Introduction to Assessment

Assessment is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing data about teaching and learning. Assessment data can be collected about students, instructors, graduates, assignments and exams, course content, single or multiple courses, academic programs (majors, minors, certificates), non-academic programs (such as advising or tutoring), and whole colleges.

The goal of assessment is to identify strengths and weaknesses in student performance and in program implementation, and to find ways to make the program more effective. Ultimately, assessment is a process of measurement that is used for decision making purposes on how to improve a program and increase student success.

Ultimately, assessment is a process of measurement that is used for decision making purposes on how to improve a program and increase student success.

Assessment processes are often scientific and mathematical because assessment can require the use of complex methods for collecting and analyzing numerical and statistical data.  But assessment can also be a strategic art form.  Often, goals that are established and assessed depend on individual leadership skills, and explanations of data on assessment reports can rely on subjective interpretation and reasoning.  There are also several types of assessments, and each type comes with its own process and requirement for project management, collection, and analysis.

Course-Level Assessment

Assessment begins with goal setting. At the course level, goals are measured by course objectives (which are also called student learning objectives or course outcomes). For example, a common goal in a 100-level course is to “learn the vocabulary of the subject.” Once this goal or objective is established, instructors look for ways to demonstrate that students have met the goal. For example, to show that students have learned the vocabulary, an instructor may give a vocabulary quiz; that quiz is an “assessment” (it measures student learning). Student performance results from that quiz would be considered “assessment data,” and a summary, explanation, or other report that is written to explain the data would be an “assessment report.”

Where do learning objectives come from?
How do I know what data to collect?
Where can I find student performance data?
How do I interpret this data?

As these questions demonstrate, assessment can be a complex and mysterious process. Throughout this blog, I hope to clarify the process and give concrete examples to help you improve your process for collecting and analyzing data so you can use it to improve student learning and academic programs.

Program-Level Assessment

Assessment reports at the program level are written collaboratively by instructors, assessment coordinators, and administrators about a much broader range of data. The data comes from multiple courses, and it measures objectives beyond student learning. For example, it may analyze student enrollment, the cost of the program, the program’s impact on the community, student and faculty support services, student graduation and employment rates, and more.

In many cases, program objectives (or outcomes or goals) are determined by the program’s accrediting (licensing) organization. In order to maintain the accreditation, academic programs are required to demonstrate that they can meet teaching expectations (or standards) set up by the accrediting organization.  They do this by answering questions, explaining processes, providing data, reflecting on outcomes, and describing plans for improvement.  The document they produce is often called an “accreditation report,” a “self study,” or a “program review.”

Many academic institutions also have additional questions for program assessment, so the academic program frequently also has to write an internal program review, or they have to give summary reports or presentations to deans, administrative leaders, the school board, and members of the community.

In this blog, I hope to provide explanations and advice about both course-level and program-level assessments. I also plan to write about other aspects of higher education, such as academic technology, faculty development, and more.  Follow this blog by submitting your email on the right to receive notifications when new content becomes available.

Lirim Neziroski, Ph.D., MBA is an academic leader and an assessment and technology expert at a liberal arts university in the Chicago area.  Please browse the resources on this blog, and contact Lirim directly for speaking, consulting, interview, podcast, and writing opportunities.