Assessment Cycle
The Basic Assessment Cycle
Assessment is a process in which we identify what we want students to learn, provide learning opportunities, evaluate whether they’ve learned what we want them to, and make adjustments to help current and future students learn better. It’s an on-going cycle that helps us monitor our teaching and continually improve.
The process itself involves 4 straightforward steps. Each step provides faculty an opportunity for intentional design, creativity, consideration of student needs, communication, and collaboration.
Step 1: Establish Learning Goals
Meaningful learning outcomes at all levels (course, sequence, program, institution) should be accessible, attainable, demonstrable, and measurable. It is important to recognize the level of agency individual faculty and faculty teams have to influence the outcomes in their discipline: some programs are assigned outcomes by external bodies and are unable to change them, while the outcomes in other programs are completely controlled by the faculty.
Terminology: Outcomes vs. Objectives
Generally, learning outcomes encapsulate the high-level learning expectations for students, usually at the course, program, or institutional level, while objectives are the more granular units of learning, often tied to content or individual lessons, assignments, or projects. As the more granular unit, there may be multiple objectives aligned to a single learning outcome.
However, these terms, along with the term learning goals, are often used interchangeably, which can complicate the big picture. In BANNER, for example, you will find the term learning objectives to refer to course-level outcomes.
The main point is to stay focused on the learning. No matter what terminology we use, we need to set clear learning expectations for students.
Taxonomies and the Good Outcomes Lens: Tools for Crafting Outcomes
When writing outcomes, it can be useful to consult taxonomies to help you craft outcomes that use measurable and observable language and articulate the level of learning you expect students to attain. If needed, your assessment liaison can help you decide which taxonomy makes the most sense for your context. Popular taxonomies include Bloom's Taxonomy, the Dimensions of Learning Framework (Marzano, Pickering, & McTighe), and the Taxonomy of Significant Learning (Fink), which are all linked below.
When you articulate and/or revise outcomes at any level, focus first on what you want students to be able to do when they exit your course or program. Once you have a draft, it is a good idea to evaluate your outcomes for clarity, attainability, and measurability using Lane's Good Outcomes Lens (below). Visit the Outcomes Communication page and consider how to infuse your learning outcomes into the entire learning experience.
Step 2: Provide Learning Opportunities
After you have established outcomes, it’s time to look at your courses and determine what learning opportunities are being provided. Learning opportunities can take many forms: reading, lecture, examples, activities and games, practice, homework, low-stakes formative assessments, and many more. Think about learning opportunities as everything you do, or have your students do, to help them learn.
In order to ensure that students attain the outcomes at the program level, you will need to look at the learning opportunities you are providing in and across your courses.
Are course-level learning opportunities clearly aligned with one or more of the goals expressed in the program level outcomes?
Are learning opportunities provided that help a student develop skills over more than one course, if applicable to the program?
Are the learning opportunities varied enough to lead towards the collection of meaningful evidence of program-level outcomes attainment?
Do students have access to and understand the program-level outcomes, and are they engaged in their learning?
When considering learning opportunities at the course level, you might ask the following:
Which assignments or learning opportunities help students attain which of the course outcomes? Is every course outcome connected to at least one learning opportunity?
If there are multiple sections of the same course, are the type and amount of learning activities consistent enough across course sections to ensure that all students have similar (though obviously not identical) experiences in the course?
What types of learning opportunities do faculty provide that will help students achieve the outcomes? Are they varied enough to meet the needs of a variety of students with different learning styles and skill sets?
Are learning opportunities dynamic, meaningful, and engaging to students?
Do students understand the connection between the learning opportunities and stated learning goals, or outcomes? How do faculty consistently communicate the connection between course outcomes and learning opportunities?
Is the amount of time spent on any given learning opportunity sufficient to achieve the outcome? (This will be tested when you collect evidence)
What is the level of expectation of the students' ability to be self-directed in their learning? Are there any outcomes that faculty expect students to achieve entirely through self-study, online modules or reading? Is this sufficient?
Step 3: Collect Evidence of Student Learning
This step in the process is what people often think of when they hear the word assessment: the tools we use to determine whether or not students have learned what we want them to. This can come in the form of direct and/or indirect evidence of learning, and most often includes tests and quizzes, projects, presentations, performances, assignments, reflections, and surveys.
Direct evidence, or evidence used in direct assessment, is a performance that demonstrates the attainment of outcomes. Examples of this include:
exams, tests, and quizzes
essays, timed writings, and multi-draft writing assignments
lab activities and write-ups
presentations such as speeches, dance, acting, or musical performance
portfolios or capstone projects
Indirect evidence, or evidence used in indirect assessment, is a set of perceptions, impressions, or other secondary evidence educators use to make inferences about learning. Examples of this include:
grades, GPA, and honors
completion rates, certifications, or licenses conferred
student experience surveys or focus groups
self-evaluations and reflections
job placement data
Step 4: Close the Loop
The phrase "close the loop" is frequently used among learning outcomes assessment professionals to refer to the process of using the evidence collected in Step 3 to monitor and improve the teaching and learning experience. At the class level, this is the responsibility of the individual teacher. At the course, sequence, or program levels, it is important to collaborate with teaching colleagues to analyze the evidence and make adjustments where needed.
It is advisable to only make one or two adjustments at a time and monitor whether desired improvements are made; making too many changes at once can complicate the process and possibly have an adverse effect on the overall learning experience. If you are working with a team to close the loop on course, sequence, or program assessment, you should develop a list of actionable items, a timeline, and resources needed to make improvements (this will be addressed in your assessment plan and annual report). If you are working just within your class, you may be able to make adjustments more immediately to improve learning for your current students.
Look back at the Assessment Cycle graphic and note that Step 4 feeds back to all of the other steps. This is to highlight the fact that adjustments can be made to any part of the process. See the below examples: on the left, see how an instructor might make adjustments at the class level; in the center, see how a collaborative group of program or discipline faculty might make adjustments at the program/FOS level; on the right, find ways to engage in analysis at all levels, with or without a collaborative team.