Learning assessment expert shares her insights

Madison, Wis.—November 25, 2008 — Learning goals are the key to assessment, says Linda Suskie. But what are learning goals? Suskie defines them as simply deciding what we want our students to learn and making sure they learn it.

Suskie makes assessment come alive during this 90-minute online seminar. Suskie, the Executive Associate Director for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, tells you the five criteria of a good learning goal. She then provides examples of specific learning goals in five different subject areas from chemistry to finance to theatre.

A student scores 55 on an exam. Is that good? Suskie says that depends on what benchmark you’re comparing the score to. There are many standards you can use to compare scores. There are local standards, external standards, class average, national average, change from a year ago, historical trends benchmark, and a cost per student productivity calculation. She points out that there are advantages and disadvantages to each benchmark. Suskie says that using multiple perspectives gives the most balanced picture of student learning.

How do you choose a peer group for benchmarking? Suskie mentions many resources and selection criteria that can help you make that decision.

She recommends that you analyze your current curriculum when you’re evaluating learning assessment. Important learning goals should be addressed in more than one course.

This seminar also includes a rubric to help you achieve deep, lasting learning. It contains 17 ideas you can incorporate into your teaching, as well as a handout of rubric for evaluating student papers.

If you missed the seminar and would like to purchase it for your institution, you can order the program in CD or print transcript format, both of which include the presenter's handouts.

Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.

For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.