Understanding the Context of Student Learning
Assessment has to impact what matters. Any information must be connected to issues or questions that matter. In an institution like ours, what matters most? Education.
Assessment requires attention to both outcomes and the experiences leading to those outcomes, so it’s important to develop greater understanding of the student learning experience. You can increase understanding by examining the context for learning:
- Mission
- Outcomes
- Relevant Course/s
Mission
Outcomes assessment is a goal-oriented process—it should compare actual performance to established goals and expectations. It documents where and how program goals are taught and learned. The most significant goals and purpose should be stated in the mission. Look there to determine your comparison point.
Where questions about educational mission and values are ignored, assessment risks becoming an exercise in measuring what’s easy rather than documenting what’s important.
Outcomes
Outcomes identify particular skills, knowledge, and behaviors that students can demonstrate as a result of their engagement in academic experiences. Outcomes provide a clear statement of the most important things you want students to learn—what will they be able to do after they complete the course or program?
A good way to begin is to complete this sentence: Students will be able to…
Relevant Course/s
After you’ve written outcomes, consider the courses that directly relate to those outcomes. Decide which courses should explicitly adopt those outcomes. That way, the outcomes become embedded in your program. When you write your outcomes and then decide where they fit in your program, your assessment is more likely to be authentic.
Develop your outcomes and then see how your curriculum fits with them. If there’s a fit, then finding classes in which to include the outcomes should be easy. If they don’t fit, then either your outcomes or your courses may not align with your mission.