What is assessment and what is the assessment cycle?

A quick Google search will uncover dozens if not hundreds of common-sense definitions of “assessment.”  In this office, we think about assessment as the ongoing process of rigorous self-study that:

  • documents good educational practice,
  • helps faculty and staff create, revise, or enhance learning opportunities for students,
  • informs students’ own understandings of their development,
  • enables rich discussions of our mission and values as a learning community, and
  • provides evidentiary support for external reports including the requirements of accreditation and funding proposals. 

The assessment cycle can be illustrated in a variety of ways (see these Google search results), but these visualizations all are based on the idea that assessment processes start with articulations of objectives, and moves through the collection, interpretation and discussion of evidence, before using findings to make informed plans for future teaching and learning.  The process is iterative and introspective.

Writing and Organizing Student Learning Outcomes

Well-conceived and well-worded outcomes are the foundation of an effective assessment plan.  They should represent and operationalize the program’s mission in clear, measurable statements of students’ attainment and learning progress.

A curriculum map or matrix is an illustration of student learning outcomes across a learning experience (whether a topic, a course, or a program of study). The curriculum map can be used to:

  • Understand the learning journey across experiences
  • Facilitate discussion among stakeholders
  • Select and schedule appropriate assessment tasks
     

Resources:

DESIGNING OR CHOOSING MEASURES OR INSTRUMENTS

It also is helpful to understand some of the terms assessment experts use to characterize and evaluate the suitability of an assessment measure.

There are many types of learning measures available to instructors and academic programs. The following sites illustrate and describe the many options for measurement and collection of evidence.

Standardized Tests Used in Trinity College through 2023 to study Curriculum 2000

  • Although exams and essays traditionally have been commonly-used assessment techniques, there are a variety of other ways to collect useful feedback about teaching and evidence of student learning. 
  • Summary from Indiana University

MEAUSURE AND INSTRUMENT TYPES

 

There are many peer-reviewed journal pieces and other publications supporting and critiquing course evaluation processes. The following selections focus on the use of evaluation results to inform teaching practice and program-level assessment.

Many assessment practitioners use the term “Closing the loop” to describe the resolution of an assessment process.  The interpretation of evidence leads to well-informed updates to the curriculum or educational practice. This stage usually involves the sharing of written reports and/or presentations with specific recommendations for action.

There are a variety of ways assessment findings can be shared with others.  The suitability of the medium or venue depends on the confidentiality of the findings and the audience’s need-to-know. 

Options for sharing findings include:

  • Discussions within department or program meetings
  • Essays published in peer-reviewed journals, trade publications, or popular media
  • Newsletters within the department or program
  • Summaries on the department’s or program’s website
  • Student gatherings like the Majors Fair

Discussions among faculty and staff may be the most critical venue as it invites real-time dialogue and deliberation.  Moreover, this is the context in which decisions will be made about the curriculum, courses, pedagogy, and student support services.  Acting upon information is an essential stage of good assessment.

Examples of decisions include:

  • Changing program requirements
  • Updating content of one course to prepare students for a subsequent course
  • Offering additional training and support to TAs
  • Seeking summer funding for updates to course pedagogy
  • Adding an assessment measure to fill in gaps in information.

The term “Closing the Loop” is a bit of a misnomer because the assessment cycle never really closes. As we make evidence-guided adjustments to our work, we restart the process with new or revised learning outcomes and updated targets for student learning. 

Research Utilization

Assessment in Specific Learning Contexts