Using Performance Criteria to Assess Student Outcomes Teaching

Using Performance Criteria to Assess Student Outcomes Teaching & Learning Symposium May 20, 2009

Overview

Process

Sources of SLOs n Professional Communities of Practice n Accrediting Bodies n Advisory Boards n Faculty

Student Learning Outcome Examples n Students should attain… n an ability to communicate effectively n an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams n Students should gain personal and social responsibility, including n n Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global Intercultural knowledge and competence Ethical reasoning and action Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Define student outcomes with measurable performance criteria n Focus data collection on key measures of student performance. n Assure that each criteria has meaning; i. e. , the faculty will be able to use the performance measure consistently to make valuable inferences about student learning and/or achievement n Support Faculty to discuss ways to assess and measure student knowledge, skills, attitudes or values and to link these across the curriculum

Outcome Attributes to Consider • Level & Dimension of Learning • • • Cognitive Pyschomotor Affective • Learning Approach • Active • Collaborative • Problem Solving • Reflective

Performance Criteria n Facilitates the curriculum delivery strategies and assessment procedures (Rogers, 07). n Allows comparisons of performance across populations, treatments and setting n Is the “Observable and measurable manifestations of applied knowledge” (IEEE v 43, No 2, May 2000)

Clarifications

Identifying Outcomes, Objectives and Performance Criteria

Engineering Problem Solving Exp. n Engineering Programs must demonstrate that their students attain an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering

Engineering Examples n Engineering Education and Curricular Innovation site http: //www. engrng. pitt. edu/~ec 2000/outcomes_ html/BMO-attribute-g-6 -14. htm

Tools to Measure Performance Criteria n. Grades n. Portfolios n. Rubrics n. Observation (performance tasks) n. Artifacts (team meeting minutes, presentation plans, proposals, web pages, discussion threads, ) n. Employer Surveys n. Case studies n. Simulations n. Student Assessment of Learning Gains n. Quizzes n. Local/National Exams/Professional n. Alumni Survey

Strategy to Align Performance Criteria Across the Curriculum

Practical Applications …. . n Engineering Professional Development’s Tech Communication Challenges n Overview of Assessment Project to Define and Measure Effective Engineering Communication Learning Outcomes

Group Activity n Select a SLO n Develop 2 -3 performance criteria to measure student learning outcome n Identify how to assess performance criteria

Sharing Out n Ideas n Experiences n Resources

Wrap Up n Resources n Contact Us Laura Grossenbacher, Director Technical Communications Program, Engineering Professional Development Dept. grossenb@engr. wisc. edu Moira Lafayette Director of Assessment College of Engineering moiral@engr. wisc. edu

Resources n Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Retrieved on May 19, 2009 from http: //www. ala. org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency. cfm n Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Faculty Workshop on Assessing Program Outcomes, October 2008. n Besterfield-Sacre, M. , L. J. Shurman, H. Wolfe, C. J. Atman, J. Mc. Gourty, et al. (2000). Defining the Outcomes: A Framework for EC 2000. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Education, 43(2), 100 – 110. Caffarella, R. S. (2002) Planning programs for adult learners: A practical Guide for educators, trainers and staff developers. (2 nd ed. ) San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Schandler, D. (2000). Competency and the Learning Organization. Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications. n n