WSU Celebration of Assessment Excellence

Assessment Leadership

Holly Henning, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Rich Koenig, Chair – Dept of Crop and Soil Sciences

Drew Lyon, Past Chair – Dept of Crop and Soil Sciences

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Communicate scientific principles, research, and findings to diverse audiences

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty used a program rubric to assess senior papers and found that students needed additional skill development in producing genre-specific narrative structures to summarize, synthesize, and evaluate scientific, peer-reviewed literature around their own original ideas.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based in these findings, the program’s faculty learning community worked with the WSU Writing Program to design assignments that develop genre-specific skills in scientific writing and information literacy. A 200-level writing assignment was modified to introduce and provide practice on these skills earlier in the curriculum. In collaboration with the WSU Writing Program, the faculty learning community also produced a video on common narrative structures with tools to guide students.

Assessment Leadership

Armine Ghalachyan, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Ting Chi, Chair – Dept of Apparel, Merchandising, Design, and Textiles

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Demonstrate proficiency with tools of technology and industry-relevant software

Assessment of Student Learning

A rubric-based assessment of senior design collections was conducted by program faculty and industry professionals. The program also reviewed rubric-based assessment data from senior case studies, along with indirect evidence from course evaluations, student interviews, and the program’s advisory board. Results indicated a need to strengthen students’ understanding of technology integration throughout the supply chain and to provide greater access to industry-relevant software.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, the department obtained a product life cycle management software, with a second software for 3D design and virtual prototyping to follow. Instructors completed trainings to implement the software with modules and activities in multiple classes.

Assessment Leadership

Karl Olsen, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

David Pollock, Past Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Xianming Shi, Chair – Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Balasingam Muhunthan, Past Chair – Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems

Assessment of Student Learning

Student scores on the national Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam were considered alongside faculty assessments of student capstone and other 400-level coursework, and indirect evidence from the exit survey. The program found that, while student achievement on this learning outcome met faculty expectations overall, students did not perform as well as expected on the FE exam, specifically, a trend also observed in recent years.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Faculty updated the curriculum to require four 300-level fundamental courses, instead of students selecting three of the four. Additionally, the FE exam review course was eliminated, in favor of providing self-access study materials.

Assessment Leadership

Yonas Demissie, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Changki Mo, Director – School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Tri-Cities

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty-approved grading rubrics were used to assess student assignments in nine senior-level courses. The program found that improvement was needed in the students’ ability to define a design problem.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, the undergraduate studies committee decided to emphasize the concept of design in all civil engineering courses with significant design content, with additional focus in the capstone design course.

Assessment Leadership

Cameron Peace, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Stephen Ficklin, Chair – Dept of Horticulture

Doreen Main, Past Chair – Dept of Horticulture

Amit Dhingra, Past Chair – Dept of Horticulture

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Effectively communicate scientific knowledge to diverse target audiences

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty used a program rubric to score a representative sample of final papers from the senior capstone course. The program found students needed to improve their professional writing skills.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based in these findings, the faculty reviewed how writing is taught in the program and developed a substantial new assignment to introduce writing in the discipline in the 100-level foundational course, with supporting videos created in collaboration with the WSU Writing Program. The faculty plan to develop other writing assignments scaffolded across the curriculum, in conjunction with a USDA Higher Education Challenge grant proposal. The program also provided a faculty/TA workshop on assigning and grading writing.

Assessment Leadership

Anne Cox, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Judy Schultz, Past Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Kira Carbonneau, Chair – Dept of Kinesiology and Educational Psychology

Phyllis Erdman, Past Chair – Dept of Kinesiology and Educational Psychology

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Identify the central body of knowledge in kinesiology and use scientific literacy, quantitative reasoning, and discipline knowledge to analyze contemporary issues

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty and other stakeholders evaluated seniors’ capstone posters presented at the department’s student conference. Results from this assessment, along with indirect evidence from senior exit interviews, indicated that students needed more exercise testing content, a central component of kinesiology knowledge.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, the faculty decided to add an exercise testing course to the curriculum to relieve the capstone course of this content and allow the capstone to focus on other learning outcomes.

Assessment Leadership

Jolie Kaytes, Faculty Assessment Coordinator & Program Head

Jason Peschel, Director – School of Design and Construction

Ryan Smith, Past Director – School of Design and Construction

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Explore and critically analyze alternative design or planning solutions to the identified problem or question

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty evaluated final design projects and senior-level other work using a program rubric. The program found that students needed more support in exploring the design needs of their community-partner clients and in contemplating and sharing the consequences of their design ideas.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, the faculty decided to add time for students to reflect upon and evaluate their work. Faculty also decided to adjust assignments and class discussions to encourage students to question the purpose and meaning of design and to explore design programs.

Assessment Leadership

Anne Mason, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Janessa Graves, Past Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Vicki Denson, Director – RN-BSN Program

Gail Oneal, Director – BSN Program

Wendy Williams-Gilbert, Past Director – BSN Program

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Formulate nursing practice decisions using the foundation of a liberal education and evolving knowledge

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty implemented an assessment that measures student progress toward competency on the National Council Licensure Examination throughout the curriculum. The curriculum committee evaluated data from all semesters, including from seniors, along with course exam data. The program learned that students struggle with some pharmacology and medical surgical content.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, faculty provided remediation, extra practice, and learning support to students in the senior year for pharmacology and medical surgical content. The findings also guided a curricular revision, where faculty decided to level this content across three semesters instead of one.

Assessment Leadership

Michael Allen, Faculty Assessment Coordinator

Brian Saam, Chair – Dept of Physics

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Think independently and critically in acquiring, reproducing, and assessing information from a variety of sources

Assessment of Student Learning

To assess this learning outcome, faculty used a program rubric to evaluate research poster presentations in the senior thesis course. The program found that students needed improvement in communicating research information from various sources.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, the faculty decided to introduce a new one-credit prerequisite course, where students create a thesis proposal, to better prepare students to present their research in the senior thesis course.

Assessment Leadership

Claire Latham, Director of Assessment—Carson College of Business

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Demonstrate professional, socially responsible, and ethical awareness

Assessment of Student Learning

Business Administration collected performance data from their end of program exam and rubric scores for senior capstone essays. The program found some components of case analysis skills used for this learning outcome that could be strengthened.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, program learning outcomes were revised to clarify skills for socially responsible and ethical awareness, focusing on changes to instruction, assignments, and assessment, and a 100-level course added to introduce case analysis skills.

Assessment Leadership

James Petersen, Director—Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering

David Thiessen, Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Ability to communicate effectively—focus on writing

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty assessed student writing in the senior capstone course projects (ChE 450/451) for the ABET learning outcome 3g. The program faculty identified areas for improvement in some aspects of writing technical reports.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, faculty agreed to increase attention to report writing within the curriculum by adding assignments and providing more guidance on technical writing. In several upper division courses, faculty also agreed to increase the grade weighting for written reports.

Assessment Leadership

Kirk Peterson, Department Chair

Paul Buckley, Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Communicate effectively about chemistry in writing

Assessment of Student Learning

Written assignments in the capstone course provided evidence of student writing skills, as seniors prepared for research poster presentations. Faculty found that students needed to improve how they structured their writing to communicate to a lay audience and make better use of editing and collaboration tools.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, changes were made to the capstone course design and assignments to include more collaborative writing tools, and additional short diagnostic assignments early in the semester.

Assessment Leadership

Ryan Smith, Director—School of Design and Construction

Jason Peschel, Program Head and Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Create construction project costs estimates

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty looked at course-embedded assignments in a 300-level course assessed with a rubric. The program found that students needed to improve their understanding of, and creation of, general conditions estimates.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these findings, faculty decided to adjust when general conditions estimates are taught in the required two-semester estimating sequence, in order to better introduce and reinforce the component skills before assessing this learning outcome.

Assessment Leadership

Jill McCluskey, Current Director—School of Economic Sciences

H. Alan Love, Past Director—School of Economic Sciences

Mark J. Gibson, Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Evaluate and apply economic concepts and quantitative methods

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty reviewed internship mentor evaluations of student performance, along with senior exit interviews and course-specific measures for core courses. The program found that students needed more preparation in the areas of mathematical modeling and economic analysis using graphs and numerical methods.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, faculty developed a new 200-level course in applied economic modeling to better prepare students for upper-division work.

Assessment Leadership

Squeak Meisel, Department Chair

Dennis Dehart, Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Displays professionalism in the presentation of the art and him/herself, and articulates his/her own artistic production

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty assessed senior final BFA exhibitions and presentations in gallery spaces, including oral examinations, using a program rubric for all learning outcomes. Faculty found that students needed to improve their ability to communicate about their work in the exhibition setting.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, the program introduced a series of faculty-led workshops in a 400-level course for majors, addressing artist statements and other related professional skills.

Assessment Leadership

Phyllis Erdman, Department Chair

Judy Schultz, Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Use scientific literacy, quantitative reasoning, and discipline knowledge to analyze contemporary issues; and communicate effectively

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty scored senior papers in a 400-level [M] course using a rubric, and considered related student perspectives from course evaluations and the National Survey of Student Engagement. The program found that students needed to improve in these skill areas and that related content and expectations in the 300-level [M] course varied across sections.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these assessments, faculty updated the content and assignments in the third year [M] course to standardize expectations and skills focus, to better prepare students for the 400-level [M] course.

Assessment Leadership

Ryan Smith, Director—School of Design and Construction

Jolie B. Kaytes, Program Head and Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Identify, collect, and analyze necessary information using appropriate technologies and analytical techniques related to identified problem or question

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty used a rubric to assess junior final design projects. The program found that students needed greater consistency in drawing from site inventory data they collected and analyzing it to support their final project design decisions.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, faculty more strongly emphasized inventory and site analysis throughout the curriculum, especially in the junior year.

Assessment Leadership

Charles N. Moore, Department Chair

Dean Johnson, Assessment Coordinator

Sandy Cooper, Past Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Formulate and test conjectures and construct mathematical proofs

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty assessed senior performance in 400 level course assignments—on a combination of materials from a project and on exam questions—using a program rubric. Faculty found that students were underprepared in some aspects of these skills.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, faculty revised the foundational third year class, Math 301, to better prepare students to apply these skills in downstream 400-level courses.

Assessment Leadership

Michael Griswold, Director—School of Molecular Biosciences

Erika Offerdahl, Assessment Coordinator

William B. Davis, Past Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Prepare written reports in standard scientific formats

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty reviewed course-embedded assessment results from a 400-level capstone course. The program found students needed more intentional scaffolding to develop communication skills across the curriculum to reach mastery level performance.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, faculty revised the curriculum to make a 200-level introduction to scientific communication a requirement for majors. Additionally, faculty are exploring options to increase opportunities for skill development in 300-level courses.

Assessment Leadership

Glen E. Duncan, Department Chair

Jill Wagner, Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Demonstrate culturally competent written communication skills

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty used a writing rubric to assess papers in the junior and senior [M] courses from a cohort of students. The program identified academic-professional writing skills as an area for improvement.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these assessment results, faculty developed a writing toolkit to improve written communication skills, and [M] course instructors revised the writing rubric for adoption in all NEP undergraduate courses with a writing component.

Assessment Leadership

David Marcus, Department Chair

Dee Posey, Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Develop skills and knowledge relevant to pursuing career goals

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty reviewed course-embedded assessment results from a 400-level clinical course, along with senior exit survey responses. The program found that students needed more opportunities for professional growth throughout the curriculum.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on this assessment, a new 200-level course about career paths and options for graduate school was added. Additionally, 400-level teaching and research courses were modified to allow students more continuity in their professional development as teaching or research assistants across multiple terms.

Assessment Leadership

Tariq Akmal, Department Chair and Assessment Coordinator

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)

Address diversity in teaching and learning

Assessment of Student Learning

Faculty reviewed the field supervisor evaluations of student performance, rubric scores from a national portfolio assessment of performance for student teachers, and professional input from faculty. The program found students needed more support in differentiating instruction to be more culturally responsive.

Impact on Curriculum and/or Instruction

Based on these assessments, the program has provided on-going faculty and TA development around culturally responsive practices. Course assignments were also revised to focus more on culturally responsive and sustaining practices

Assessment Leadership by Carol Salusso & Vicki McCracken

AMDT demonstrates a sustainable assessment system that includes faculty and industry representative evaluation of senior capstone projects using a juried process, complemented by focus groups and surveys bringing in student perspectives. Faculty monitor student achievement and regularly make adjustments to curriculum and instruction, and regularly review learning outcomes and update assessment as needed.

Assessment Leadership by David Lin & James Petersen

Bioengineering brings a longstanding practice of using assessment results to inform changes to curriculum and instruction. Faculty score course-embedded assessments in capstone and other courses using rubrics. Other assessments include advisory board input, student exit surveys, and a professional skills assessment. Leadership, assessment committee, and faculty discuss assessment multiple times throughout the academic year.

Assessment Leadership by William Cofer & Balasingam Muhunthan

Civil Engineering has a strong record of using assessment results to improve courses and curriculum. Well-established assessments includes a national professional exam, senior capstone projects evaluated by faculty and advisory board members, a professional skills assessment, and assessments by faculty and lab instructors. Regular advisory board discussions and mentor surveys provide additional key feedback.

Assessment Leadership by Chris Hundhausen & Partha Pratim Pande

Computer Science applies thorough and systematic assessment planning and decision-making processes, and regularly uses results to improve curriculum. The program collects a suite of assessments, which include faculty evaluation of senior design projects and reports, a professional skills assessment, and a required senior exit survey. An advisory board also provides professional input to the program each semester.

Assessment Leadership by Vicki McCracken & H. Alan Love

Economic Sciences demonstrates a 360-degree assessment system of sustainable practices using multiple, complementary methods: faculty assess capstone projects, internship mentors evaluate student skills, and students self-assess. Faculty regularly engage in assessment, use results, and implement innovations to improve learning, such as redesigning capstone course and incorporating new course modules.

Assessment Leadership by Deborah Handy & Laura Hill

Human Development demonstrates a well-established multi-campus assessment system that includes its fully online degree. Learning outcomes-aligned complementary measures are collected at all campuses, including evaluations by faculty and internship mentors. Results are regularly shared with faculty and data are used to guide changes to courses and instruction. Faculty address performance differentials among students on different campuses.

Assessment Leadership by William B. Davis & Jonathan Jones

SMB demonstrates an active, responsive assessment system where faculty use multiple assessment measures, including adapting several national instruments to assess students at entry and exit points. The program gathers input from students, and correlates student achievement results with student demographic data. Faculty use results to improve curriculum and pilot transformative instructional approaches.

Assessment Leadership by Samantha Gizerian & Steve Simasko

Neuroscience uses a suite of measures to inform continuous improvement efforts. Well-established assessments, including senior capstone and focus groups, provide data used to improve student learning. Faculty regularly use results to make curriculum changes, including more intentionally scaffolding concepts throughout program. The program also implemented a research mentorship program based on assessment results.

Assessment Leadership by Tariq Akmal

The Teacher Education program has adapted external assessments to a local context on multiple campuses. Faculty use results from high-stakes external performance evaluation, and a suite of aligned measures across the curriculum, to guide changes to curriculum and instruction, and academic support services. The assessment team includes all faculty, advisory board, and a teacher education committee with student representatives.

Assessment Leadership by Jesse Spohnholz, Clif Stratton, & Corey Johnson

RCI & WSU Libraries partner to assess students for UCORE and to provide useful results to RCI faculty. This sustained collaboration assesses learning outcomes achievement and faculty use results to adjust instruction, assignments, and course design. This mature system of norming and rating student work has scaled up to include representative samples from all campuses, accounting for nearly 5000 students a year system-wide.

Assessment Leadership by Desmond Layne

AFS and IPS interdisciplinary faculty collaborate to create and assess effective capstone courses with industry partners. Both programs are creating rubrics to track and measure learning development throughout the curriculum. Faculty also combine effective assessment and professional development by improving assignment design.

Assessment Leadership by Paul Buckley & Kirk Peterson

The Department of Chemistry collects American Chemical Society standardized exam data, allowing faculty to assess student performance at the beginning and end of the program, and faculty also assess senior poster presentations. Additionally, the program has a strong record of using results to inform decision-making to augment instruction and courses.

Assessment Leadership by Theresa Jordan & Steven Kale

History faculty provide assessment data from all courses and campuses as part of their teaching, giving the program a comprehensive view of student achievement. History targets one learning outcome each year, for a sustainable practice. Faculty regularly discuss performance expectations for student success, which helps faculty provide more consistent feedback to students.

Assessment Leadership by Jolie Kaytes, Steve Austin, & Gregory Kessler

Landscape Architecture faculty use several quality assessments, including junior design projects assessed by faculty and senior design projects evaluated by both faculty and an outside professional panel of jurors. In addition, assessment rubrics are modified for students to self-assess themselves – engaging them in critical reflection.

Assessment Leadership by Dee Posey & David Marcus

Psychology faculty at all campuses regularly assess student performance in core courses using a faculty-developed program rubric with strong participation by instructors. Assessment results show student development at key points in the curriculum, and faculty use these results to inform curriculum changes.