The Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning (ATL), along with Provost Daniel J. Bernardo and Vice Provosts Erica W. Austin and Mary F. Wack, are delighted to recognize undergraduate programs, departments and schools where program-level assessment is well-established, thanks in large part to the efforts of faculty assessment coordinators, chairs and directors. In November […]
In October, ATL presented Provost Dan Bernardo, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Erica Austin, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Mary Wack, and the Accreditation, Assessment, and Academic Program Review Committee with the 2017 WSU-wide Summary of Undergraduate Degree Program Assessment Reports from all WSU undergraduate degrees.
In successful assessment cycles, degree programs collect and interpret evidence to inform decision-making to improve student learning. Faculty and instructors play critical roles in evaluating student work and then interpreting and discussing results, so that program-level assessment can contribute to decisions about curriculum, instruction, professional development, and assessment processes.
An effective system of assessing student achievement 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 programs, senior-level direct measures connect with a capstone course, as these culminating experiences can provide valuable holistic information about students’ learning before they […]
Due to their positive associations with student learning and retention, certain undergraduate opportunities (such as first-year experiences, learning communities, undergraduate research and culminating experiments) are designated “high-impact.” High-impact practices often share several traits; for example, they demand considerable time and effort, facilitate learning outside of the classroom, require meaningful interactions with faculty and students, and […]
In effective program assessment, programs and faculty systematically collect information about student learning, discuss results, and use that information to guide decisions that affect teaching and learning in the curriculum and the student experience in the program. Assessment allows programs to examine key areas including curriculum design, instructional effectiveness, and student experience.
The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) has chosen the ATL website to be the Featured Website for April in the categories of Communication and Centralized Assessment Repository. NILOA is widely-recognized as the preeminent organization in the area of student learning outcomes assessment in higher education. The NILOA Featured Website is a service intended […]
The case study method is a pedagogical approach which asks students to investigate real-world problems presented as a descriptive case about which decisions must be made. The case is a narrative, often presented without a conclusion. Case studies are distinctly problem-centered assignments, often completed in a group format – requiring students to work together with […]
On March 28, Academic Outreach and Innovation (AOI) and the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning (ATL) hosted a faculty development workshop, “Capstone Courses: Developing and Refining the Culminating Experience for Seniors”. A WSU faculty panel of participants in last summer’s Capstone Assignment Design Charrette with Dr. Pat Hutchings shared their experiences developing and refining […]
The Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning (ATL) is pleased to offer two assignment design workshops this May, designed to assist instructors in designing and refining assignments to more effectively foster and assess student learning, while increasing possibilities for student success. Developing powerful, clear assignments is one of the most consequential intellectual tasks that […]