Efficient Assessment of Senior Majors: Aligning Grading Rubrics with Program Learning Outcomes (Neuroscience)
An effective system of assessing student learning includes measures at the senior level, near graduation, providing information about what students are able to achieve at the end of the program. For many undergraduate programs, senior-level direct measures connect with a culminating course where students demonstrate skills and knowledge in their chosen academic field.
For the Neuroscience program, NEUROSCI 490: Senior Project is a culminating course where senior majors demonstrate skills and knowledge in final oral presentations of their semester-long research projects. Worth 20% of the course grade, these presentations also provide direct assessment for the Neuroscience program on its program-level student learning outcomes. Dr. Samantha Gizerian, who teaches this course, has designed a grading rubric and the following three-step process to streamline the collection of senior-level achievement data for use in program-level assessment.
1. Align the Grading Rubric Traits with Program-level Student Learning Outcomes
A grading rubric with 13 traits is used to score the students’ final oral presentations and determine each student’s grade on the assignment. For assessment, a crosswalk was developed to align specific traits on the grading rubric with the learning outcomes for the Neuroscience, BS.
Crosswalk Aligning Program Learning Outcomes and Grading Rubric Traits (Partial List)
| Neuroscience Program SLO (abbreviated) | Grading Rubric Trait |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate knowledge of, and relationships between, structure and function of molecules and tissues in neurobiological systems (Knowledge 1) | Student Position: Make connections from the molecular to the systems level or higher |
| Locate and retrieve scientific information, and critically evaluate primary literature (Skill 2) | Student Position: Analyze complexity of the position, synthesize other points of view, and evaluate the project’s limitations |
| Locate and retrieve scientific information, and critically evaluate primary literature (Skill 2) | Conclusion/Outcome: Articulate & effectively defend conclusion / outcome with evidence |
| Prepare oral and written reports in a standard scientific format (Skill 3) | Presenter: Display research in visually compelling manner w/attention to detail and precise visual presentation |
| Prepare oral and written reports in a standard scientific format (Skill 3) | Presenter: Communicate skillfully about the project |
| Apply scientific process; design, conduct, and evaluate experiments; test hypotheses (Skill 4) | Process/Method: Explain why the specific process or approach was chosen for this project |
2. Determine Levels of Program Learning Outcomes Achievement Based on Possible Grading Rubric Scores
Next, the range of rubric scores was determined that represent each level of student achievement on the program learning outcomes for the Neuroscience, BS (e.g., exceeds expectations for graduating seniors, meets expectations for graduating seniors, partially meets expectations for graduating seniors, or does not meet expectations for graduating seniors).
Levels of Program Learning Outcome Achievement Based on Grading Rubric Scores (Partial List)
| Program SLO (abbrev) and Maximum Score Possible on Grading Rubric | Level of Achievement for Program Assessment | |||
| Does Not Meet Expectations for Graduating Seniors | Partially Meets Expectations for Graduating Seniors | Meets Expectations for Graduating Seniors | Exceeds Expectations for Graduating Seniors | |
| Knowledge 1 - Neuro Systems (16 pts total) | 0-7 | 8-9 | 10-12 | 13-16 |
| Skill 2 - Primary Lit (20 pts total) | 0-9 | 10-13 | 14-15 | 16-20 |
| Skill 3 - Oral Reports (24 pts total) | 0-11 | 12-16 | 17-18 | 19-24 |
| Skill 4 - Scientific Process (20 pts total) | 0-9 | 10-13 | 14-15 | 16-20 |
3. Tally Grading Rubric Scores to Produce Program Assessment Data for Neuroscience
Finally, grading rubric scores are tallied for each student to determine the number of senior majors that are exceeding, meeting, partially meeting, or not meeting expectations for use in program assessment. With the first two steps in place, this becomes a quick process with the help of a spreadsheet.
Tallied Grading Rubric Scores for Program Level Assessment (Partial List with Mock Data)
| Program SLO (abbrev) | # of senior majors | ||||
| Does Not Meet Expectations for Graduating Seniors | Partially Meets Expectations for Graduating Seniors | Meets Expectations for Graduating Seniors | Exceeds Expectations for Graduating Seniors | Total | |
| Knowledge 1 - Neuro Systems | 0 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 25 |
| Skill 2 - Primary Lit | 1 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 25 |
| Skill 3 - Oral Reports | 1 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 25 |
| Skill 4 - Scientific Process | 0 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 25 |
Focusing on the final student presentations for direct assessment for the undergraduate program has proven a manageable approach for the instructor and the Neuroscience program. Gizerian explained, “We don’t try to collect data from all assignments in the course, so that assessment doesn’t take up too much time. The final presentation is where students pull everything together, from prior assignments scaffolded throughout the semester.”
At WSU, senior culminating courses for the major may also serve as UCORE-designated capstone [CAPS] courses, as part of the UCORE general education curriculum. In addition to serving as a culminating course for the Neuroscience curriculum, NEUROSCI 490 is also a UCORE-designated [CAPS] course and, as a result, also contributes data to UCORE general education assessment. For UCORE’s [CAPS] assessment, Dr. Gizerian has created a similar crosswalk aligning the grading rubric traits with WSU’s Learning Goals of Undergraduate Education, which allows her to efficiently produce similar assessment data for UCORE reporting.
“It was gratifying to line up the rubric traits, the Neuroscience program learning outcomes, and WSU’s Learning Goals – and to see how the pieces aligned,” Gizerian noted. “Because NEUROSCI 490 is our culminating course for senior majors, the rubric descriptors and scores are aimed at meeting expectations for graduating seniors, so developing the crosswalks and levels of achievement was straightforward.” She added, “For me, it’s important to be able to show that these are learning outcomes we’re actually assessing.”
Aligning grading rubrics and program learning outcomes is a flexible approach that can be used with a variety of assignments and courses. For more information, contact one of ACE’s Assessment Specialists.