Creating a Culture of Assessment: Technology Enhanced Outcome Management

Accreditors in the United States are under pressure from the federal government to show that colleges and universities are making a difference in the lives of students by having assessment systems in place that demonstrate achievement against learning outcomes. We’ll begin by discussing the inter-institutional comparability versus quality improvement models that compete for attention among assessment stakeholders along with several other key considerations for creating a campus assessment plan. Participants will be engaged in a discussion about the impact of online and blended learning environments on outcome management requirements along with a survey of the type of outcome assessment data that is being collected on campus. We’ll also walk through a technology enhanced outcome management model developed by Pearson eCollege with input from numerous institutions worldwide. This assessment approach targets course or unit level learning statements which are logically connected to higher level program goals and institutional mission statements. This provides a targeted stream of more discrete and measurable data to parallel the program level assessment model that is most common today. The session concludes with a basic implementation plan that has been successfully initiated on many campuses. We’ll challenge participants to close the loop by analyzing data that is collected to make informed decisions about improving the student learning experience. Participants should have concrete ideas for how peer institutions have developed technology enhanced plans along with thoughts about how to make logical connections to their local context. Upon completion of this presentation participants will be able to: * Describe the two perspectives that frame the institutional assessment debate * Articulate attributes of a best practice campus assessment plan appropriate for one’s institution * Explain several impacts of eLearning on the broader higher education student learning accountability issue * Make an informed decision about the use of technology to support improvement of the student learning experience