Assessment
Image credit: George Washington University
Assessment is a key area for institutions of higher education. Accrediting bodies want to see that there is some thought and effort going into assessment projects, including the articulation of learning goals, ongoing programs of assessment, and explanations of how assessment results will be used to improve programs of study.
In the long term, the kinds of assessment that we are interested in seeing will be very specific to the needs of departments and programs and the development of courses. Assessment is a great opportunity to reevaluate the stated learning outcomes of each program, and it provides useful insight into areas of pedagogy and development that may not have been studied in such a way before.
Chairs, Directors and administrators from universities across the country have been bewildered and blind-sided by the requirement for assessment. Temple University, fortunately, is not in that position. Here, within our own college, we have had assessment in operation for over a decade. We have staff and facilitators who have experience with assessment and the ways and means to carry it out. The purpose of this website is to ensure that we are all aware of the resources within our walls, and to make as much information available as possible.
Learning Objectives for Assessment
Each department and program in the College of Liberal Arts has learning objectives for students. These learning objectives are the basis for assessment as they are the what we say we are teaching our students; we assess to see what success we are achieving with students in these specific areas.
Writing Your Assessment Plan
How do you design improvement projects? Here are some useful guides to assist you in the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQ’s we’ve put together about the assessment process.
Online Resources
Documents, links, and examples of assessment and periodic program review geared to the Temple community.
Assessment Resources from the Association of American Colleges and Universities
AAC&U works with campuses to set clear goals, plan instruction and curricula to achieve the goals, assess student accomplishment, and revise and improve the whole learning/teaching cycle.
Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment
A comprehensive database of policies and documents to illustrate assessment from the institutional to the course level.
Ohio University Student Learning Objectives
Have a look at how a similar university plans and implements their learning objectives.
Make this site talk