Outcomes are achieved objectives. Outcomes provide the department
evidence that student learning has occurred. There are a number of
different types of learning outcomes, including knowledge, understanding,
application, thinking skills, general skills, attitudes, interests, appreciation,
and adjustment learning outcomes (Gronlund, 1981; Moore, 1992).
Formative Evaluations
Definition: A capstone course is designed to integrate the
knowledge, concepts, and skills
associated with a portion of or the entire sequence of study in a program
(University of Colorado at Boulder).
Examples:
- A course in which a student majoring in research and design is required to conduct an independent research project.
- A course in which a marketing major is required to develop a marketing plan for a product and present it to the marketing faculty.
- An architect major designs a set of blueprints for building a home or shopping center.
Strengths:
- Students are able to integrate knowledge and skills
- Complex thinking is assessed.
Weaknesses:
- Vague criteria for assessing performance.
- Time element may be a factor.
References:
University of Colorado at Boulder
Definition: Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are variety
of techniques used by instructors to obtain ungraded, anonymous feedback
from students. The feedback is used to assess students' understanding
of what instructors are teaching, to identify students' misconceptions,
and to clarify material and instruction that is confusing (Brookhart, 1998).
Examples:
- Self-Diagnostic Learning Log
- Classroom Assessment Quality Circle
- The One-Minute Paper (Cottell, 1990)
Strengths:
- Teachers' effectiveness can be monitored.
- Teachers are more likely to use a variety of teaching techniques
- Students are more actively engaged.
- Students' attitudes toward learning improve.
- Teaching becomes a dynamic and intellectually stimulating activity.
- Teachers receive immediate feedback. (Cottell, 1991)
Weaknesses:
- Actual gains in student learning may be small (Cottell, 1991).
- Summative information to communicate to an outside audience is limited (Ewell, 1987).
References:
Southern
Illinois University at Edwardsville
Definition: A performance-based measure is a measure that
uses student activities to assess a student's knowledge and skills. Types
of performance-based measures include portfolios, performance measures,
assessment center methods, and unobstrusive measures (Shaffer, 1992).
Examples:
- Students' artwork displayed and judged by the faculty.
- Students' photographs displayed and judged by the faculty.
- Students' writing skills assessed and samples of students' writing chosen and displayed (Shaffer, 1992).
Strengths:
- Provides evidence of performance skills.
- Shows natural progression in student learning.
- Provides multiple data points of an individual student's performance.
- Provides evidence of accountability.
- Helps students to take greater responsibility for their own learning.
- Creates a culture of self-examination.
- Projects an image of a caring and committed institution, which in turn helps recruitment and retention efforts (Forrest, 1990).
Weaknesses:
- Can be viewed as a form of intrusion.
- Vague criteria for assessing quality of performance or poor rating procedures.
- Student motivation may vary considerably across time.
- Faculty participation and time will be required to evaluate student performance.
- Faculty and student training may be required to implement performance-based assessment and to evaluate student performance (Forrest, 1990).
References:
- Forrest, A. (1990). Time Will Tell: Portfolio-Assisted Assessment of General Education. Washington, D.C.: AAHE Assessment Forum.
- Shaffer, P. (1992). Using Performance-Based Measures for Assessment. Assessment Workbook. Muncie, IN: Ball State University.
University of Colorado at Boulder
Definition: Surveys are a systematic means of
collecting data from a group of people in order to describe some aspects,
characteristics, or perceptions of the population in question. Surveys
used for formative evaluation may include current student or general studies
surveys.
Examples:
- Faculty wants to assess current students' perceptions of the academic and social climate of its department.(formative)
- The department wants to find out from its current students whether program goals and objectives are being met (formative) (Stout & Pickerill, 1992).
- An accreditation committee wants information on a program's alumni.(summative)
- Graduating seniors' perceptions of student gains in learning over their college career.(summative)
- How well in the program placing its graduates in the job market or in graduate school.(summative)
Strengths :
- Low cost.
- Conduct fairly quickly.
- Can use standardized questions.
- Respondents can take their time in responding.
- Extremely flexible.
- Face validity (Ewell, 1987).
Weaknesses:
- Opportunities to encourage respondents or to clarify misunderstandings are limited.
- Not effective in obtaining sensitive information.
- Not a direct indicator of student learning.
- Less credible than objective measures.
- Not as precise as other outcome measures (Ewell, 1987).
References:
Education Testing Services (ETS)
American College Testing Program (ACT)
North Carolina State
University
Definition: Tests are used to assess student achievement.
Tests are commonly associated with cognitive goals of the department (Moore,
1992).
Examples:
- Tests for admission into graduate school, law school, or medical school.
- An exiting exam administered by the department (e.g., a business exiting exam).
Strengths:
- Student knowledge is reliably assessed with efficiency.
- Comparisons with other groups (e.g., a norm-referenced group).
- A rich context for evaluation, decision-making, and recommendations is provided (Moore, 1992).
- A large investment of faculty time is not required.
- Tests tend to be less subjective than other outcome measures (Ewell. 1987).
Weaknesses:
- Items may be poorly constructed.
- Items may not represent the content of knowledge and skills obtained. (Moore, 1992).
- Difficult to link outcomes to teaching and the curriculum.
- Comprehensive tests may be too narrow or broad in scope.
- Number of comprehensive tests available are limited in numbers. (Heffernan, Hutchings, & Marchese, 1987).
References: