Here is a presentation from a webinar that I attended.

1. Knowing What Students
Know and Can Do: The State
of Student Learning
Outcomes Assessment
Natasha Jankowski, NILOA
June 4, 2013

2. Overview
 NILOA
 Resources and Research
 2013 Provost Survey
 Major Findings
 Implications
 Questions

3. NILOA
NILOA’s mission is to discover and disseminate effective
use of assessment data to strengthen undergraduate
education and support institutions in their assessment
efforts.
● SURVEYS ● WEB SCANS ● CASE STUDIES ● FOCUS GROUPS
● OCCASIONAL PAPERS ● WEBSITE ● RESOURCES ● NEWSLETTER ●
PRESENTATIONS ● TRANSPARENCY FRAMEWORK ● FEATURED WEBSITES
● ACCREDITATION RESOURCES ● ASSESSMENT EVENT CALENDAR ●
ASSESSMENT NEWS ● MEASURING QUALITY INVENTORY ● POLICY
ANALYSIS ● ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN ● DEGREE QUALIFICATIONS PROFILE ●
TUNING
www.learningoutcomesassessment.org

4. www.learningoutcomesassessment.org

5. Occasional Paper series: 20 so far… NILOA Research Reports

6. Additional Resources
• Assessment Briefs
• Online searchable Resource and literature library
• Case study examples of good
assessment practice
• Measuring quality inventory
• Viewpoints
• Assessment literature archive
• Featured websites
• Transparency Framework

7. Far too little is known about
assessment practices on
campuses around the country

8. 1. Perhaps more
assessment underway
than some acknowledge
or wish to believe
2. Accreditation is a major
force
3. More attention needed to
using & reporting results
4. Involving faculty is a
major challenge
5. More investment likely
needed to move from
data to improvement

9. 1. Perceptions of
CAOs and
programs differ
2. Specialized
accreditation
matters a lot
3. Disciplinary
differences
matter even
more

10. 2013 National Provost Survey
Sample: All regionally accredited,
undergraduate degree-granting institutions
(n=2,732)
Announced via institutional membership
organizations, website, newsletter, mailing
Online and paper
43% response rate (n=1,202)
725 schools participated in both 2009 and
2013

11. http://www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/knowingwhatstudentsknowandcando.html
Download and read the abridged or full report!

12. Major Findings
1. Stated learning outcomes are now the
norm.

13. Institution Learning Outcomes
Has your institution adopted or developed
an explicit set of student learning outcomes
common to all undergraduates, across all
majors?
84% say yes

14. Major Findings
2. Substantially more student learning
outcomes assessment is underway now
than a few years ago, and the range of
tools and measures to assess student
learning has expanded.

15. AssessmentTools
0 20 40 60 80 100
Other
External
Portfolios
Employer surveys
General knowledge/skills
Locally developed tests
Capstones
Locally developed surveys
Placement exams
Alumni surveys
Classroom-based
Rubrics
National Student Surveys
Percentage of Institutions

16. How many different assessment
approaches are used at institutions?
•In 2009, Provosts reported: 3
•In 2013, Provosts reported: 5
More assessment activity!

17. Change Over Time
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
PercentageofInstitutions
2009 2013

18. Most Valuable Assessment
Approaches
The top three…
 Classroom-based assessment
 National Student Surveys
 Rubrics

19. Implications
What are the implications for institution-
level assessment efforts and reporting
systems if the most valuable source of data
on student learning is classroom-based
assessments?

20. Major Findings
3. The prime driver of assessment remains the
same: expectations of regional and program
or specialized accrediting agencies.

21. Drivers
Other
Institutional membership initiatives
Participation in a consortium
State mandate1.3
External funding
Statewide governing board
National calls for accountability
Concerns about value and…
President and/or governing board…
faculty or staff interest in improvement
Institutional commitment to improve
Program accreditation
Regional accreditation
No
Importance
Minor
Importance
Moderate
Importance
High
Importance

22. Major Findings cont.
4. Meeting accreditation expectations
heads the list for how assessment
evidence is used, but internal use by
campuses is growing and is considered
far more important than external use.

23. To what extent have changes been made
based on assessment results for each of
the following?
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
In specific curricular
requirements or
courses
At the
department/program
level
At the school/college
level
At the institution level

24. Major Findings
5. Provosts report substantial support on
their campuses for assessment.

25. How welldoes your current institutional
organizationand governancestructure(s)
support assessmentof student learning?
30%
41%
28%
1%
Very much Quite a bit Some Not at all

26. Importance of elements to support
assessment activities

27. Overall priorities for support
• Priorities shifted slightly from 2009,
• faculty engagement still key, but “better
assessment measures” is less important
than in 2009
• Most important in 2013:
• more professional development for
faculty (64%)
• more faculty using the results (63%), and
• additional financial or staff resources
(56%)

28. Implications
• If faculty engagement is key, should the reward and
recognition be considered a more important element?

29. Major Findings cont.
6. Institutions more frequently report
assessment results internally than to
external audiences.

30. What are the mosteffectivemeansfor sharing
assessmentresults withinthe institution?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Other
Newsletter
Online data management tools
By request
Email updates
Website
Deans council
Assessment Committee
Faculty meeting or retreat

31. What is publically available?
Improvement plans
Impact of use of assessment…
Examples of use of evidence…
Assessment plans
Assessment resources
Current assessment activities
Evidence of student learning
Student learning outcomes…
Not at
All
Some Quite a
bit
Very
Much

32. http://learningoutcomesassessment.org/TransparencyFramework.htm

33. Major Findings
7. Faculty are the key to moving
assessment forward.

34. What wouldbe most helpful as you assess
undergraduatestudent learning?

35. Implications
• Program chairs in 2011 said: they were
interested in assessment for program
improvement – but that they needed
release time and stipends…recognition for
the work
• But in 2013 provosts rated this as
supportive: more professional
development for faculty to do this work,
but not necessarily organizational support

36. Points to Ponder
• What are we trying to accomplish?
• What is the value and purpose for
undertaking assessment?
• What questions do we have that
assessment can answer?
• How does our institutional practice stack
up against the national picture?

37. Thank you!
Website: http://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/
Email: njankow2@illinois.edu