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Assessment Step-By-Step Review Questions

Review Questions for Assessment Step-By-Step


Step 1 - Writing Your Learning Objectives

Review your learning objectives, asking:

  • Do students express an interest in topics our department does not address?
  • Can students clearly demonstrate the learning objectives in their course work?
  • Based on our assessment results, are there gaps in our curriculum in terms of adequately addressing our learning objectives? Are there objectives we really do not value?
  • Are there objectives we seem to be addressing especially well? Are there objectives we hold as priorities?

Step 2 - Mapping Your Objectives Onto Your Curriculum

Review your curriculum in light of your learning objectives, asking:

  • Are we assessing students at an appropriate point in the curriculum?
  • Is there sufficient opportunity for students to develop the desired level of expertise with the material?
  • If we have discovered that our curriculum does not actually cover learning objectives we believe are priorities, where in the curriculum can we include these objectives?
  • Do we want to add courses to fill in the gaps? Subtract courses that no longer fit our priorities and/or the students' needs?

Step 3 - Developing Your Plan

Review your assessment plan, asking:

  • Does our plan meet our needs and priorities?
  • Review your departmental short and long-term assessment goals. Does your plan help you meet those goals?
  • Is our plan sustainable? Is it feasible and practical?
  • Do we have the resources (financial, emotional, faculty support, staff support) to continue with this plan?
  • If not, how can our plan be revised to be sustainable while still supplying us with meaningful assessment feedback?

Step 4 - Collecting Your Data

Review your assessment methods and tools, asking:

  • Do our assessment methods and tools help us answer our research questions?
  • Do they give us the kind of data we need to better understand how our students learn and how we can better manage our program?
  • What redesign might be necessary?
  • Are there other or additional assessment tools that may help us fill in some gaps?
  • Are there other departments that might benefit from knowing about the tools we have used?

Step 5 - Using Your Data

Review the data your department gathered, asking:

  • Does our assessment help us to better understand and improve student learning?
  • With further review, do we see any additional information that is useful for our purposes?
  • What information is embedded in the data that we may have overlooked, or can now see in a different light?
  • Did we use all the information gained to make changes or to show evidence of successful teaching practices?
  • How can we incorporate new understandings we have gained about our program?
  • Where are further adjustments needed? Are additional changes to courses or the curriculum needed?

Step 6 - Sharing Your Data

Consider the following:

  • Have we shared our assessment process and results internally?
  • Have we shared or disseminated our assessment process and results with all the necessary constituencies?
  • Are we on schedule with uploading our materials to the Assessment Module site?
  • What scholarship opportunities exist?