students in graduate programs. Depending on the size of the program, random sampling is possible. If no single assignment exists in your program, a combination of similar assignments would work (i.e. multiple essays produced at a similar moment in the program, test answers that apply to the same outcome in different courses, the combination of honors theses and senior seminar papers, etc.).

2. The assessment must include a direct measurement of a learning outcome. Direct measurements provide tangible evidence of student learning using clear criteria, while indirect measurements are proxy signs that students are likely learning. Both direct and indirect measurements are useful and necessary in a broad culture of assessment. However, for assessing student learning outcomes, our most important benchmark and starting point is a direct measurement. A grade is not a direct measurement, as it is impacted by an array of criteria removed from the learning outcome(s) like on-time submission and in-class behavior. It is perfectly reasonable to expect that the results of this assessment will not necessarily be related to the grades earned on the assignment(s) used. Additionally, subjective assessments like self-assessment are not direct measurements, nor are data like placement or publication rates. But nearly every typical assignment is a direct measurement:

Direct measurements include:

• • • • Research projects
      • Presentations
      • Theses, dissertations, and other essays
      • Oral defenses
      • Portfolios and exhibitions
      • Performances
      • Course- and program-based exam, test, and quiz questions
      • Standardized tests

Indirect measurements are less likely to occur as assignments in classroom settings but may appear as essential data about student success more broadly. These include:

• • • • Course and assignment grades
      • Retention and graduation rates
      • Placement rates
      • Student and alumni surveys (including exit interviews, focus groups, etc.)
      • Student self-assessments
      • Course evaluations
      • Participation rates in faculty research, publications, and conference presentations
      • Honors, awards, and scholarships
        (Both lists drawn from Suskie, 21).

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