Good Practices in Assessment of Student Learning and Development

II. Good Practices in General Education Assessment of Student Learning and Development

The purpose of this study is to outline good practice case studies in the assessment of student learning in various types of delivery of general education. These good practice case studies are intended to assist faculty and administrators in the evaluation of student learning as it relates to general education. In addition, the case studies are intended to provide readers with information about what was learned from evaluating general education and what may be avoided in the future.

The reader will note from reading the various case studies that there are several ways in which to evaluate general education. Each case varies in its approach and each contributing author shares some tips for implementing general education assessment as well as some challenges. While not a "how-to" study on engaging in general education assessment, this study is designed to give practical advice for consideration of implementation of general education assessment through the examination of each case study. Questions to guide the reader through each case study are posed in Chapter One.

To further aid the reader, the study also contains some considerations to address when planning for general education assessment and a summary of good practice strategies for application. Furthermore, strategies to consider when implementing general education within state guidelines are also discussed in the final chapter.

Selection of Case Studies
Selection of the good practice case studies was based on criteria. The criteria for this good practice study were built on Seymour Studyt's (1991) constructionist learning philosophy. "Studyt's philosophy was used in the context that those delivering the learning are learning about how to improve student learning when they evaluate the delivery of their teaching and evaluate the student learning" (Bresciani, in press, p.2). In this context, the concept of good practices emerges as those delivering the good practice engage in constructionist learning. "It is in fact the teacher or the service provider who is constructing the best possible learning experience or service experience based on what they are learning about how well the entire package is working that constitutes opportunities for continuous improvement. This type of learning from doing and applying decisions to improve that which you are teaching in a manner that will align with the institutional culture within which you are working actually may appear to be more of a form of constructed relativism" (Bresciani, in press, p. 2). For purposes of this study, the study lies on a foundation of constructionist learning.

Good practice criteria were based on a set of criteria which emerged primarily from two key resources. The first is the Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning developed in December 1992 at the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) Assessment Forum (http://www.buffalostate.edu/offices/assessment/aahe.htm). The second is taken from principle number twelve from the 1994 Association of American Colleges publication, entitled Strong Foundations.

In this study, twelve principles for effective general education programs were outlined. Principle number twelve illustrates the importance of evaluating general education. In the discussion of this principle, the authors emphasize the importance of on-going and continuous assessment. Maki (2004) and Palomba and Banta (1999) echo the value of such a systematic review in order to refine teaching methods and curriculum in order to deliver quality student learning.

Making reference to these criteria, twenty-three of the most highly published assessment scholars in the United States were asked to identify institutions that they felt met these criteria in the practice of their general education assessment. A list of 23 institutions was generated and circulated to all of the assessment scholars for further comment. No institutions were removed from the list and seven were added at a later date after the initial call for participation.

All of the institutions were asked to participate in this study. Each institution was asked to provide a 15-25 page case study that followed the outline listed below.

General Education Case Study Outline

1. Overview of Institutional Culture
   Description of Institutional Culture
   1. Briefly describe your institution (size, type, location).
   2. What is your institution known for?
   3. How is it arranged?
   4. How does its special culture or peculiarities affect its view of general education?

2. Overview of General Education Program
   Describe your general education program.
   1. What is its purpose?
   2. What does the faculty expect to see as a result of having a general education program?
   3. What are students expected to learn from general education?
   4. How involved are the co-curricular professionals in the construction of the general education?

3. Overview of Assessment of the General Education Program
   Describe your process of assessing general education.
   1. How and when is general education evaluated?
   2. Who is responsible for each step?
   3. How flexible is the administration of the general education assessment?
   4. What parts are required?
   5. What can be adapted?

4. Examples of Assessment and How Results are Used
   Please provide an example of your outcomes based assessment process complete with outcomes, evaluation methods, criteria, and decisions based on results, etc.

5. Tips for Implementing Process
   Based on how you construct general education and how you evaluate it; what recommendations would you make for other institutions who would want to implement your design?
   1. What would you encourage them to replicate and/or adopt?
   2. What would you recommend they avoid?
   3. What general advice would you provide?
   
   
6. Barriers to Assessing General Education and Strategies to Overcome Them
   Please describe at least one challenge you encountered when implementing general education assessment and at least one strategy that you used to overcome that challenge. In describing this challenge, please feel free to recommend suggestions for adoption or strategies that should be avoided.

7. References

8. Resource Suggestions
   Would you like to share any specific suggestions for resources or references for others to use as they implement general education assessment?
   

Some good practice institutions elected not to participate in this study and others may have been inadvertently overlooked because they have not yet become known for their exemplary assessment practices in general education. I am indebted to those institutions who took the time to submit their work so that all can benefit from their current practice and the lessons they have learned in getting there.

This study is a compilation of the good practice case study submissions from those good practice institutions that elected to participate. Using grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin, 1990), the case studies were reviewed by the editor to compile the list of recommendations to consider when implementing general education assessment. However, the reader should be cautioned that this study is not intended to be a "one-size fits all, lock step" application of good practice. The contributing authors emphasize several points about the dangers of taking one institution's practice and trying to make it your own without tending to institutional culture and values. Thus, this study is intended to provide the reader with ideas for consideration for adapting to the reader's own institutional culture.

This study is not intended to promote outcomes-based assessment of general education as a process established merely to sustain itself. Rather, this study is intended to illustrate good practice in self-reflection that contributes to improved integration of and quality in student learning and development within general education. The process of assessing general education is not a means to its own end; rather, it is a way to systematically engage in daily critical inquiry about what works well and what needs to be improved (Maki, 2004).

The results of this study are being published by Anker Publishing.

References

American Association of Higher Education (1992). Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning. Retrieved March 16, 2006 from http://www.aahe.org/assessment/principl.html.

Bresciani, M.J. (In Press). Exploring the Epistemology of Outcomes-Based Assessment.

Maki, P. (2004). Assessing for Student Learning: Building a Sustainable Commitment Across the Institution. Stylus Publishing, LLC: Sterling, VA.

Palomba, C. & Banta, T. (1999) Assessment Essentials: Planning, Implementing, and Improving Assessment in Higher Education. Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
Studyt, S. (1991). Situating Contructionism. In Constructionism. Edited by Studyt and Harel. Cambrideg, MA:MIT Press.

Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.