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Assessment Process General Information

  • Assessment, Accountability and Improvement: Revisiting the Tension - Examines the tensions that still exist surrounding assessment and how they can be managed or even resolved through four principles: "(1) respond visibly to domains of legitimate external concern; (2) show action on the results of assessment; (3) emphasize assessment at the major transition points in a college career; and (4) embed assessment in the regular curriculum” (Ewell 2009).
  • Assessment Examples and Tools - Provides examples and tools on how to assess students’ prior knowledge, teaching and departments and programs (Carnegie Mellon).
  • An Assessment Framework for the Community College: Measuring Student Learning and Achievement as a Means of Demonstrating Institutional Effectiveness (League for Innovation in the Community Colleges, 2004).
  • Assessment Handbook - Designed to support engineering departments and engineering faculty, (but includes valuable information for other programs as well) in creating assessment plans, conducting direct and indirect assessments of student learning, and using assessment data to identify curricular strengths and opportunities for improvement (University of Michigan, College of Engineering).
  • Authentic Learning for the 21st Century - Explores what constitutes authentic learning, how technology supports it, what makes it effective, and why it is important (Lombardi 2007).
  • Assessment Readings - A list of books, articles and websites devoted to assessment of student learning.
  • Assessment Resources by Discipline – Contains links to a variety of resources on assessment categorized by discipline. Includes STEM Education.
  • Center for Instructional Innovation & Assessment - Provides tools and techniques for program and course improvements (Western Washington University).
  • Empowering Faculty Through Assessment - Explains how faculty and administrators at Lord Fairfax Community College have made assessment a vital practice across campus. Includes a helpful table for Writing SLOs at different intellectual levels from Bloom’s Taxonomy (Simpson, K. 2009).
  • A Handbook of Outcomes Assessment for Two Year Colleges – Explores various methods and tools in carrying out assessment of student learning outcomes (Morante, 2003).
  • Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment - Extensive listing of assessment resources, updated frequently.
  • Learning Assessment - Interesting work in assessment from colleges, companies and national groups gathered together by John Tagg.
  • National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) - This website offers a number of resources for learning outcomes assessment information and is particularly focused on “making learning outcomes usable and transparent.”
  • Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning - Originally from the American Association of Higher Education.
  • Program Assessment in 24 Hours/Year - Provides “program assessment leaders” a sample sequence and estimated time plan (pp. 17-19) to carry out an assessment program (Monica Stitt-Bergh, University of Hawaii at Manoa Workshop).
  • Reflecting on Your Assessment in Departments and General Education: How to Be More Realistic, Effective and Time-Efficient – Offers many program examples (Walvoord 2012).
  • Regional Accreditation and Student Learning: A Guide for Institutions and Evaluators – Based on Five Principles: 1) Centrality of Student Learning to Mission, 2) Documentation of Student Learning, 3) Compilation of Evidence, 4) Stakeholder Involvement, and 5) Capacity Building (Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions - CRAC).
  • Texas A&M Annual Assessment Conference - Many valuable handouts from conference presentations dating back to 2006.
  • Virginia Assessment Group (VAG): Assessment Resources - Offers an Assessment Primer and other resources on outcomes assessment.
  • What Is Outcomes Assessment? - Frequently asked questions about outcomes assessment.
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