The ESU Outcomes Assessment Plan


Update: June 6, 2000

Outcomes assessment is a process by which evidence for congruence between an institution's stated mission, goals, and objectives, and the outcomes of its programs and activities is assembled and reviewed in order to improve teaching and learning (Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s Framework for Outcomes Assessment).
In the spring of 1996, the Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee and the Center for Teaching and Learning developed a plan for implementing outcomes assessment throughout the University. The ESU Outcomes Assessment Plan is fully delineated in the ESU Outcomes Assessment Handbook I.
As indicated by the SSHE State Assessment Plan, making the transition from traditional assessment practices to outcomes assessment involves a need to reconceptualize teaching and learning. To accommodate this paradigm shift, the ESU outcomes assessment efforts focus on the following:

·the development and implementation of University outcomes that support the University Mission Statement;

·the development and implementation of outcomes assessment by each academic and administrative unit;

·the development and implementation of outcomes assessment in courses, including the broadening of classroom assessment practices, with particular emphasis on the integration of performance and portfolio assessments;

·the use of the results of outcomes assessment for continuous improvement;

·professional development focusing on outcomes assessment and other innovative assessment practices.


1999-2000 Outcomes Assessment Events

·The Outcomes Assessment Retreat ’99 was held in the fall. Dr. Peter Afflerbach, national recognized expert in assessment, was featured speaker. Dr. Afflerbach’s presentation focused on strategies for helping students develop independence, motivation, and knowledge of assessment culture.

·The ESU Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee Website was developed during this academic year. When completed, the ESU Outcomes Assessment Plan, the OAAC publications, and information about the Outcomes Assessment Symposium will be readily available.
 
 

·Plans for Outcomes Assessment Symposium 2000 continued in fall 1999. A call for proposals was sent to institutions affiliated with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Proposals were reviewed by a committee and speakers were notified in January 2000.

The Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee and the Center for Teaching and Learning hosted ESU’s third annual Outcomes Assessment Symposium on Friday, April 7, 2000. The program featured three strands: Innovative Classroom Assessment Practices, Department/ Program Evaluation, and General Education Assessment Innovations.

Dr. Elliot Asp, nationally acclaimed assessment expert, was the keynote speaker. Evaluating course level assessments was the focus of Dr. Asp’s presentation, which was entitled “Designing Scoring Guides to Improve Instruction and Student Achievement.”

The program also featured numerous small group sessions presented by professors and administrators from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education region. Over 120 professors and administrators attended. In addition, over100 ESU undergraduate and graduate students participated.

·Student involvement in the General Education Performance Portfolio Assessment Pilot Project continued during the 1999-2000 academic year. This project is part of the General Education Outcomes Assessment Plan and is funded through the President’s Council. The portfolios are based upon the General Education Outcomes which were were developed by the General Education Committee

·Publication of Volume V of the Outcomes Assessment Newsletter began in Fall, 1999.

·Another Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee publication, Innovative Instructional Techniques: Focus on Critical and Creative Thinking, was published in April 2000. This volume focuses on fifteen different teaching strategies currently being used at the course level and fourteen previously published techniques appropriate for use at the course level. Fifteen ESU faculty members contributed to the publication.

·Professional development opportunities continued to be available throughout the 1997-1998 academic year.

It is important to note that the ESU Outcomes Assessment Plan is collaborative in nature. The seminars have been designed and coordinated by the Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee and the Center for Teaching and Learning. The newsletter is published by the Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee and the publications have had input from faculty, students, and administrators. Additional support has been offered by those units that are already using outcomes assessment and faculty members who employ performance assessment and portfolio assessment in their courses. The University Administration has taken an active role in these efforts.

The ESU Outcomes Assessment Plan is dynamic and decentralized. Faculty, administration, staff, and students at the level at which the assessment information is used work to bring the outcomes to fruition. This process is supported by the Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee and the Center for Teaching and Learning.Members of the OAAC and the CTL are available for consultation with individuals, departments, or programs throughout the year. Further, since assessment is viewed as an on-going process, information to support department/program evaluations is gathered by departments and programs as a natural part of each unit’s operation. The result is meaningful information to be used for the continuous improvement of courses, academic departments, administrative units, and the University. The plan is fully aligned with the University Mission Statement, the SSHE State System Plan (May 1996), the SSHE 1997 Board Policy on Outcomes Assessment, and the Middle States Framework for Outcomes Assessment.

 
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