Assessment

Definition of Assessment:

Assessment is a process that focuses on student learning, a process
that involves reviewing and reflecting on practice as academics
have always done, but in a more planned and careful way. (Ewell,
2000)

Assessment is an ongoing process of collecting information that is
aimed at understanding and improving student learning and
personal development. (Angelo, 1995)

What Assessment IS and IS NOT:

• Assessment is NOT episodic…..it should be ongoing and embedded in the culture by repeating a cycle of actions.
• Assessment is NOT just about measurement….it involves both gathering
  information and using it as feedback to modify a service, program, or course.
• Assessment is NOT about evaluating the performance of an individual
  staff/faculty/student….it is aimed at improvement.
• Assessment is NOT solely an administrative process….it is a team effort and staff must be actively engaged in the assessment process.
• Assessment is NOT easy or quick….it is a complex process of comparing the intended outcomes and the actual learning outcomes of an educational experience.

USM Assessment Reports and Studies

• Program/Course Assessment Reports
  
  • Academic Alert Program
  • EYE: Entry Year Experience
  • ENG 104/SAT-W Studies
  • FRS 180/197 Course Assessment
  • MAT/SAT-Q Studies
  • Russell Scholar Program
  • Other Studies

• Institutional Assessment Reports
  
  • Academic Proficiency Studies
  • Campus Diversity Studies
  • Campus-wideProgram Assessment Reports
  • Graduating Senior Survey
  • National Survery Reports (NSSE, FSSE, LSSE, and CSHE)
  • Testing Activities Reports

USM Assessment Tools

• CAS Climate Survey
• Core Curriculum Focus Group Questions
• Department Assessment-Student Survey
• Diversity Student Survey
• Diversity Faculty Survey
• End of Course Assessment
• ENG Writing Rubric
• EYE Assessment - Student Questionnaire
  • 2010
  • 2009
  • 2008
• FRS 180 Course Questionnaire
• Learner Preference Scale for the Classroom
• Mid-Course Assessment
• Non-Matriculated Student Survey
• Program Assessment Inventory for Department Heads
• RSP Freshmen Survey and RSP Senior Survey
• Transfer Student - Focus Group Questions
• USM Electronic Course Evaluation Initiative, brief vision Spring 2013
• USM Electronic Course Evaluation Initiative, full presentation, Spring 2013

Assessment Resources/Literature

• Assessment Terminology
• Bibliography for Assessment
• Bloom's Taxonomy
• Brief NSSE Report
• Course Feedback Tool: Student Assessment of Their Learning Gains (SALG)
• Creating and Using Rubrics
• Degree Qualification Profile
• Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE)
• Internet Resources of Higher Education Outcomes Assessment
• Inventory of Higher Education Assessment Instruments
• Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE)
• Learning Outcomes Assessment-Planning Guide
• Measuring Quality: Choosing Among Surveys and Other Assessments of College Quality
• National Insitute for Learning Outcomes Assessment
• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Online Course Evaluations - Bibliography
• Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning
• Strategies for meeting regional accreditation
• Student Ratings: Myth vs Research Evidence
• Student Ratings Offer Useful Input to Teacher Evaluation
• What faculty need to know about assessment