The Governance, Policy and Strategy of Learning Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamish Coates ◽  
Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Learning Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Policy And Strategy ◽  
Assessment In Higher Education

Toward ideal enacted mental models of learning outcomes assessment in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 490-508
Author(s):  
William F. Heinrich
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mental Models ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Faculty And Staff ◽  
Assessment In Higher Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the enacted mental models, the types of thinking and action, of assessment held by faculty and staff in higher education. Design/methodology/approach This research approaches the question: in what ways are “learning outcomes assessment” understood (thinking) as part of a system and assessed in the individual’s work (practice)?” Interviews and concept maps were used to identify influences, descriptions of actions, and connections to environments for 12 participants, known to have engaged in learning outcomes assessment. Findings By connecting individual perspectives to broader organizational understanding, a goal of this research was to identify and analyze how educators understand and practice learning outcomes assessment in higher education. Influences on assessment presented in the literature are confirmed and several behavioral types are defined and categorized. Research limitations/implications The findings focus attention on the ways individuals act on influences in systems of higher education. The findings yield opportunities for new ways to utilize assessment knowledge. The study is small and has implications for similar type institutions. Practical implications Faculty and staff can use these findings to create training and development protocols and/or adjust their own practices of assessment. Assessment professionals can apply findings to consulting on an array of assessment projects and with staff who have varying skill levels. Social implications The ways in which assessment is practiced is deeply influenced by training but is also shaped heavily by current environments and accountability structures. Policies and practices related to such environments can make a difference in preparing for scaled-up assessment practices and projects. Originality/value This research offers insight into possible archetypes of assessment behaviors and presents applied influences on assessment.

scholarly journals Development of a Mechanical Engineering Test Item Bank to promote learning outcomes-based education in Japanese and Indonesian higher education institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-73
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Cross ◽  
Estiyanti Ekawati ◽  
Satoko Fukahori ◽  
Shinnosuke Obi ◽  
Yugo Saito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Test Item ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Item Bank ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Learning Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Item Development ◽  
Outcomes Based Education

Following on the 2008-2012 OECD Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) feasibility study of civil engineering, in Japan a mechanical engineering learning outcomes assessment working group was established within the National Institute of Education Research (NIER), which became the Tuning National Center for Japan. The purpose of the project is to develop among engineering faculty members, common understandings of engineering learning outcomes, through the collaborative process of test item development, scoring, and sharing of results. By substantiating abstract level learning outcomes into concrete level learning outcomes that are attainable and assessable, and through measuring and comparing the students’ achievement of learning outcomes, it is anticipated that faculty members will be able to draw practical implications for educational improvement at the program and course levels. The development of a mechanical engineering test item bank began with test item development workshops, which led to a series of trial tests, and then to a large scale test implementation in 2016 of 348 first semester master’s students in 9 institutions in Japan, using both multiple choice questions designed to measure the mastery of basic and engineering sciences, and a constructive response task designed to measure “how well students can think like an engineer.” The same set of test items were translated from Japanese into to English and Indonesian, and used to measure achievement of learning outcomes at Indonesia’s Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) on 37 risingfourth yearundergraduate students. This paper highlights how learning outcomes assessment can effectively facilitate learning outcomes-based education, by documenting the experience of Japanese and Indonesian mechanical engineering faculty members engaged in the NIER Test Item Bank project.Published online: 30 November 2017

scholarly journals Approaching the Loop: A Brief Review of Effective Practises in Continuous Program Improvement

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Kaupp ◽  
Brian Frank
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Program Improvement ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Learning Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Improvement Process ◽  
Closing The Loop

Using the results of outcomes basedassessment for the purposes of continuous improvement,or closing the loop, is a frequent topic of discussion inhigher education, and is becoming more commonplaceamongst Canadian engineering programs. There havebeen several organizations and institutions in the UnitedStates that have been investigating outcomes assessmentand how institutions use the data for improvementpurposes. Most notable of these are the National Institutefor Learning Outcomes Assessment and the schoolsparticipating the in the Wabash Study. Despite theseinvestigations and discussions, there is no clearconsensus of what a functioning closed loop resembles,due to the diversity that exists between one institution andthe next. Ultimately it will be the decision of an individualinstitution as to what the final process will resemble, butthere are some key or effective practises for continuousimprovement that can help institutions guide and shapetheir approach to closing the loop.This paper will briefly review the current landscape incontinuous improvement in higher education, and presenteffective practises, common themes and techniques forclosing the loop. The intent of this paper is to provide aresource collection of effective practises to help develop ameaningful, sustainable and practical data-informedcontinuous improvement process with a focus onengineering.

scholarly journals Triangulated authentic assessment in the HEQCO Learning Outcomes Assessment Consortium

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Kaupp ◽  
Natalie Simper ◽  
Brian Frank
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Authentic Assessment ◽  
Education Quality ◽  
Learning Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Course Assessment ◽  
Higher Education Quality ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Specific Learning

The Higher Education Quality Council ofOntario (HEQCO) has established a consortium ofinstitutions committed to the development of usefullearning outcomes assessment techniques and to theirwide-scale implementation in their institutions. Queen'sUniversity is one of three universities and three collegesof the consortium, and the Faculty of Engineering andApplied Science (FEAS) is participating due to familiaritywith assessing learning outcomes as part of accreditation.The specific learning outcomes that are of interest toQueen's are Critical Thinking, Problem Solving,Communication and Lifelong learning.The goal of this three-year project is to assess theaforementioned general learning outcomes and cognitiveskills using three assessment methods simultaneously:embedded course assessment, using meta--rubrics toscore student artifacts, and using standardizedtests/surveys. The study will document cost and timerequired to access each of these methods in specificcourses, analyze correlation between scores from thethree methods, and evaluate developments of the genericlearning outcomes over the duration of a program. Weaim to ensure that the work of outcomes assessment issustainable, works within standard course contexts, andcan be integrated into regular course activities. Thepaper identifies the goals of the project, currentapproach, and an example of data collection in one firstyearengineering design course.

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