Because a primary focus of assessment is to inform curriculum and instruction, the Curriculum Office is committed to providing the necessary resources to assist faculty, administrators, and staff in developing strategic and purposeful assessment methods to develop, assess, monitor, and evaluate program and student learning outcomes. The key is to develop a program that can be evaluated. Thus, to achieve the desired outcomes, it is imperative to design a program and course assessment plan that outlines the purpose, goals, and the data/information to be gathered. Importantly, the integrity and quality of the assessment methods should be maintained regardless of whether the learning is being obtained on campus or at off-campus instructional sites via any type of delivery mode (face-to-face, online, blended, or hybrid).

Developing Program Goals

Program Goals are general statements of what the program intends to accomplish. Program Goals are broad statements of the kinds of learning we hope students will achieve - they describe learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) in general terms (e.g., clear communication, problem-solving skills, etc.). Program Goals are statements of long range intended outcomes of the program and the curriculum. They describe the knowledge, skills, and values expected of graduates and should be consistent with the mission of the program and the mission of the institution.

Program Goals flow from the mission and provide the framework for determining the more specific educational learning objectives and outcomes of a program. Goals describe overarching expectations such as "Students will develop effective written communication skills." or "Students will understand the methods of science."

Use the Creating Program Goals Worksheet to develop your program’s goals.

What is assessment?

Assessment is simply the process and methods of collecting information about student learning and performance to improve teaching and learning. The process is thoughtful and systematical, and more importantly, driven by faculty who will need to think about the following two questions -

Where do we want our students to be at the end of the course and program?

How will we know that we have met our goal and outcomes?

Program and Course Assessment Methods

Step 1: Developing Program Learning Outcomes

To start envisioning where we want our students to be at the end of the program, we must first begin by reflecting and thinking about -

What is the vision, purpose, and direction of the program?
How will students demonstrate what they can do when they complete the program?
- Knowledge, skills, and competencies at the beginning of the program
- Knowledge, skills, and competencies at the mid-point of the program
- Knowledge, skills, and competencies by the end of the program
How will each faculty member’s expertise in their individual areas fit into the overall program curriculum?

Well-formulated Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) not only support the college’s mission, but equally important, they describe what the faculty believe graduates of the program will have attained by the end of the degree and/or certificate.

Review your list of potential outcomes, asking, "Can any of these outcomes be combined"? and "Are each of these outcomes essential to our program"?
Include only those outcomes that are essential in your assessment plan.
Externally accredited programs may necessarily have more outcomes than programs not externally accredited.
Establish a timeline for assessment of each outcome. During which year of your program review cycle will that outcome be assessed? Remember, not every outcome needs to be assessed every year. All outcomes need to be assessed at least once during the program review cycle.

There are many ways to measure outcomes. Of primary consideration is to reflect how students authentically demonstrate their learning. As curriculum evolves, learning outcomes change.

Step 2: Map Program Learning Outcomes to Program Courses

Curriculum mapping is a method to align instruction with desired goals and program outcomes. It can also be used to explore what is taught and how. The map -

Documents what is taught and when
Reveals gaps in the curriculum
Helps design an assessment plan

Benefits:

Improves communication among faculty
Improves program coherence
Increases the likelihood that students achieve program-level outcomes
Encourages reflective practice

Step 3: Assessment of Program Learning Outcomes

When developing and implementing outcomes assessment strategies, the purpose should be to improve, to inform, and/or to document. Once the program and course map has been completed, assessment methods for collecting student data can be chosen. These methods must always include a combination of direct and indirect measure of assessment. Comprehensive assessment strategies frequently require the use of more than one assessment instrument to determine program effectiveness.

Direct evidence reveals what students have learned, while indirect evidence can help faculty interpret direct information and guide improvements.

Course-embedded assessments are often the most efficient and authentic way to assess learning.
Consider adapting assessment tasks and/or scoring devices already in use by faculty in the discipline, in other departments, or at other institutions.
Work to keep an assessment task as authentic to expected learning as possible.
Make sure the assessment is feasible to carry out given the program's resources and amount of time faculty members are willing to invest in assessment activities.

Examples of Direct Measures

Course-embedded tests, assignments, or projects
Culminating experiences: capstone projects, exhibits, performances, presentations
Portfolio assessment
Licensure, certification, or professional exams
Essay questions blind scored by faculty across the department
Internal and external juried review of comprehensive projects, exhibitions, and performance
Employer's or internship supervisor's direct evaluations of students' performances

Examples of Indirect Measures

Alumni, employer, and student surveys
Exit interviews of graduates and focus groups
Interviews of instructors, program coordinators, and others who have direct contact with students
Job placement data
Observing and recording students’ behaviors

Use the Program Learning Outcome Course Alignment form to develop/revise your program level outcomes, map courses to the program’s level outcomes, and identify assessment methods for the program’s outcomes.

Student Learning Outcomes

In contrast to program goals, which are general, broad, often abstract statements of desired results, Student Learning Outcomes are specific and measurable and must reflect the curriculum.

Student learning outcomes at the course level identify the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students are expected to acquire by the end of the course. Some of the learning outcomes should be connected to those for the degree program, while others may be very specific to the course such as learning a set of techniques for conducting an experiment. Student learning outcomes:

Are the basis for assessment of student learning at the course, program, and institutional levels.
Provide direction and focus for all teaching and learning activity.
Inform students about what they are expected to learn in each course or degree program.

Effective statements of student learning outcomes:

are student-focused rather than professor-focused.
focus on the learning resulting from an activity rather than the activity itself.
are in alignment at the course, academic program, and institutional levels.
focus on skills and abilities central to the discipline.
are general enough to capture important learning but clear and specific enough to be measurable.

Example of a Weak SLO

The student will understand the relationship between theory and practice.

Example of a Strong SLO

The student will solve formula, ingredient function, processing, production, and customer problems making decisions based upon relevant and objective scientific information to meet quality, safety and economic expectations.

Three guiding principles frame the review of existing SLOs: recency, relevance, and rigor.

Recency - has to do with the degree to which the outcome reflects current knowledge and practice in the discipline.
Relevance - is the degree to which the outcome relates logically and significantly to the discipline.
Rigor - has to do with the degree of academic precision and thoroughness required for the outcome to be met successfully.

Use the Creating Student Learning Outcomes Worksheet to develop SLOs.

Assessment of SLOs

Gather feedback from students in each course or service program about how well they perceive that student learning outcomes were addressed.
Assess student learning by designing assignments specifically geared to measure achievement of each of the outcomes that are designated for each course or degree program.
In light of this data, meet (with faculty, staff, and students) at the end of each semester or academic year and revise the list of outcomes, teaching methods, curriculum, and/or program.
Repeat the above steps regularly and as needed to improve student learning.

Closing the Assessment Loop

The results from an assessment process should provide information about whether or not the intended outcomes are being achieved and how the program can be improved. An assessment process should also be designed to inform departmental faculty and other decision-makers about relevant issues that can impact the assignments, projects, and activities along with student learning. The intent should be to measure student learning to determine programmatic strengths and expose student learning needs and/or curricular/instructional weaknesses.

Download the Program Review and Continuous Improvement Process

For assistance with program and course data and to learn more about program review and continuous improvement plans,

please contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at effectiveness@collin.edu.

Reference/Resources:

University of Central Florida: “UCF Academic Program Assessment Handbook”, 2005. Courtesy of the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Macomb Community College, Warren, Michigan

Rice University, Houston, TX

Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY