What do we mean by "Domains" of Assessment?
Assessments of learning occur throughout the institution.
Students, faculty, and staff are most familiar with assessment in courses. Grounded in specific learning outcomes, this work asks what have students learned and what can they do at the conclusion of a course, a course module, or even an individual task. Individual instructors are best suited to the design of assessments in their courses, though help is available through our office or Duke’s Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education.
Up a level from individual courses is learning within a program of study, for example an academic major. In such cases, we collect evidence of scaffolded learning across the program’s constituent courses. Artifacts from individual courses contribute to this body of evidence, but the course is not the focus of this level of assessment. Rather, we seek to understand the connections between courses and how they work together to achieve the learning outcomes of the program.
Although assessment in a degree program (e.g., major) is a traditional focus, some departments wish to study learning across a series of foundational courses that may be a subset of the major or in service of other disciplines. These questions can utilize measures at the level of the course (e.g., knowledge tests) but seek alignment of measures and evidence across the course series. Helping departments and programs understand student learning across courses is a major part of the Office of University Assessment’s work portfolio.
With respect to compliance with the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation, assessment in the program is documented in Section 8.2.A. (pg. 21).
Assessment also occurs across the School or College. At this level, we typically focus on the general education in the undergraduate schools. The general education curriculum is the set of experiences and competencies we expect students to have and develop regardless of major. Such courses and course types are required for graduation, again, regardless of the major. Leading up to the launch of a new curricular structure, the Office of University Assessment is developing the assessment plan for the emerging curriculum in Trinity College.
With respect to compliance with the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation, assessment in the program is documented in Section 8.2.B. (pg. 21) and is indirectly represented in Section 7 (pg. 19).
The co-curriculum refers to experiences that occur outside formal classes, but nonetheless extend and enrich students’ development of competencies, skills, and habits of mind, such as teamwork, problem solving, and oral communication. Because engagement with the co-curriculum is not required of students and because of the wide diversity of events and programs, it is difficult to actualize assessment across the co-curriculum. Instead, we tend to focus on the impacts of individual organizations.
Students interested in assessing learning in their organizations should consult their faculty or staff advisor for assistance. They also are welcome to reach out to the Office of University Assessment.
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