Description
Book SynopsisA comprehensive expansion to the essential higher education assessment text This second edition of Assessment Essentials updates the bestselling first edition, the go-to resource on outcomes assessment in higher education.
Table of ContentsList of Exhibits and Figures xiii
Foreword xv
Jillian Kinzie
Preface xix
About the Authors xxiii
1. Defining Assessment 1
Some Definitions 1
Pioneering in Assessment 3
Quality Assurance: An International Perspective 7
Assessment Purposes 9
Values and Guiding Principles 11
2. The Essentials of Assessment 15
Planning Effective Assessment 16
Engaging Stakeholders • Establishing Purpose • Designing a Thoughtful Approach to Assessment Planning • Creating a Written Plan • Timing Assessment
Implementing Effective Assessment 22
Providing Leadership • Selecting or Designing Data Collection Approaches • Providing Resources • Educating Faculty and Staff • Assessing Resources and Processes as Well as Outcomes • Sharing Findings
Improving and Sustaining Assessment 31
Obtaining Credible Evidence • Ensuring the Use of Assessment Findings • Reexamining the Assessment Process
Additional Thoughts 36
3. Engaging Faculty and Students in Assessment 39
Involving Faculty in Assessment 41
Faculty Responsibility • Assessment Resources for Faculty • Faculty Rewards • Maximizing the Role of Faculty and Faculty Acceptance • Some Stumbling Blocks in Understanding Assessment • The Nature of Resistance
Involving Students in Assessment 54
Student Responsibility • Resources for Students • Student Rewards • Maximizing Student Acceptance of Assessment
Acting with Integrity 63
4. Setting Expectations and Preparing to Select Measures 65
Intentions for Learning: Goals, Objectives, Outcomes 65
Defining Terms • Learning Taxonomies
Developing Statements of Expectations 69
Statement Content • Curriculum Maps • Using Matrices and Other Tools
Selecting Methods and Approaches 73
Inventories of Existing Activities • Developing Criteria for Choosing Methods • An Overview of Methods • Use of Existing Information • Locally Developed versus Commercial Measures • Comparing Potential Methods to Criteria
Designing Instruments 85
Recognizing the Uniqueness of Designing Instruments for Assessment • Enlisting Help from Campus Experts • Enhancing Instrument Reliability and Validity
Determining Approaches for Implementation 87
Research Strategies • Identifying Eligible Participants • Sampling and Sample Size
Putting Everything Together 91
5. Using Direct Measures 93
Using Classroom Assignments for Outcomes Assessment 93 Performance Assessment 95
Types of Performance Assessment • Using Performance Measures for Outcomes Assessment • Designing Effective Assignments
Rubrics 100
VALUE Rubrics • Some Rubric Issues
Aggregating Assessment Results in and across Courses 104
Using Objective Tests for Outcomes Assessment 105
Advantages and Disadvantages of Objective Tests • Developing Good Tests and Writing Good Items • Implications for Students
Electronic Portfolios 110
Using E-Portfolios for Outcomes Assessment • Choices for E-Portfolios • Student Reflection • Scoring • Resources and Training • Feedback • Impact on Students • Using Results • Developing E-Portfolios • Appeal of Portfolios and Some Cautions
6. Using Indirect Assessment Methods 121
Using Surveys in Assessment 121
Topics for Assessment Surveys • Selecting and Using Various Target Groups • Response Types and Scales • Writing Survey Questions • Questionnaire Administration • National Surveys for Assessment
Using Focus Groups in Assessment 132
Topics, Target Groups, and Participants • The Moderator’s Role • Developing Questions and Summarizing Results • Other Considerations
Additional Indirect Methods 136
Interviews • Written Materials • Documents and Records
Qualitative versus Quantitative Approaches 141
Classroom Assessment Techniques 142
7. Assessing Learning in the Major 145
Capstone Experiences and Courses 146
Capstone Experiences • Capstone Courses
Portfolios 150
Experiential Education 152
Internships • Service-Learning • Applied Projects
Group Work and Team-Building Skills 160
Employer Involvement 162
Employers as Assessors • Employers as Advisors • Employer Surveys
Intentional Learning 165
8. Assessing Learning in General Education 167
The Nature of General Education 167
Assessment Choices and Issues 170
Agreeing on Program Purposes and Learning Objectives • Selecting an Assessment Approach for General Education • Generating, Reporting, and Using Results
Using Commercial Instruments and the Voluntary System of Accountability 175
Assessing Specific Aspects of General Education 178
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving • Writing • Information Literacy • Oral Communication • Ethical Reasoning • Values and Attitudes
The Degree Qualifications Profile 189
Assessing General Education Outcomes within the Major 190
9. Assessing Student Learning and Program Effectiveness in Student Affairs 193
Foundations for Assessment in Student Affairs 193
Mission, Goals, and Objectives 197
Goals and Objectives • Mapping Outcomes
Leadership and Preparation for Assessment in Student Affairs 199
Committees, Offices, and Assessment Teams • Resources and Training
Assessment Frameworks, Models, and Diagrams 204
Assessment Plans and Methods 205
Planning Templates and Guides • Methods
Reporting and Sharing Results 208
Reporting Templates • Evaluating Reports • Communicating Results
Ethical Behavior 210
Improving Assessment 212
Rewards for Assessment 212
10. Analyzing, Reporting, and Using Assessment Results 215
Helping Faculty and Staff Use Their Assessment Results 215
Encouraging Reflection and Collaboration • Providing Mentors • Sharing Materials • Communicating about How Assessment Results Have Been Used • Linking Assessment Results to Important Processes
Assessment Reporting by Departments and Programs 221
Outcomes • Methods • Findings • Action Plans • Follow-Up • Closing the Loop • Reflections on the Process
Summarizing Reports 225
Managing Data 226
Assessing Unit Reports 226
Making the Process Transparent 228
Institutional Assessment Reporting 229
Theme Reports • Extracts for Colleges and Departments • Oral Reports • Comprehensive Reports • Institutional Data and Dashboards
Analyzing Assessment Information 234
Descriptive and Comparative Information • Impact of Various Response Scales on Analysis • Qualitative Analysis • Multivariate Analysis • Data Mining and Learning Analytics
Displaying Results 239
Other Considerations 240
11. Assessing Institutional Effectiveness 241
Linking Assessment and Institutional Planning: An Example 242
Organizing to Assess Institutional Effectiveness 245
Assessment Leaders • Assessment Committees • Leadership in Units • Central Offices
Planning and Institutional Improvement at IUPUI 248
Testing Center • Office of Institutional Effectiveness • Office of Institutional Research • Office of Program Review • Office of the Economic Model
Administering an Assessment Plan 252
Planning Levels • Using Assessment Information • Assessing and Facilitating Assessment
Considering Costs 258
Linking Assessment to Other Valued Processes 259
12. Summing Up 263
A Time of Transition 263
Current Practice 265
Purposes • Assessment Approaches • Stakeholder Involvement • Technology
Continuing Challenges 268
Assessment’s Effect on Individual Students • Alternative Ways to Credential Students • Sharing Assessment Information and Results • Assessment Costs and Benefits • Finding a Home for Assessment • Creating a Culture of Assessment
References 279
Name Index 311
Subject Index 317
