Office of Student Learning Assessment
Guidelines
2008 (Student Learning-Related) Assessment Reports
(Office of Student Learning Assessment to receive them by May 31st 2008)
Overview: This year’s (student learning-related) assessment reports will be received by the Office of Student Learning Assessment by May 31st 2008. As far as the submission of the reports is concerned, we have the following two-step process: firstly, all annual assessment reports will be sent electronically to Deans, Associate Deans, Directors, Chairpersons, or Program/Unit designees before May 31st 2008 (or by specific due dates set by colleges/programs/units before May 31st 2008).In the title line, please type the name of the program. Secondly, by May 31st 2008, a copy of these reports should be sent to the Office of Student Learning Assessment by the Deans, Associate Deans, Directors, Chairpersons, or Program/Unit designees to the following e-mail address:assessment@csuohio.edu. As stated before, in the title line, please type the name of the program.
Content: Detailed guidelines for the content of assessment reports are on the next pages. Please note that the purpose of assessment of student learning outcomes is to improve programs, teaching, and learning. Therefore, the most important sections of each report should be the findings of the (student learning-related) assessment data, how the data were reviewed, and if any follow-up actions were taken during the 2007-08 academic year.
In our collaborative attempt to investigate the degree to which our institution promotes community engagement, we have included references to the concept in areas marked with a star (like the one to the left of this paragraph). We would greatly appreciate your input on how your program/unit may already be involved, to varying degrees, in activities representing our faculty, students, and/or staff’s involvement in and impact on the engagement of the larger community beyond our campus. If that is the case, give us an idea of the impact we may have as an institution on our larger community whose interests we cultivate and serve.
Formats: Reports can be filed in a variety of formats:
- Narrative in Word
- Table format in Word
- Table format in Excel
Copy of Last Year’s Report: If you need a copy of last year’s report, please ask Marius Boboc (m.boboc@csuohio.edu). You could view sample reports from last year (2007) available at: http://www.csuohio.edu/offices/assessment/samplereports.html.
Due Date: Deans, Associate Deans, Directors, Chairpersons, or Program/Unit designees should receive the 2008 assessment reports before May 31st 2008 so that they can submit them to the Office of Student Learning Assessment by May 31st 2008.
| Assessment Report Sections | What Does It Mean? |
|---|---|
1) Introduction/ Context: a) What information about your program/unit is important for the reviewers of your assessment report to understand? |
a) Writing an introduction or describing the context of your program/unit is very helpful to the reviewers of assessment reports, as Associate Deans, faculty, and staff do not review assessment reports in their own colleges or divisions. This means that presenting some background information about the program/unit will help reviewers situate your assessment efforts, both in terms of achievements and improvable areas. |
| b) Has there been any change in the context of your program/unit that influenced student learning-related outcomes as well as the current report? | b) In case your program/unit structure or curriculum has changed compared to the previous academic year, include references to how that may have impacted student learning-related outcomes and the current report. |
c) Has the current assessment report included any of the recommendations made by review teams based on preview year report? |
c) Provide review teams with a general idea related to the implementation of recommendations or suggestions for improvement previously made based on your student learning-related assessment report submitted last year. The general statements made in this section should be elaborated upon in subsequent sections, wherever you have details to offer about the integration of previous review recommendations. |
2) Goals: a) What are the goals of your program/unit in terms of leading to or supporting student learning? |
a) The first question deals with the set of goals (sometimes called objectives) each program/unit has in terms of what students are expected to learn in that particular program/unit. |
| b) How and when were these student learning-related goals developed? Who was involved in the process? | b) Focusing on the community each program/unit represents, these two questions help reviewers determine the collaborative effort in developing, implementing, and evaluating these student learning objectives. |
| c) Are there program/unit goals that relate to community engagement? If so, list them. Also, include a brief definition of community engagement as identified by your program/unit. |
c) If applicable, present any relevant information related to how your program/unit goals reflect any efforts to engage the larger community in which your students are active. You may also choose to define “community engagement” according to the parameters of such efforts. For example, your students may give public performances in the community as part of a project. Another example could be having your students apply their knowledge and skills by volunteering to accomplish some community goals. Yet another example would be represented by pre-service teachers working closely with students in local area schools or other educational institutions. In all of these cases, your students have a positive impact on the larger community that they engage while they learn formally or informally. |
d) Have these goals been reviewed? If so, have they been modified based on student learning-related assessment data collected in your program/unit? Also, have the reviewers’ recommendations from the previous year report been addressed? |
d) For most programs, this section will be identical to last year’s report. However, if the program/ unit goals were modified over the course of the previous academic year, or are in the process of being modified, please make that clear. Also, if the case, specify how your program/unit has addressed the recommendations made by the review team based on your previous report. |
3) Outcomes: a)What are the intended outcomes of your program/unit in terms of leading to or supporting student learning? |
a) In this case, the first question relates to the evidence students in your program/unit could produce to demonstrate their learning or needs being met through services provided. In other words, at the end of a cycle of instruction or service providing, what proof do you have that students learned what they were expected to learn? For academic programs, the outcomes should be stated in terms of what students will know, be able to do, and/or demonstrate as dispositions deriving from the teaching and learning process. For student service units, the outcomes should be stated in terms of what students will know, be able to do, and/or demonstrate as dispositions deriving from the services provided and/or participation in sponsored activities. |
| b) How and when were these student learning-related outcomes developed for each goal listed in the section above? Who was involved? | b) Focusing on the community each program/unit represents, these two questions help reviewers determine the collaborative effort in developing, implementing, and evaluating these intended student learning outcomes. |
| c) Are there program/unit outcomes that include community engagement strategies? If so, list them. |
c) If applicable, present any relevant information related to how your program/unit outcomes reflect any efforts to engage the larger community in which your students are active. Looking at the program/unit goals supporting community engagement mentioned in the previous section, what outcomes would match/align with them? For example, if your students give public performances in the community as part of a project, what kind of evidence of community engagement would you want to collect and report on? The same question applies to the examples of having your students apply their knowledge and skills by volunteering to accomplish some community goals, as well as having pre-service teachers working closely with students in local area schools or other educational institutions. |
d) Have they been modified based on student learning-related assessment data collected in your program/unit? Also, have the reviewers’ recommendations from the previous year report been addressed? |
d) For most programs, this section will be identical to last year’s report. However, if the program/ unit outcomes were modified over the course of the previous academic year, or are in the process of being modified, please make that clear. Also, if the case, specify how your program/unit has addressed the recommendations made by the review team based on your previous report. |
4) Data collection: a)What direct and indirect methods did you use to measure the degree to which the learning (outcomes) of your students meets the goals of your program/unit? What assessment instruments/tools, methods, and processes did you use to collect student learning-related data? |
a) As a program/unit, you determine how the evidence of your students’ learning matches the goals of the program/unit. In other words, you will be emphasizing what it is that these students were actually supposed to learn from the cycle of instruction or expect as a result of the support services provided. To this effect, your program/unit utilizes a range of direct methods of assessing student learning (such as, standardized or instructor-created tests, projects, portfolios, performances, etc.). Additionally, your program/unit uses several indirect methods of assessing student learning, among which we mention surveys, questionnaires, individual student or focus group interviews, etc. |
b) Were these instruments/tools, methods, and/or processes modified over the course of the previous academic year? If so, what are the actual change and the rationale behind it? Also, have the reviewers’ recommendations from the previous year report been addressed? |
b) The last two questions emphasize any changes your program/unit may have made to the range of direct and/or indirect methods used to assess student learning. The reviewers would also benefit from an explanation describing how and why the change was made. If there are no changes in the data collection methods and procedures, this section will be the same as the last report. Also, if the case, specify how your program/unit has addressed the recommendations made by the review team based on your previous report. - For more information on direct and indirect methods of assessing student learning, see the following Web site: http://www.csuohio.edu/offices/assessment/exmeasures.html |
5) Data analysis & findings: a) How did your program/unit analyze the student learning-related assessment data collected? What are your findings/results? How do they compare to the findings/results from the previous academic year? |
a) Every program/unit is expected to have new data so this section should be updated each academic year. Comparing the most recent results to previous years is important in determining if improvements are being made or could be made. |
b) Have the reviewers’ recommendations from the previous year report been addressed? |
b) If the case, specify how your program/unit has addressed the recommendations made by the review team based on your previous report. |
6) Review of findings: a) How were faculty/staff/students in your program/unit involved in the process of reviewing the findings of your analysis of student learning-related assessment data? Who was involved (e.g. curriculum committee, department, unit, etc.)? When did the review process take place? |
a) Every program is expected to review student learning-related assessment data at least once a year, so this section should be updated each year. |
b) Have the reviewers’ recommendations from the previous year report been addressed? |
b) If the case, specify how your program/unit has addressed the recommendations made by the review team based on your previous report. |
7) Follow-up actions: a)Based on your review of findings, what changes have been made to the curriculum, activities, services, goals, and/or student learning-related outcomes in your program/unit? Also, include references to any changed made in terms of the student learning-related assessment activities, such as the kinds of student learning-related evidence collected, or the review process itself. |
a)This is one of the most important sections of the report and should be updated each year. Assessment of student learning is a form of data-driven decision making that impacts our curricula, instructional practices, and quality of support services provided. With this in mind, elaborate on the actions taken during 2007-2008 as a follow-up to the analysis of the student-learning assessment data analysis. If no actions were taken, what was the rationale behind that decision? |
b) Have the reviewers’ recommendations from the previous year report been addressed? |
b) If the case, specify how your program/unit has addressed the recommendations made by the review team based on your previous report. |
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Office of Student Learning Assessment
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue, AC225
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
Parker Hannifin Admin. Center 225
2300 Euclid Avenue
Phone: 216.875.9712