In this book, the authors provide readers with a straightforward approach to doing assessment in a way that is meaningful, manageable, and sustainable over time. Including a straightforward overview of assessment concepts and principles and practical, easy-to-follow instructions for multiple assessment tools and key steps in the assessment process, this book is a handy, all-in-one how-to guide. In addition, the text guides readers toward the development of a culture of assessment. Writing in a conversational tone that has helped the authors to successfully teach assessment principles and practices to faculty and administrators from a variety of academic disciplines and institutions, the book reads as if a friendly, supportive assessment professional is by your side.The book begins with an overview of the assessment process and key assessment concepts and principles. Subsequent modules provide detailed instructions and specific tips for carrying out each step of the process, including three modules focused on creating and implementing specific assessment measurement tools. The authors recommend readers begin by reading Module 1, which provides a framework that will enhance understanding of each of the steps of the process that are spelled out in detail in subsequent modules. However, after that, each of the modules is designed to stand alone. Readers need not read the modules in order nor do they need to read all of them in order to benefit from the authors’ guidance. In addition, the authors have created a video to accompany Module 10 in which they take readers step-by-step through the use of Excel spreadsheets to organize and present assessment data.

Provides a practical guide to make assessments more meaningful and manageable and help make cooperative learning an inherent part of the assessment process.

Higher education professionals have moved from teaching- to learning-centered models for designing and assessing courses and curricula. Faculty work collaboratively to identify learning objectives and assessment strategies, set standards, design effective curricula and courses, assess the impact of their efforts on student learning, reflect on results, and implement appropriate changes to increase student learning. Assessment is an integral component of this learner-centered approach, and it involves the use of empirical data to refine programs and improve student learning. Based on the author's extensive experience conducting assessment training workshops, this book is an expansion of a workshop/consultation guide that has been used to provide assessment training to thousands of busy professionals. Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education provides a comprehensive introduction to planning and implementing the assessment of college and university academic programs. Written for college and university administrators, assessment officers, department chairs, and faculty who are involved in developing and implementing assessment programs, this book is a realistic, pragmatic guide for developing and implementing meaningful, manageable, and sustainable assessment programs that focus faculty attention on student learning. This book will: * Guide readers through all steps in the assessment process * Provide a balanced review of the full array of assessment strategies * Explain how assessment is a crucial component of the teaching and learning process * Provide examples of successful studies that can be easily adapted * Summarize key assessment terms in an end-of-book glossary

General education is the core of the undergraduate experience. It provides a lasting foundation for students’ future academic, civil, cultural, economic, and social lives. Additionally, as part of most general education curricula, general education as well as first-year experience programs are becoming virtually universal in colleges and universities; first-year seminars often are integrated into general education programs to promote student retention, engagement, and success. The assessment of these institution-wide efforts is particularly challenging, but many campuses have made substantial progress from which we can learn. In this book, the author draws on her experience with over sixty colleges, universities, and college systems to Establish a broad context for general education and first-year experience programs and assessment, and summarize relevant ideas from professional organizations Advise how to develop mission, goal, and outcome statements Explain how to align curricula and pedagogy with learning outcomes, develop alignment questions to be used in assessment projects, and describe how campuses can use course certification to promote alignment Describe approaches for assessment planning, criteria for selecting strategies, and ethical issues to be considered Provide examples of direct and indirect assessment strategies Discuss the infrastructure for general education assessment and offer advice for effective collaboration among faculty and staff Written for college and university administrators, assessment officers, faculty, and staff who support general education and first-year experience programs, this book is a hands-on guide for developing, aligning, and assessing general education programs in meaningful, manageable, and sustainable ways. The author presents a variety of approaches and dozens of examples to help readers understand what other campuses are doing and develop a repertoire of their own methods so they can make informed decisions about their programs.

The first edition of Assessing Student Learning has become the standard reference for college faculty and administrators who are charged with the task of assessing student learning within their institutions. The second edition of this landmark book offers the same practical guidance and is designed to meet ever-increasing demands for improvement and accountability. This edition includes expanded coverage of vital assessment topics such as promoting an assessment culture, characteristics of good assessment, audiences for assessment, organizing and coordinating assessment, assessing attitudes and values, setting benchmarks and standards, and using results to inform and improve teaching, learning, planning, and decision making.

Beat burnout with time-saving best practices for feedback For ELA teachers, the danger of burnout is all too real. Inundated with seemingly insurmountable piles of papers to read, respond to, and grade, many teachers often find themselves struggling to balance differentiated, individualized feedback with the one resource they are already overextended on—time. Matthew Johnson offers classroom-tested solutions that not only alleviate the feedback-burnout cycle, but also lead to significant growth for students. These time-saving strategies built on best practices for feedback help to improve relationships, ignite motivation, and increase student ownership of learning. Flash Feedback also takes teachers to the next level of strategic feedback by sharing: How to craft effective, efficient, and more memorable feedback Strategies for scaffolding students through the meta-cognitive work necessary for real revision A plan for how to create a culture of feedback, including lessons for how to train students in meaningful peer response Downloadable online tools for teacher and student use Moving beyond the theory of working smarter, not harder, Flash Feedback works deeper by developing practices for teacher efficiency that also boost effectiveness by increasing students’ self-efficacy, improving the clarity of our messages, and ultimately creating a classroom centered around meaningful feedback.

Synthesizing the literature from the survey and measurement fields, this book explains how to develop closed-response survey scales that will accurately capture such constructs as attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. It provides guidelines to help applied researchers or graduate students review existing scales for possible adoption or adaptation in a study; create their own conceptual framework for a scale; write checklists, true-false variations, and Likert-style items; design response scales; examine validity and reliability; conduct a factor analysis; and document the instrument development and its technical quality. Advice is given on constructing tables and graphs to report survey scale results. Concepts and procedures are illustrated with "Not This/But This" examples from multiple disciplines. User-Friendly Features *End-of-chapter exercises with sample solutions, plus annotated suggestions for further reading. *"Not This/But This" examples of poorly written and strong survey items. *Chapter-opening overviews and within-chapter summaries. *Glossary of key concepts. *Appendix with examples of parametric and nonparametric procedures for group comparisons.