Assessing for Learning
Workshop
Presented at
CCRI
February 23, 2005
Peggy Maki, Ph.D.
PeggyMaki@aol.com
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Topics Covered

Anchoring the Commitment

Integration of Teaching, Learning, and Assessing

Collective Articulation of Learning Outcome
Statements

Development of Maps and Inventories

Identification and Alignment of Assessment
Methods
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Anchoring the Commitment
Assessment?
It’s simple: you
figure out what
they want; find
the quickest,
least damaging
way to respond;
send off a report;
and then forget it.
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Origin of the Commitment
External
Internal
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How do you learn?
List several strategies you use to learn:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
_________________________
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Research on Learning that
Anchors the Commitment

Learning is a complex process of
interpretation-not a linear process

Learners create meaning as opposed to
receive meaning

Knowledge is socially constructed
(importance of peer-to-peer interaction)
National Research Council. Knowing What Students Know, 2001.
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
People learn differently—prefer certain ways
of learning (learning inventories)

Deep learning occurs over time—
transference

Meta-cognitive processes are a significant
means of reinforcing learning (thinking about
one’s thinking)
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
Learning involves creating relationships
between short-term and long-term memory

Transfer of new knowledge into different
contexts is important to deepen understanding

Practice in various contexts creates expertise
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Integrated Learning….
Cognitive
Psychomotor
Affective
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Specific Questions that Guide
Assessment

What do you expect your students to know
and be able to do by the end of their program of study
or by end of their education at your institution?

What do the curricula and other educational
experiences “add up to?”

What do you do in your classes or in your programs to
promote the kinds of learning or development that the
institution seeks?
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Questions (con’d)

Which students benefit from various
teaching/learning strategies or educational
experiences?

What educational processes are responsible for
the intended student outcomes the institution
seeks?

How can you help students make connections
between classroom learning and experiences
outside of the classroom?
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Questions, con’d:

What pedagogies/educational experiences
develop knowledge, abilities, habits of mind,
ways of knowing/problem solving?

How are curricula and pedagogy designed to
develop knowledge, abilities, habits of mind,
ways of knowing?
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
How do you intentionally build upon what
each of you teaches or fosters to achieve
programmatic and institutional objectives—
contexts for learning?

What methods of assessment capture
desired student learning--methods that align
with pedagogy, content, curricular and
instructional design?
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Integration of Teaching,
Learning, and Assessing

Pedagogy

Curricular design

Instructional design

Educational tools

Educational experiences

Students’ learning histories/styles
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Example of a Principles of
Commitment Statement
Scholarly teaching is an intellectual activity
designed to bring about documented improvements
in student learning. Scholarly teaching reflects a
thoughtful engagement and integration of ideas,
examples and resources, coupled with
pedagogically informed strategies of course design
and implementation to bring about more effective
teaching and learning. Scholarly teaching
documents the effectiveness of student learning in
a manner that models or reflects disciplinary
methods and values.
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The Scholarly Teacher….

exhibits curiosity about his/her students, student
learning and students’ learning environments

identifies issues/ questions (problems) related to
some aspect of student learning

develops, plans and implements strategies
designed to address/enhance student learning
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
documents the outcomes of his/her strategies
using methodology common to the discipline

reflects upon and shares with others his/her
ideas, designs, strategies, and outcomes of
his/her work
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
consistently and continually builds upon his/her work
and others (i.e., process is iterative)
(Statement developed by the University of Portland
2002 AAHE Summer Academy Team and contributed
by Marlene Moore, Dean, College of Arts and
Sciences)
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Collective Articulation of
Learning Outcome Statements
List the desired kinds of knowledge, abilities, habits of
mind, ways of knowing, and dispositions that you
desire your students to demonstrate:





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What Is a Learning Outcome
Statement?

Describes learning desired within a context

Relies on active verbs (create, compose,
calculate)

Emerges from our collective intentions
over time
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
Can be mapped to curricular and cocurricular practices (ample, multiple and
varied opportunities to learn over time)

Can be assessed quantitatively or
qualitatively during students’ undergraduate
and graduate careers
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
Is written for a course, program, or institution
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Levels of Learning Outcome
Statements
Institution-level Outcome Statements
Department-,Program-, Certificate-level Outcome Statements
Course/Service/Educational Experience Outcome Statements
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Distinguishing between
Objectives and Outcomes

Objectives state overarching expectations
such as-Students will develop effective oral
communication skills.
OR
Students will understand different
economic principles.
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Example from ABET

Design and conduct experiment ; analyze
and interpret data
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Compare:
Students will write
effectively.
to
Students will compose a
range of professional
documents designed to
solve problems for
different audiences and
purposes.
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Compare:
Students will write
effectively.
to
Students will summarize
recent articles on
economics and identify
underlying economic
assumptions.
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Example from ACRL
Literate student evaluates information and its
sources critically and incorporates selected
information into his or her knowledge and value
system.
ONE OUTCOME: Student examines and compares
information from various sources in order to
evaluate reliability, validity,accuracy, timeliness, and
point of view or bias.
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Ways to Articulate Outcomes

Adapt from professional organizations

Derive from mission of
institution/program/department/service

Derive from students’ work that demonstrates
interdisciplinary thinking, ways of knowing, or
problem solving
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
Derive from faculty to faculty interview
process

Derive from exercise focused on listing one
or two outcomes “you attend to”
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Characteristics of A Good
Outcomes Statement

Describes learning desired within a
context

Relies on active verbs (analyze, create,
compose, calculate, construct)

Emerges from our collective intentions
over time
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
Can be mapped to curricular and cocurricular practices (ample, multiple
and varied opportunities to learn over
time)

Can be assessed quantitatively or
qualitatively during students’
undergraduate and graduate careers
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Write several outcome statements that
capture what students should achieve
based on your interdisciplinary focus:
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How well do your outcome
statements meet characteristics
of a good statement?
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Development of Maps and
Inventories
•
Reveal how we translate outcomes into
educational practices offering students
multiple and diverse opportunities to learn
•
Help us to identify appropriate times to
assess those outcomes
•
Identify gaps in learning or opportunities to
practice
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
Help students understand our
expectations of them

Place ownership of learning on students

Enable them to develop their own maps
or learning chronologies
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How will you use maps and
inventories?

Discuss team how you will go about the
process of developing a curricular or
curricular-co-curricular map and how you will
label peoples’ entries

Discuss how you might use inventories
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Approaches to Learning

Surface Learning

Deep Learning
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List of Attachments





Questions that examine the educational
practices that underlie learning outcome
statements
Checklist for outcome statements
Dissemination of outcome statements
Curricular-co-curricular map
Inventories of assessment and educational
practices
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Works Cited
Maki, P. (2004). Assessing for Learning: Building a
Sustainable Commitment Across the Institution.
Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC, and the
American Association for Higher Education.
National Research Council. (2001). Knowing What
Students Know: The Science and Design of
Educational Assessment. Washington, D.C.:
National Academy Press
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