Leave No Outcome Behind:
Teaching, Learning &
Assessment
Northern Illinois University
March 2009
Susan Hatfield
Winona State University
SHatfield@winona.edu
Plan

Assessment

Teaching

Learning
Assessment
A few things you need
to know
1. Assessment is about
student learning
Assessment
Learning
Instrument Driven
Outcome Driven
National Norms
Targets & Goals
Trend Lines
Relational Data
Collection
Analysis
How do we compare?
What does it mean?
2. It isn’t going away
3. You’re probably
already doing it
Evaluation
Assessment
Count toward
final grade
Used to see if students
understand
Tests
Scored and returned
Scored, tabulated.
returned & discussed;
adjustments to syllabus
Rubrics
Returned to students
with grade
Returned after being
aggregated & analyzed;
adjustments to syllabus
Quizzes
4. The rules have changed
1990
2000
INDIRECT
MEASURES
2010
Indirect Measures of Learning
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alumni, employer, and student surveys (including
satisfaction surveys)
Exit interviews of graduates and focus groups
graduate follow up studies
Retention and transfer studies
Length of time to degree
ACT scores
Graduation and transfer rates
Job placement rates
1990
2000
2010
INDIRECT
MEASURES
DIRECT
MEASURES
Direct Measures of Learning
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Capstone experience
Standardized tests
Performance on national licensure certification or
professional exams
Locally developed tests
Essay questions blind scored by faculty
Juried review of senior projects
Externally reviewed exhibitions performances
Evaluation of internships based upon program
learning outcomes
1990
2000
2010
PROCESS
MEASURES
OUTCOME
MEASURES
1990
2000
2010
CLASSROOM
ASSESSMENT
PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
1990
2000
2010
INSTITUTIONAL
RESPONSIBILITY
PROGRAM
RESPONSIBILITY
1990
2000
2010
INSTITUTIONAL
EFFECTIVENESS
STUDENT
LEARNING
5. It’s a bumpy ride
Evolutionary Trajectories
02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
Mature
Making
Progress
Beginning
6. It’s all about student
learning outcomes
Program Level
Student Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to
<<action verb>> <<something>>
•
Program Level
Student Learning Outcomes
•
•
•
•
Learner Centered
Specific
Action oriented
Cognitively appropriate for the
program level
COMPREHENSION
EVALUATION
APPLICATIONANALYSIS SYNTHESIS
KNOWLEDGE
Cite
Count
Define
Draw
Identify
List
Name
Point
Quote
Read
Recite
Record
Repeat
Select
State
Tabulate
Tell
Trace
Underline
Associate
Classify
Compare
Compute
Contrast
Differentiate
Discuss
Distinguish
Estimate
Explain
Express
Extrapolate
Interpolate
Locate
Predict
Report
Restate
Review
Tell
Translate
Apply
Calculate
Classify
Demonstrate
Determine
Dramatize
Employ
Examine
Illustrate
Interpret
Locate
Operate
Order
Practice
Report
Restructure
Schedule
Sketch
Solve
Translate
Use
Write
Arrange
Analyze
Assemble
Appraise
Collect
Calculate
Compose
Categorize
Construct
Classify
Create
Compare
Design
Debate
Formulate
Diagram
Integrate
Differentiate
Manage
Distinguish
Organize
Examine
Plan
Experiment
Prepare
Inspect
Prescribe
Inventory
Produce
Question
Propose
Separate
Specify
Summarize
Synthesize
Test
Write
Appraise
Assess
Choose
Compare
Criticize
Determine
Estimate
Evaluate
Grade
Judge
Measure
Rank
Rate
Recommend
Revise
Score
Select
Standardize
Test
Validate
Lower division course
outcomes
COMPREHENSION
EVALUATION
APPLICATIONANALYSIS SYNTHESIS
KNOWLEDGE
Cite
Count
Define
Draw
Identify
List
Name
Point
Quote
Read
Recite
Record
Repeat
Select
State
Tabulate
Tell
Trace
Underline
Associate
Classify
Compare
Compute
Contrast
Differentiate
Discuss
Distinguish
Estimate
Explain
Express
Extrapolate
Interpolate
Locate
Predict
Report
Restate
Review
Tell
Translate
Apply
Calculate
Classify
Demonstrate
Determine
Dramatize
Employ
Examine
Illustrate
Interpret
Locate
Operate
Order
Practice
Report
Restructure
Schedule
Sketch
Solve
Translate
Use
Write
Upper division
Course / Program
outcomes
Arrange
Analyze
Assemble
Appraise
Collect
Calculate
Compose
Categorize
Construct
Classify
Create
Compare
Design
Debate
Formulate
Diagram
Integrate
Differentiate
Manage
Distinguish
Organize
Examine
Plan
Experiment
Prepare
Inspect
Prescribe
Inventory
Produce
Question
Propose
Separate
Specify
Summarize
Synthesize
Test
Write
Appraise
Assess
Choose
Compare
Criticize
Determine
Estimate
Evaluate
Grade
Judge
Measure
Rank
Rate
Recommend
Revise
Score
Select
Standardize
Test
Validate
7. Assessment requires
exertion and intention
Exertion without Intention
Intention without Exertion
Intention and Exertion
Teaching and Learning
Campus Climate
 Meteorological
 Seasonal
metaphor
 Changing
 Uneven
 Perpetuated
by individuals
 Something an university HAS
Campus Culture
 Anthropological
 Deep
Metaphor
rooted
 Defended
 Perpetuated by structures, policies,
procedures, behaviors
 What a university IS: Who you
ARE
Culture

Cultures cannot be consciously
created -- they can be promoted,
but an college’s culture arises from
the interaction of multiple
variables.
Evidence of Culture
 Vocabulary
 Metaphors
 Legends,
stories, mythologies,
folklore
 Symbols
 Rites & Rituals
Evidence of Culture
 Written
Materials
 Formal & Informal Policies and
Procedures
 Organizational Structure
 Social Knowledge
 Reward Structure
Student Learning:
Climate or Culture?
Focus on Student Learning:
Climate or Culture?
Isolated
Pervasive
Temporary
Ongoing
Personality Driven
Structurally Driven
Surface
Embedded
External
Internal
Accreditation
Improvement
Focus on Student Learning:
Climate or Culture?
Isolated
LEADERSHIP
Temporary
Pervasive
Ongoing
KNOWLEDGE Structurally Driven
Personality Driven
Surface
SUPPORT & RESOURCES Embedded
External
COMMITMENT
Accreditation
Internal
Improvement
Reflection
Does NIU have a climate or a culture of
student learning?
Must exceed the Difficulty of the Task
Moving toward a
Culture of Student
Learning
A
Culture of Learning requires a
fundamental shift away from a
focus on Teaching
T
E
A
C
H
E
R
C
E
N
T
E
R
E
D
Knowledge is communicated
from professor to student
Students construct knowledge
through gathering and
synthesizing information
Students passively receive
information
Students are
actively involved
Emphasis on acquisition of
knowledge in a specific context
Emphasis on applying knowledge
to new situations and issues
Professor’s role is to be
primary information
giver and evaluator
Professors role is to
coach and facilitate
Teaching and assessing
are separate
Teaching and assessing are
intertwined
L
E
A
R
N
E
R
C
E
N
T
E
R
E
D
T
E
A
C
H
E
R
C
E
N
T
E
R
E
D
Assessment is used
to monitor learning
Assessment is used to
promote and diagnose learning
Emphasis is on the
right answers
Emphasis is on generating
better questions and learning
from errors
Desired learning is
assessed indirectly
Desired learning is assessed
directly
Focus is on a single
discipline
Approach is compatible with
interdisciplinary learning
Culture is competitive
and individualistic
Culture is collaborative,
cooperative, supportive
L
E
A
R
N
E
R
C
E
N
T
E
R
E
D
Reflection


What elements of the teacher-centered
focus are embedded in the culture of
NIU?
What elements of the learner-centered
focus are embedded in the culture of
NIU?
Shifting from a
Teaching Focused to a
Learning Focused
Institution
Reflection on Teaching

How did you get to be a good teacher?
What Good Teachers Do
Understand learning theory
Prepare carefully
Identify learning outcomes
Consider instructional strategies
Respect their students
Assess their students and themselves
Bane, K. What Good Teachers Do
Facilitating Learning: The
Seven Principles for Good
Practice







1. Student-Faculty Contact
2. Cooperative Learning
3. Active Learning
4. Prompt Feedback
5. Time on Task
6. High Expectations
7. Respect for Diverse Talents and Ways of
Learning
According to the HLC:
Assessment should be viewed as
“ a strategy of inquiry into student
learning and actions taken to improve
student learning.”
From the HLC powerpoint presentation Making a Difference in Student Learning: Assessment as a Strategy of Inquiry
Guiding Questions - Student
Learning
1. How are your stated student learning
outcomes appropriate to your mission,
programs, degrees, and students?
2. What evidence do you have that students
achieve your stated learning outcomes?
3. In what ways do you analyze and use
evidence of student learning?
Guiding Questions - Student
Learning
4. How do you ensure shared responsibility
for student learning and assessment of
student learning?
5. How do you evaluate and improve the
effectiveness of your efforts to assess
and improve student learning
6. In what ways to do you inform the public
and other stakeholders about what and
how well your students are learning?
Relatively Easy Changes
Faculty Can Make to
Enhance Learning
Course Design


Instead of….
Letting the textbook
determine the content
of the course


Try…….
Focus the course on
the specific learning
outcomes for the
course
Instruction


Instead of….
Focusing on “getting
through the material”


Try…….
Using Classroom
Assessment
Techniques to make
sure students
understand before
moving on to the next
concept
Feedback


Instead of….
Trusting students
understand when they
don’t seem to have any
questions.


Try…….
Asking students to
demonstrate what
they have learned
through a one minute
paper or summary and
the end of the class
period.
Quizzes


Instead of….
Giving points for
quizzes that count
toward the final
grade.


Try…….
Use quizzes
frequently to see how
students if students
are progressing in
their learning.
Exams


Instead of….
Returning exams
without discussion


Try…….
Conducting an analysis
of which items
students missed, and
figure out how to help
them understand.
Rubrics


Instead of….
Returning the rubric
to the students with
your evaluation of
their performance


Try…….
Aggregating your
student’s performance
on each dimension of
the rubric to see in
what areas they are
having problems.
Course Structure


Instead of….
Moving forward even
if students are lagging
behind.


Try…….
Readjusting the
syllabus or offering
additional resources
and support for those
students who haven’t
yet grasped the
material.
Program Level Assessment


Instead of….
Having a huge list of
every single concept
to be learned in the
program


Try…….
Identifying the top
five or six things you
want students to know
or be able to do and
map those outcomes
to the courses in the
curriculum.
Assessment


Instead of….
Conducting an
assessment program
without telling the
students about it…


Try…….
Making the learning
outcomes for the
course and program
explicit to the
students so they know
what is expected of
them.
Assessment


Instead of….
Collecting tons of data


Try…….
Focus on a few key
learning outcomes and
collect, discuss and
analyze that data.
Assessment


Instead of….
Attempting to revise
an entire course.


Try…….
Take one class or
lesson (this semester!)
and try to approach it
differently.
Reflection
What can you do to help transform NIU
toward a culture of student learning?
Leave No Outcome Behind:
Teaching, Learning &
Assessment
Northern Illinois University
March 2009
Susan Hatfield
Winona State University
SHatfield@winona.edu