Excellent Assessment Supports Faculty Excellence http assessment uncc

Excellent Assessment Supports Faculty Excellence http: //assessment. uncc. edu/

We are consultants, educators, and collaborators Christine Robinson, Executive Director o. University (SACSCOC) accreditation Mitch Cottenoir, Director of Assessment o. Student learning outcomes, formative, and summative assessment Elise Demeter, Senior Assessment Research Analyst o. Quantitative research and grant evaluation Harriet Hobbs, Director of Assessment Systems & University Accreditation o. Assessment software (compliance assist) use & SACSCOC accreditation Karen Singer-Freeman, Director of Academic Planning & Assessment o. Strategic planning and program review http: //assessment. uncc. edu/

Introduction o. Why assessment matters o. What we do o. How we can help o. A few examples 2018 Designee

Why assessment matters… o. It provides information that puts student learning at the forefront of academic planning processes. o. Faculty gain oinsight into students’ learning oevidence of efficacy for promotion & review o. Staff and Administration prioritize efforts to align with mission o. Long range planning leads to better outcomes o. Assessment improves teaching and learning

Answering questions you care about Student learning - We provide grants to individuals or teams to examine student learning in their program o Belk College of Business – Mapped the BSBA curriculum and identified gaps o Biological Sciences - Revised curriculum to improve written communication skills of BA/BS students o Theater - Revised curriculum creating new syllabi, course materials, rubrics, and outcomes

Telling stories about learning Students o. Alumni, employer and mentor feedback o. Publishing research (Laura C. Hart and Christine Robinson) “From the Mouths of Babes”: Using a Charrette Model to Assess Student Learning and Engage External Stakeholders Faculty Accomplishments o. Faculty Showcase - Roundtable discussions where faculty share ways that professional development participation contributed to improvements in the curriculum and student learning.

Assist faculty with new initiatives o. New Data Science Degree – Incorporate JMU’s ethical reasoning and learning improvement processes o. New/Updated o. Course Strategic Plans initiatives

We support faculty Assessment grants - Individuals or teams examine student learning in major Excellence in assessment - Recognize colleges, departments, or units for the use of assessment results for improvements Educational Opportunities - Offer resources on best practices for change and learning improvement

An Example - Alignment Counting Vowels in 45 seconds How accurate are you? ADAPTED FROM SAUNDRA YANCY MCGUIRE, PH. D.

Dollar Bill Cat Lives Dice Bowling Pins Tricycle Football Team Four-leaf Clover Dozen Eggs Hand Unlucky Friday Six-Pack Valentine’s Day Seven-Up Quarter Hour Octopus

Memory Test How many words or phrases do you remember?

Now study the words again… How are the words arranged? 45 sec

Dollar Bill Cat Lives Dice Bowling Pins Tricycle Football Team Four-leaf Clover Dozen Eggs Hand Unlucky Friday Six-Pack Valentine’s Day Seven-Up Quarter Hour Octopus

Memory Test How many words or phrases do you remember?

Why does alignment matter? Aligning course goals with activities and assessments facilitates learning Activity: GOAL – Understand relation between words Activity: Deep encoding to facilitate memory Discuss ways terms are inter-related and ways they are distinct Assessment: List words Write brief essay explaining relation between several terms GOAL - Remember words

An Example – Formative Assessment What interferes with students learning what we teach? How do we know when this happened?

Formative and Summative Assessment Formative Assessment – Assessment for learning ◦ Results inform instruction by providing students and faculty with information about current state of understanding ◦ Pre-tests of knowledge ◦ Notes checks ◦ Questions in class or practice problems to gauge understanding Summative Assessment - Assessment of learning ◦ Measures growth in learning

Benefits of Formative Assessment o. Boosts student achievement o. Increases student engagement o. Increases faculty satisfaction

Formative Assessment Technique Minute Papers Students spend 1 -2 minutes at the end of class responding to: 1. What was an important topic covered during today’s class? 2. What concept in today’s lecture is still unclear or confusing to you? Found doing 1 min papers at end of each class resulted in improved o Engagement during class o Quality of writing o Identification of gaps in own understanding o Awareness of learning

To learn more o Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers 2 nd Ed. o Assessment Academy Workshops: o http: //assessment. uncc. edu/assessmentacademy-workshops o Individual consultations

Questions?