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Session 3650

Tools for Using Course-Embedded Assessment to Validate Program Outcomes and Course Objectives

Joy L. Colwell, Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership and Supervision, Jana Whittington, Assistant Professor of Computer Graphics Technology, James B. Higley, P.E., Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology

Purdue University Calumet

Abstract

In the last decade, academia has undergone a paradigm change unprecedented since the space race. Education is now directed toward customer-focused programs. No longer can academia tell students, business, and industry what it will teach; academia must now look to its constituencies, meet their needs, and continuously improve to keep meeting those changing needs. One of the key factors in a continuous improvement program is assessment.

Quality assessment tools provide the information needed to measure outcomes and objectives so improvement can take place. Purdue University Calumet has been involved in assessment for continuous improvement for a number of years and has developed course-embedded tools to assess program outcomes and course objectives in various disciplines. This paper describes our efforts to develop and use these tools. To that end, this paper defines terminology, reviews different types of assessment, looks at specific assessment measures, investigates issues in assessment such as small class sizes or classes taught online, examines statistical and anecdotal information to support assessment, and then discusses methods of presenting assessment data.

Introduction and Definitions

With education now directed toward customer- or constituent-focused programs the need for continuous improvement grows more important. In order to be responsive to students, business and industry, academia must assess the needs of those groups, meet them, and continuously improve. One of the key factors in a continuous improvement (CI) program is assessment.

There are two basic types of assessment, formative and summative. Formative assessments tell “where we are now”; what do the students know and what do they need to learn to accomplish course objectives. Formative assessments attempt to determine whether the students are learning what they should be learning. [1] Summative assessments tell how well the course went; they are conducted at the end of the course to give information on how to improve for the future. Summative evaluation assesses the completed course, and helps instructors know how well they have achieved goals and learning outcomes established before going into the course. [2] Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Higley, J., & Whittington, J., & Colwell, J. (2004, June), Tools For Using Course Embedded Assessment To Validate Program Outcomes And Course Objectives Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13901