Developing Tools and Strategies to Assess Student Learning: 2008

Comparing Student Assessment Tools

“If you want something done right …”

When it comes to assessment of student learning, many in academia choose published instruments.

Certainly those tools have much to recommend them.

But there are equally strong opinions in favor of locally-developed assessment tools.

After all, the argument goes, who better to create the assessment tools than those who actually teach and interact with the students?

In this information-packed, 90-minute seminar, Linda Suskie of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education looks at the strengths and weaknesses of various assessment tools, and how you can use them to best advantage in your programs.

You’ll learn:

The role of assessment in the teaching/learning process.
The four key characteristics of effective assessment tools and strategies.
The difference between “direct” and “indirect” evidence of student learning.
How to identify the assessment information that’s already available at your institution.
Which tools return the most information in proportion to the time spent developing and using them.
How to develop rubrics, in more than one format, to evaluate student work.
How to create multiple-choice tests that assess more than basic understanding.
How to use reflective writing to assess the “ineffable” goals: attitudes, values, and the like.
How to write effective “prompts” for essays and other assignments.