College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Assessment
What is Assessment?
One useful definition for learning outcomes assessment is “the systematic collection of information about student learning, using the time, knowledge, expertise and resources available, in order to inform decisions that affect student learning.”
The Assessment Process
There are 3 basic steps in the assessment process:
- Setting goals; this entails defining a set of learning outcomes that you wish to assess;
- Gathering information (also called “measures” or “evidence”); this includes data collection and analysis to assess if students are learning what you intend them to learn; and
- Taking action; this means using the information gathered to improve student learning. This is called “closing the loop” in assessment parlance.
Best Practices
- Best Practices in Learning Outcomes Assessment
- 10 Myths About Learning Outcomes Assessment
- Five Dimensions of Good Assessment
- RU Process Model on Program Assessment
Support
- A Model for Learning Objectives – A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy on Educational Objectives (Iowa State University)
- Examples of Direct and Indirect Measures
- Rubrics: RCampus, an online resource with rubrics for all levels
- Focus Groups
- Glossary on Assessment
- Online Resources
Forms
- Assessment Plan Template
- Assessment Report Template
- Assessment Template for LS:HSS
Barbara E. Walvoord, Assessment, Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education 2nd Edition (Jossey-Bass, 2010), 2.
