What Your Program
Needs to Know about
Learning Outcomes Assessment at UGA
FAQs about Assessment
What..
• are programs are required to assess
student learning?
• should it matter to faculty?
• is learning outcomes assessment?
• is required for reporting on LOA at
UGA?
Who..
• is responsible for assessment?
• evaluates your assessment practice?
Why..
When..
Where..
• should you assess and report?
• will you receive a call for reports?
• can you go for help?
Why is LOA required of your
program?
By mandate of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/2012PrinciplesOfAcre
ditation.pdf
Why is LOA required of your
program?
SACS-COC Core Standards
Why is LOA required of your
program?
Undergraduate, graduate and professional
degree and certificate programs
Why is LOA required of your
program?
UGA Academic Affairs Policy 4.12
http://provost.uga.edu/documents/learnoutcomes-assess-policy.pdf
• Faculty-driven
• Faculty-reviewed
• Comprehensive (grad, undergrad,
certificate)
What is learning outcomes
assessment?
Assessment is the ongoing process of
• establishing clear, measurable expected
outcomes of student learning
• ensuring that students have sufficient
opportunities to achieve the outcomes
• systematically gathering, analyzing, and
interpreting evidence
• using results to improve student
learning
(Suski, 2009, p. 4)
What is learning outcomes
assessment?
Define
student
learning
outcomes
Report and
plan for
future
assessment
Enact
improvements
based on the
evidence
Choose a
measure and
set criteria
Do the
assessment
and analyze
the evidence
The Assessment Cycle
What is learning outcomes
assessment?
What counts as evidence of
student learning?
Direct Evidence
•
Ratings of student skills by their field experience supervisors or employers
•
Scores and pass rates on appropriate licensure or certification exams
•
Cumulative experiences such as research projects, presentations, theses,
dissertations, oral defenses, exhibitions, and performances
•
Other significant course work (written work, performances, presentations, etc.)
•
Portfolios of student work
•
Scores on locally designed multiple-choice or essay tests such as final
examinations in key courses, qualifying examinations, and comprehensive
examinations
•
Score gains between entry and exit on published or local tests or writing
samples
•
Observations of student behavior, undertaken systematically
•
Student reflections on their values, attitudes, and beliefs
What counts as evidence of
student learning?
Indirect Evidence
•
Course grades and grade distributions
•
Quality and reputation of program (rankings)
•
Placement rates of graduates (employment or graduate programs)
•
Student ratings of their knowledge and skills and reflections on what they have
learned in the course or program
•
Questions on end-of-course student evaluations that ask about the course
rather than the instructor or learning outcomes
•
Student, alumni, and employer satisfaction with learning, collected through
surveys, exit interviews, or focus groups
•
Student participation rates in faculty research, publications, and conference
presentations
•
Honors, awards, and scholarships earned by students and alumni
What is learning outcomes
assessment?
Job
placement
Engagement,
Service
Student
Learning
Assessment
Grade
distributions
Scholarship
Retention
“Indicators of success” – relate to, but don’t equate to,
evidence of learning
What is learning outcomes
assessment?
QUIZ!
Which of the following are examples of direct
assessment of student learning?
Course evaluations
Job placement
Ratings of “good or excellent” on oral presentations
Number of passing course grades
Student satisfaction with program
Jury evaluations of musical performances
Alumni surveys
Rates of career counseling
What is learning outcomes
assessment?
QUIZ!
Which of the following are examples of direct
assessment of student learning?
Course evaluations
Job placement
Ratings of “good or excellent” on oral presentations
Number of passing course grades
Student satisfaction with program
Jury evaluations of musical performances
Alumni surveys
Rates of career counseling
Who is responsible for LOA?
The faculty who teach in the program are
responsible for
• defining outcomes
• choosing measures
• analyzing evidence
• making improvements
See again Academic Affairs Policy 4.12
Who is responsible for LOA?
Faculty are most qualified to
• influence the curriculum and its
enactment
• make meaning of assessment evidence
• use evidence of student learning to
demonstrate effective teaching
• ensure that assessment is integrated
with, not a burden upon, faculty activity
in teaching and scholarship
Who is responsible for LOA?
Recommended readings (copies here for your
review):
Hutchings, P. (2011, April). What new
faculty need to know about assessment.
Gold, L., Rhoades, G., Smith, M., & Kuh, G.
(2011, May).What faculty unions say about
student learning outcomes assessment.
Who reviews LOA practices?
Subcommittee of Program Review and
Assessment Committee (PRAC)
• 10-12 members
• Work is focused exclusively on LOA
• Follows evaluation criteria drawn from
commonly accepted LOA best practices
• Issues report and recommendations
See also “Sample LOA Evaluation Report”
What is required for LOA reporting?
Documents
Submitted by
Assessment Plan
All degree and certificate
programs
Brief Report on
Learning Outcomes
Assessment
Undergraduate degree
programs only
Full report on Learning Undergraduate and graduate
Outcomes Assessment
degree programs
See also “Program Review Outline for Evaluation of LOA”
What is required for LOA reporting?
The Assessment Plan
Each academic unit should establish and
regularly maintain an assessment plan.
The assessment plan documents a number
of core elements that are defined by the
faculty who teach in the program.
What is required for LOA reporting?
The Assessment Plan
• Defines the learning outcomes for undergraduate
students in your program (usually 4-6).
• Describes the methods the department will use to
collect data that measure the attainment of the
learning outcomes (usually 4-6).
• Describes the methods the department will use to
analyze data that reflect the attainment of the learning
outcomes.
• Describes how faculty will be involved in the various
steps of the assessment process.
• Describes how the department will use information
gathered from the analysis to improve its assessment
practice and, more importantly, student learning.
What is required for LOA reporting?
Examples of assessment plans:
http://oap.uga.edu/assessment/plan/
What is required for LOA reporting?
The Brief Data Report
• 1-2 page description of the data collected
by assessment methods in the preceding
year.
• 1/3 of the program’s learning outcomes.
• is submitted for two consecutive years.
Only undergraduate programs are asked
to submit brief reports.
What is required for LOA reporting?
The Full Report includes
• information on ALL of the program's learning
outcomes
• faculty analysis of the data
• improvements enacted or planned as a result of
that analysis.
• The full report is submitted in the third and
sixth years.
– Graduate programs are asked to submit
only full reports.
– Undergraduate programs will also submit
the full report (years 3 and 6) in addition to
the brief reports (years 1,2,4,5).
What is required for LOA reporting?
Examples of assessment reports:
http://oap.uga.edu/assessment/plan/
What is required for LOA reporting?
Upload plans and reports to the Academic
Planning System (APS) https://aps.uga.edu/APS/
This system houses
• Learning Outcomes Assessment plans and reports
• Program Review self studies
• Strategic plans for your unit/department,
• Annual Reporting documents for schools and colleges.
Access to APS is granted by request. Contact Leslie
Gordon, Associate Director for Assessment, at
gordonls@uga.edu if you think you need access.
When do you report?
October 1st
Annual reporting deadline for all
programs, any type of report.
Spring reminder issued to deans,
academic associate deans, department
heads, assessment coordinators
When do you report?
When do you report?
Assessment
cycle
Items due
Submitted by
Years 1-2
Brief Report on Learning
Outcomes Assessment
Undergraduate degree
programs only
Year 3
Full report on Learning
Outcomes Assessment
Undergraduate and
graduate degree
programs
Years 4-6
Repeat cycle described above
Year 7
Academic Program Review
Assessment reports are
concurrently evaluated by a
Undergraduate and
faculty subcommittee of the
graduate degree
Program Review and Assessment
programs
Committee (PRAC) – evaluation
and recommendations
produced
Where can you find help?
Dr. Leslie Gordon
Associate Director for Assessment
•
•
•
•
•
Assessment (re)design consultation
Informal evaluation of LOA
Department/College presentations
Interactive workshops
Classes and Faculty Learning Communities
And more! Begin your assessment redesign now!
Where can you find help?
Office of Academic Planning Website
http://www.oap.uga.edu/assessment/sloa/
Your “Exit Ticket”!
1.
a.
Which of the following is required by SACS-COC?
Quantitative data
b. Retention data
c. Defined SLOs
2. Which of the following is the best example of learning
outcomes assessment?
a. 80% of students continue to year 2 of the program
b. 94% of students find jobs in the industry
c. 33% of students writing the senior research paper could
not organize a reference list.
d. 84% of faculty averaged evaluation scores of 4.0 or better
(5-point scale).
3. Describe the faculty role with regard to learning outcomes.
Your “Exit Ticket”!
1.
a.
Which of the following is required by SACS-COC?
Quantitative data
b. Retention data
c. Defined SLOs
2. Which of the following is the best example of learning
outcomes assessment?
a. 80% of students continue to year 2 of the program
b. 94% of students find jobs in the industry
c. 33% of students writing the senior research paper could
not organize a reference list.
d. 84% of faculty averaged evaluation scores of 4.0 or better
(5-point scale).
3. Describe the faculty role with regard to learning outcomes.
The full faculty is involved in all phases of the LOA cycle.