STUDENT LEARNING AND
ASSESSMENT
Council for Advancement of Student Learning
(CASL), 2009 Student Learning Mini-Conference
WELCOME!
Overview of the Day
UMD Council for Advancement of
Student Learning
www.d.umn.edu/vcaa/assessment
STUDENT LEARNING &
ASSESSMENT
Session Learning Objectives
& Transformative Assessment
PARTICIPANTS OF THIS SESSION WILL…
1.
Be familiar with the concept of transformative
assessment
2.
Know UMD’s proposed student learning goals and
outcomes
3.
Know the timeline for submitting Parts 1, 2, & 3 of
their program’s assessment plan
4.
Be familiar with the assessment planning templates
Identify available resources for creating and
implementing program assessment plans
5.
WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE
WORD(S) … ASSESSMENT OR ASSESSMENT OF
STUDENT LEARNING?

PRINCIPLES OF TRANSFORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
Mission Specific
 Focus on Student Learning
 Participatory
 Meaningful
 Sustainable
 Formative

• Outcomes should be created by those who will use the
data – faculty and program staff
• Assessment should draw from what programs are
already doing
ASSESSMENT – CLOSED FEEDBACK LOOP
TRANSFORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
While a closed feedback loop is essential, it is not
enough
Programs must also continually monitor and
intentionally increase the quality of the program
through each assessment cycle
An Upward Spiral
Still identify goals and outcomes and
still measure those outcomes,
but with ever-increasing improvement of the
quality of student learning as the spiral
moves upward
UMD LEARNING GOALS AND
OUTCOMES
INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES

Council for Advancement of Student Learning (CASL)
Charged with developing a comprehensive assessment plan for UMD
 Recommended six institutional learning outcomes, which were
approved by EPC in December 2008


Student Development Assessment Team (SDAT)
Charged with developing student development learning outcomes
 Conducted review of recommended best practices
 Recommended melding of academic and student development
outcomes into one set of student learning outcomes


Based on SDAT’s recommendation, CASL revisited UMD’s
learning outcomes and expanded to a set of nine inclusive
outcomes

Represents a holistic approach to learning in which the learning
experiences of students in the classroom and outside the class all
contribute to the attainment of UMD's goals and objectives for
learning
 Introduced to EPC 9/16 for discussion at next meeting.
UMD STUDENT LEARNING GOALS
Mission (excerpt from UMD mission statement)
At UMD, a firm liberal arts foundation anchors a variety of traditional degree programs,
outreach offerings, and selected professional and graduate studies. Active learning
through internships, honors programs, research, and community service promotes the
development of skills, critical thinking, and maturity sought by society.
Student Learning Goals
UMD promotes six major student learning goals at the undergraduate level:
1.
Knowledge—Knowledge acquisition, construction, integration, and application
2.
Thinking—Cognitive complexity
3.
Self-Realization—Intrapersonal development
4.
Relationships—Relational interdependence
5.
Social Responsibility—Community engagement and humanitarianism
6.
Life Skills—Practical competence
Students will receive instruction and practice in these goal areas through the liberal education core,
academic majors and minors, and student development programs. Collectively, these academic
and student development programs provide opportunities for students to attain UMD’s learning
outcomes.
UMD STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
UMD undergraduate graduates will be able to…








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Demonstrate competence in a major field. (Knowledge)
Construct, integrate, and apply knowledge from instruction and
experience. (Knowledge)
Think critically and creatively in seeking solutions to practical and theoretical
problems. (Thinking)
Use ethical reasoning to make informed and principled choices. (Social
Responsibility and Self-Realization)
Demonstrate self-knowledge across a range of developmental areas. (SelfRealization)
Communicate effectively through writing, speaking, and interpersonal and
group interactions. (Relationships)
Apply understanding of cultural differences in diverse environments. (Social
Responsibility)
Contribute to local, national and global communities in which they live. (Social
Responsibility)
Apply life skills to succeed in college and beyond. (Life Skills)
TIMELINE & TOOLS
October 15 – Step 1
Align Program Outcomes with
UMD Student Learning Outcomes
STEP 1 TEMPLATE - OCTOBER 15, 2009
Templates are available at
http://www.d.umn.edu/vcaa/assessment/forms.html
Review outcomes and indicate how each contributes
to the UMD Student Learning Outcomes
 It is not necessary to have a program outcome
mapped to every UMD student learning outcome

T IPS :
• Strive to develop 5-6 program outcomes
• During the assessment process, be open to
revising program outcomes
LEARNING GOAL  OUTCOME MATRIX
Campus Learning
Goals
Knowledge
Knowledge
Acquisition,
Construction,
Integration, &
Application
Campus Learning
Outcomes
Students will be able to:
SLO #1. Demonstrate
competence in a major
field(s)
SLO #2. Construct,
integrate, and apply
knowledge from
instruction and
experience
Examples of general learning
outcomes
Examples of program
learning outcomes
Knowledge acquisition from study
and experience. Possess knowledge
of human cultures and the physical
world; possess knowledge of [a
specific] one or more subjects
From B.A.Sc. Psychology:
….understand basic
research methods in
psychology, including
research design, data
analysis, and
interpretation.
Knowledge integration. Connecting
knowledge to other knowledge,
ideas, and experiences. Use
multiple sources of information and
their synthesis to solve problems;
know how to access diverse sources
of information such as the internet,
text observations, and data bases
From B.S. Computer
Information
Systems:…design,
develop, and analyze
significant software
systems.
Knowledge construction.
Personalize learning; make meaning
from text, instruction, and
experience; use experience and
other sources of information to
create new insights; generate new…
From Advising…Students
will be competent in
seeking out relevant and
credible information
through multiple
resources.
(more)
(more)
TIMELINE & TOOLS
November 15 – Step 2
Map Curriculum/Activities to
Program Outcomes
STEP 2 TEMPLATE - NOVEMBER 15, 2009
Examine curriculum/activities to identify where program
outcomes are being addressed
 All faculty/staff in the program should participate in
these discussions

T IP :
• Start with your program’s core courses - those
courses required by all students in the major
TIMELINE & TOOLS
December 15 – Step 3
Build Assessment Plan
STEP 3 TEMPLATE - DECEMBER 15, 2009
Identify the ways that outcomes will be measured
 Identify the cycle for data collection

All program outcomes must be measured at least
once by the spring of 2012
Academic Program – Optional Template
To collect information from faculty about required courses:
• Map course objectives to program outcomes
• Identify course-embedded assessments
COURSE-EMBEDDED ASSESSMENT
Review materials generated by students in a course to
determine what evidence it provides that students have
met specified student learning outcomes
 Important: The intent is not to second-guess the faculty
assignment of grades but only to focus on the
assessment of student learning outcomes
 Examples:

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Questions embedded in final exams
Common questions in tests/exams across course sections
Rubrics used to grade a class project, presentation, or
performance
Session Today – 2:30 - Garden Room:
Pre/post tests
A funny thing happened on the way to the
Samples of student work
assessment with Geoff Bell
BUILDING A CAMPUS ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
Embedded assessments and other measures…
 Provide data to measure achievement of
program outcomes…
 Which are aligned to campus outcomes.

A database that holds all the connections between
program and campus outcomes, and tracks the
measures of those outcomes, will allow data from
multiple sources to measure a particular campus
outcome.
RESOURCES & TOOLS
ePortfolio, staff, online, etc.
ePORTFOLIO
Updated version with enhancements to support
authentic assessment of student learning
 Includes…

Tools to guide student input of work
 Assessment rubrics
 Explicit communication of program outcomes to
students
 Student responsibility for synthesis of work and
achievements

Sessions Today – Rafters:
ePortfolio Pilots @ 10:30-11:45 and 2:30-3:45 p.m.
Technology for Assessment @ 4:00-5:15 p.m.
SUPPORT & RESOURCES

Assessment webpage: www.d.umn.edu/vcaa/assessment/

Assessment Grants – information on assessment website

Assessment Staff:
Jackie Millslagle, assessment director
 Shannon Godsey – academic program assessment plans
 Mary Keenan – co-curricular program assessment plans
 CASL & SDAT members


IDS Workshops on November 4 & 5: Program Outcomes
Mapping

Knowledge Management Center - assistance with
developing ePortfolio assessment communities

Future webinars and discussion opportunities
Mini-Assessment: Question 1
1. When we talk about transformative assessment
being predicated on an “upward spiral,” what do we
mean?
a. The ultimate goal of assessment is to measure
as much as possible.
b. The ultimate goal of assessment is ever
increasing improvement in the quality of student
learning.
c. The ultimate goal of assessment is to measure as
many students as possible.
d. The ultimate goal of assessment is to broaden
measures until the entire campus is included in
the assessment activity.
Mini-Assessment: Question 2
2. At this point in time, UMD has proposed how
many campus-wide student learning outcomes?
a. 3
b. 6
c. 9
d. 12
Mini-Assessment: Question 3
3. Which of the following activities do we hope
that programs will accomplish by November
15?
a. Mapping Curriculum/Activities to Program
Outcomes
b. Align Program Outcomes with UMD
Student Learning Outcomes
c. Programs Submit Their Actual Assessment
Plans
Mini-Assessment: Question 4
4. UMD’s proposed student learning outcomes
represent an effort to tap into six student
learning goals. Which of the following is NOT
one of those six?
a. Self-realization
b. Knowledge
c. Social Responsibility
d. Vocational Aspiration
Mini-Assessment: Question 5
5. Which of the following is your best source of
information if you want to increase your
knowledge of ePortfolio?
a. Students who actually are being asked to
use the system
b. Your associate dean
c. Your collegiate student affairs office
d. The Knowledge Management Center