Assessing Student Learning

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Developing Effective Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Designing Rubrics

Informal Classroom Assessment Techniquest (CATs)

Authentic Assessment

Program Assessment

Developing Effective Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised (Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, University of Iowa) – This version of Bloom’s Taxonomy favors action – it replaces the original taxonomy’s categories with verbs & gerunds to infuse cognitive processes into the classifications. Use the taxonomy to develop measurable SLOs.

Developing Student Learning Outcomes (Champlain College) – this article explains how to write specific and achievable learning outcomes for any class, working backwards from institutional outcomes.

The Impact of Formative Assessment and Learning Intentions on Student Achievement – This article discusses the importance of formative assessment in the classroom.

The Power of Feedback – This article emphasizes the role of feedback in formative assessment and its impact on student learning.

Assessment for Learning (AfL) – This article discusses the effectiveness of different assessment formats in AfL.

Rubrics and Grading – This article explores students’ views on the use of rubrics in assessment.

Designing Rubrics

Creating Rubrics (Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University) – A general overview of various types of rubrics and recommendations for how to create them.

Sample Discussion Rubrics (Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository, University of Central Florida) – Specifically regarding online discussions, this article offers benefits to using a rubric for discussion boards, how to describe a quality post, and links to samples rubrics.

Informal Classroom Assessment Techniquest (CATs)

Examples of CATs (Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Indiana University Bloomington) – Classroom Assessment Techniques are brief, low-stakes ways to gauge what students are thinking. They can help to provide short-term feedback about student progress & understanding.

Authentic Assessment

What is Authentic Assessment? (New Jersey Institute of Technology) – Spoiler Alert: Authentic Assessment helps instructors understand students’ ability to transfer knowledge & skills beyond the classroom. This article offers a summary of the concept as well as a map for implementing authentic assessments.

The Authentic Assessment Toolbox (by Jon Mueller, Journal of Online Teaching and Learning) – An article introducing Authentic Assessment and the Authentic Assessment Toolbox. The Toolbox provides sample assessments and “workshops” describing the process for developing “authentic” tasks & rubrics.

Program Assessment

A Simple Model for Learning Improvement (by Keston H. Fulcher, Megan R. Good, Chris M. Coleman, and Kristen L. Smith, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment) – Assessment does not automatically lead to improved programming. This article explores how to use assessment to enhance student learning.