Closing the Loop in AAEC 2305, Fundamentals and Agricultural & Applied Economics
At the end of every long semester (fall and spring semesters), a learning assessment instrument is used to evaluate the acquisition of learning outcomes in every section of AAEC 2305 (usually four sections of this course are taught every long semester). These results are posted in TracDat, and a rolling horizon assessment of these results is performed to identify areas/sections of the course that need to be re-emphasized by instructors to make sure students are acquiring the skills and knowledge we want students to obtain from this key course in our program.
We have been using this approach since spring 2009 and have found that generally speaking students taking this course have performed at a “satisfactory” level (better than 80% average every semester) ever since we have been conducting this assessment. The results from this assessment are routinely reviewed at our faculty retreat in the summer and have, over time, influenced the adoption of new materials (new books and updated relevant information) and the manner in which communication and examples are presented by instructors in this course.