Assessment of Student Learning

 In the mammoth NCA review of 2003, North Central Accreditation was not happy with UWC's progress in assessing student learning.  They've given us 3 years to shape-up, or undergo re-accreditation. 

Political Science has been in the vanguard of efforts to  demonstrate that students are learning what we are teaching.   All ranked members participate and increasingly the IAS.  This is an important part of your job; it is part of your contract.  NCA seemed to think the UWC ought to adopt punitive measures for those who do not participate.    

NOTE THAT YOUR SYLLABUS MUST CONTAIN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ASSESSMENT, WHAT IS BEING ASSESSED AND HOW, AND HOW IT IS BEING MEASURED.  WE'RE UP FRONT WITH THE STUDENTS.  

Just grade reports is inadequate, although NCA wants the assessment to impact on student grades.  Hmmm.

We now have a set of skills and breadth requirements from which we have drawn certain ones for departmental testing.  Richard Flannery is our Dept. Assessment Coordinator (DAC) and in fall of 2003 we are modifying, expanding, and intensifying what we are doing in assessment. 

Currently the  department has chosen the proficiency that lies within the  "CLEAR & LOGICAL THINKING" category:  Students should be able  to:

•  Evaluate situations of social responsibility.

•   Make decisions based on an informed understanding of the moral and ethical issues involved.

•   Understand and conduct a discussion of alternative ethical views and priorities (verbally and in writing),

•    Do so with fairness and civility

The standard we use for meeting expectations is: 

  MEETS EXPECTATIONS: understands that there is more than one point of view on the values controversy presented; is able to make cogent values arguments; demonstrates adequate factual knowledge of political, legal, partisan, ideological, and moral CONTEXT of how this issue is discussed in contemporary politics

EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS: demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of at least part of the values controversy; shows a mastery of the factual context; might present original points of argument; indicates how a particular dispute relates to other disputes in contemporary politics

 FAILS TO MEET EXPECTATIONS: cannot seem to move beyond single point of view; shows confusion or misunderstanding of facts surrounding the values dispute; responds emotionally to the issue or parrots bumper-sticker positions

Each of us has been choosing measures to test the proficiency.   We have used  use individual questions from either MC, TF, essay tests.  (The grades for individual questions have to be recorded to do this.) We use special writing assignments, such as a report on a case study, or article assigned, or a  Time/Newsweek, etc., article, tying the issues to class.   All of us have used essay measures, with each of us assessing our own students' work.  

NCA didn't want instructors to be assessing their own students' work unless the measures were objective.  Ouch.  

NCA didn't like the idea of our using Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS; from Angelo and Cross), pre and post tests, surveys of satisfaction,  but their "ideal" program used all of them, as indirect measures.     

NCA wants more concrete breadth-of-knowledge items to be tested:  content, not just a skill proficiency.  We're grappling with that.  

For you, the  major difficulty is likely to be the  record-keeping along the way.  It takes time to develop an Excel spreadsheet, or hard copy spreadsheet to note the grade for each question on an essay test (as well as the total), or identifying and recording answers for specific objective test questions or define/identify items.  (A total  test grade won't work.)  We've learned to do it, and expect that you will too.  Note that attention in advance to assessment requirements will ease the pain. 

 Since we are supposed to improve our teaching over time, it is unrealistic to expect 100% of the students will exceed expectations.  Our department has been in the forefront of assessment, and for two years have measured the abilities of students with 45+ credits versus those with less.  

NCA also wants to know what we have done to remedy problems.  All of us have modified our teaching to get better results, but we may have failed to report to the DAC just what we've done with what effect. 

The reports we send into the DAC who collapses these into department-wide data, and submits it to central.  There is no identification of individual faculty performance, and no penalty.  

  E-mail for more information:  rflanner@uwc.edu  And the Department will email more details after our Fall 2003 meeting.