Achieving Student Learning Outcomes
October 2014
Student-to-Student Peer Assessment
Peer assessment is a process through which students and professors share in the assessment of student
work. “Researchers find that peer assessment deepens students’ understanding of their own learning and
empowers students to become more actively engaged and self-directed in their learning processes.” (See
source.) The UT-Austin Center for Teaching and Learning includes a peer assessment guide which
provides insights regarding the following topics:

13 tips for effectively implementing peer assessment.

Answers to questions (such as “Won’t students simply agree to award each other high marks?”)
related to peer assessment.
Preliminary Alumni Survey Results:
Job Responsibilities of Graduate Students
In September, we administered the first alumni survey of graduate students that is focused on student
and program outcomes. Graduates from 2003 to 2013 were invited to complete the survey. More than
500 (539) graduates have responded to the survey, resulting in a 24% response rate. The survey is
ongoing; preliminary results are below. Final results will be included in next month’s newsletter.
Which of the following job responsibilities are part of your current position? (Please check all
that apply.)
Number of
graduates
Percent of
graduates
Research
201
54%
Planning
198
53%
Project management
197
53%
Management
152
41%
Design
148
40%
Computational analysis
146
39%
Risk analysis
137
37%
Operation/inspection
113
30%
Auditing/review
109
29%
Working with clients or colleagues who are located
outside the U.S.
107
Product/process development
101
27%
Teaching
98
26%
Programming
71
19%
Responsibility
Total responses
374
29%
Predicting First to Second Year Student Persistence
The Office of Assessment conducts ongoing statistical analyses to predict first to second year student
persistence and graduation rates.

This persistence model predicted a first to second year persistence rate of 93.8% for the Fall
2013 cohort (full-time, first-time, degree seeking students).

Actual retention for this cohort is 93.7%, which is the highest rate in Mines history.
While many persistence models include involvement/engagement measures, the Mines model is based
primarily on the following factors:

Academic performance in high school

Academic performance at Mines

Demographic characteristics

Enrollment/registration status for fall (monitored from April to August)
Conclusions:

Not surprisingly, academic performance at Mines is the strongest predictor of persistence from
first to second year.

Performance in calculus courses, performance in chemistry courses, and the number of credits
earned in the first year are particularly strong predictors.

High school G.P.A. and AP credits are also statistically significant factors in the persistence
model.
Importance of faculty excellence and interactions with students:

The interaction among variables, rather than a single variable, impacts persistence rates.
Although not as easily quantifiable as the variables referenced above, faculty/student
relationships are also critical to students’ learning, success, and retention.

A recent Chronicle of Higher Education article highlights the important role of faculty in student
success and retention. “While conducting research for our book, How College Works, we saw
how a single meeting with a professor to work through a paper could have a decisive effect on a
student’s writing and how just a single visit to a faculty member’s home could significantly shift a
student’s entire vision of the college experience. Time and again, finding the right person, at the
right moment, seemed to have an outsize impact on a student’s success…” (See source.)
Teaching Faculty Travel Awards and
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons Conference
Teaching faculty members are eligible to apply for funding to reimburse expenses related to conference
presentations and attendance. Presentations and attendance at conferences related to improving
teaching practices, enhancing student learning, and supporting the teaching mission of Mines may be
funded by this initiative. Teaching faculty are eligible to receive up to $1,500 in travel funds per fiscal
year. Additional details, including a list of recent award recipients, are online.
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons Conference, hosted by the Center for Teaching at
Technology at Georgia Southern University, is an example of a conference that could be funded by this
funding program. The conference will include several tracks: teaching with technology; online learning;
assessment of student learning; academic and professional development; learning theories and
pedagogy and student led SoTL research. Conference dates are March 25-27, 2015. Additional
information about the conference is available online.