On November 8th, the Office of the Provost, Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA), and Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness (ACE) hosted the 2022 WSU Celebration of Assessment Excellence, shining a spotlight on good practices in learning outcomes assessment and the efforts of program faculty, faculty assessment coordinators, chairs, and directors, representing […]
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 […]
Infrastructure for program assessment, including communication pathways, helps make evidence of student learning readily available for faculty and departments to use in decision-making. WSU’s Department of Human Development has developed its process of conducting and using undergraduate program assessment over many years and, as a result, was selected by WSU as a program assessment case […]
The unexpected COVID-19 outbreak, and resulting move to remote learning, means a disrupted and stressful semester with substantial challenges and changes to courses, teaching, and learning. As outlined in ATL’s Guidance and Priorities for Undergraduate Program Assessment for Spring 2020, programs may want to consider conducting alternative formative assessment activities, to help gauge the impacts […]
Beginning in 2018, updates to WSU’s faculty manual provide recognition for faculty participation in assessment in the annual review process, as part of Teaching or Service accomplishments, depending on the activity. This update aligns with the university’s EPPM policies on assessment, which include recognizing assessment work in annual review at all levels. Now, in 2020, […]
On November 6th, the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning (ATL), Interim Provost Bryan Slinker, and Vice Provost Mary F. Wack hosted the second Celebration of Assessment Excellence, shining a spotlight on good practices in learning outcomes assessment and the efforts of program faculty, faculty assessment coordinators, chairs and directors, representing diverse academic programs […]
While course grades are not fine-tuned enough to give information about student achievement on specific learning outcomes, they can nonetheless provide a rough indication of some aspects of curricular effectiveness, which programs can use – often in combination with other measures – to guide decision-making. Course grades are often considered the “indicator” type of indirect […]
Research shows that student belonging is a key aspect of student academic success, especially for underrepresented students. A holistic approach to increasing student belonging includes the careful construction of all documents related to the course, including the syllabus. In May, nearly 60 instructors from 30 departments explored ways to reduce unintended barriers and set a […]
January opens the new year and begins the annual review process for faculty, a time to reflect on and report accomplishments of the past year. ATL joins university leadership in valuing the contributions faculty make as they engage in assessment activities that advance student learning in undergraduate courses and curricula. Beginning in 2018, updates to […]
ATL would like to thank WSU Tri-Cities faculty and staff for a successful visit this fall. In November, ATL traveled to WSU’s Tri-Cities Campus to meet with WSU Tri-Cities colleagues about program assessment and to present a workshop on Transparent Assignment Design.