Sub-Badge 6: Design learning assessment

Challenge 2: Ensure that assessment is aligned with instructional goals, anticipated learning outcomes, and instructional strategies.

Criteria for successful completion of this challenge: Evidence of an assessment measuring and testing knowledge or skills aligned with the course goals, objectives, outcomes, and instructional strategies.  Evidence must show an assessment plan (quiz, test, discussions, experiment, worksheet, graphic organizer, assessment framework, etc.).  Reflection must address: How the assessment plan aligns with the course goals, objectives and instructional strategies.  Your reflection must include why you selected and developed the assessment method of your choosing. 

Examples: eLearning Project Proposal (EDCI 569 if taken prior to Spring 2021), EDCI 572 Design Document #3 or Final Project, EDCI 588 Final Project, LDAs (EDCI 575), artifacts (design, performance, workplace, educational, other) meeting the above criteria. 

Reflection

The competency is to ensure that assessment is aligned with instructional goals, anticipated learning outcomes, and instructional strategies. The artifact that I am using to show this competency is the Evaluation Plan Part 2 document from EDCI 577, which was created by me and my partner, Ritika Bhargo Chari. The reason this artifact showcases my accomplishment of this competency is because in the creation of the document, learning outcomes were created and an assessment plan was developed in order to validate the learning outcomes.  The assessment plan also sought to reinforce organizational goals were met via Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation Model.

The artifact supports the competency because it showcases a methodical approach to establishing quality learning outcomes and utilizing a sophisticated assessment plan in order to validate that the learning outcomes were met. This project was based on a real-world breast cancer education and survivor support program, which has four public-facing learning experiences that could be measured: provider-led workshops, non-provider led/lifestyle workshops, a general support group for breast cancer survivors, and a support group for survivors with stage 4 metastatic breast disease. At the start of the project, because the real-life program had no learning outcomes, they had to be written. Subsequently, the full barrage of survey instruments that were created (see Appendix B), were designed specifically to validate the learning outcomes via the Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 question banks. This artifact demonstrates the competency because learning outcomes and goals are included, instructional strategies are included (in the delineation of the four primary learning experiences—workshops and support groups), and the full assessment plan is included (with links to the actual surveys via Microsoft Forms).

My prior experience writing learning outcomes and assessment plans comes from my time in higher education as adjunct faculty in English for over 15 years, as an administrator who directed a university writing center for almost 5 years, and as adjunct faculty in academic support services for over 10 years. I personally wrote the learning outcomes for the university’s writing center that I directed, as well as created and deployed the assessment plan for it, under the mentorship of an associate provost whose specialty was assessment. These experiences significantly helped me work with my partner in EDCI 577, Ritika Bhargo Chari, to draft the learning outcomes for this real-world breast cancer education and survivor support program as well as create quality assessments that would evaluate the four learning experiences against Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation Model. Having prior knowledge on drafting learning outcomes and assessment protocols helped me tremendously in accomplishing this very large task, as can be seen in the artifact. The assessment plan is thorough (see Appendix B). Having done this project with my partner, I now feel even more confident in my ability to design learning outcomes, identify and plan quality instructional strategies to accomplish them, and assess outcomes with efficiency and accuracy.

This artifact works well to prove my competency in designing learning assessments not only because my partner and I worked incredibly hard to create it, but that we received top scores on the work from our professor; therefore, I know that it meets or exceeds expectations as set by Purdue University’s MSEd in LDT program. In this case, I would not change anything about the experience because my partner and I worked really well together, we created a quality assessment plan that validates the learning outcomes, and it is for a real-world program. The way I will further develop my competencies in this area are to actually deploy the assessment plan in my real-world job as the program coordinator of the breast cancer education and survivor support program that this evaluation plan was created for! Once I have deployed it and can begin gathering data, I will actually be reporting results back to my partner, Ritika Bhargo Chari, and our professor from EDCI 577, as she requested updates if it were ever completed in real life. Ultimately, my existing skillsets helped me accomplish this project, the coursework and teamwork in EDCI 577 helped me improve my skills in designing learning outcomes and assessment plans, and my commitment to follow through and continuing to grow my skills in this area will be ever-expanding as I utilize the culmination of this project in my real-world job.   

Artifact

Evaluation Plan Part 2 shows how learning outcomes align with instructional strategies and a fully developed assessment plan for a real-world breast cancer education and survivor support program.

Artifact copyright 2025 Cindy Malerba and Ritika Bhargo Chari.