18 Overview: Assessment across modalities
Assessments across modalities
The strategies that are laid out at Century to improve teaching and learning through academic program assessment and the use of data for continuous improvement are multifaceted. The following notes are narrations on the workflows or inputs that can strengthen the already existing assessment activities at Century.
- Assessment of Student Learning (AofSL)
Chaired by two co-leads, the AoSL taskforce plans and implements the assessment of student learning for institutional-level learning outcomes. AofSL results are also disaggregated by modality.
In addressing the two forked purposes of assessment, i.e., 1. improvement and 2. accountability, the transparency framework approach from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) can set the tone. Kuhn et al., (2015) cited in the book “Trends in Assessment”1 indicates that the Transparency Framework2 serves to guide the institutions’ examination of “whether evidence of student accomplishment is readily accessible and potentially useful to intended audiences”. The following are the components of the framework:
- Student learning outcomes statements
- Assessment plans
- Assessment resources
- Current assessment activities
- Evidence of student learning
- Use of student learning evidence
Century has placed all the groundwork for meeting the transparency framework. The assessment resources include the identified student learning outcomes through AASC in the curriculum, assessment coordination using the assessment of student learning taskforce with Divisional Assessment Leads (DALs), the reporting site (planning Alignment tool), and the adoption of D2L Brightspace for artifact and evidence generation are some of great foundational work for academic assessment. The online Teaching & Learning mentor’s instructional guidance combined with the institutional effectiveness reports on data aggregations and the Center for professional development & Collaboration (CPDC)’s initiatives on the Data Wise approach and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) strengthens and compliments the specific academic assessment strategies for accreditation reviews to promote program effectiveness and quality endeavors.
1. Improvement using Intentional Assessment
Intentional assessment helps to describe options for using assessment data to demonstrate learning across different modalities. As Faris, K., (2019) recommends, it is a best practice in assessment that “the evaluation should analyze the results of students overall and then differentiate results by modality”. The findings and recommendations for each modality are to be used by Faculty to plan, implement, and evaluate the (equivalence) changes at the course content, engagement (teaching) and curriculum levels.
It is the program’s obligation to assess the effectiveness of each modality across the courses it offers. The approach is first to assess student learning overall and then divide the data evidence by modalities to check any differences. Like any research, the validity and reliability of the data guides the effectiveness of the assessment evidence to inform the modalities.
According to Faris, K., (2019)3, some common points to consider on assessing across modalities include: Are the assessment methods reliable and provide relevant data for the measurement of student learning? Are all students learning at the same level regardless of modality? Can differences be explained? If a variety of assessments are being used across the program by different faculty or locations, are they assessing the same competencies at the same level?
Weiner, W., (2018) describes fifteen elements that help develop a Culture4 of Assessment to achieve sustainable and ongoing continuous improvement efforts. One of such elements is a yearly assessment plan at program level. The institutional assessment plan document needs to include the following to guide program assessment leaders and faculty, see table 1.
Table 1. Elements institutional assessment plan
|
SN |
Item |
Remark |
|
1 |
Institutional Assessment Plan, including cycle |
Overall Guidance Document |
|
2 |
Annual Program Assessment Plan Template |
For Use by programs/Divisions |
|
3 |
Annual Program Assessment Report Template |
With Committee Reviewers Rubric |
|
4 |
Annual Program Assessment Feedback Template |
Reviewers Feedback to program |
|
6 |
Cyclic or x years Program Self-Review Template |
Committee Reviewers Rubric |
|
7 |
Cyclic or x years Program External Review Recruitment |
Institutional Guide, External Reviewer Report |
2. Evidence Generation
The annual program assessment plan is the core of all the assessment processes and impacts other assessments and reporting. Hence, it is important to emphasize on the methods of data collection as evidence to meeting learning outcomes across the modalities.
There are two broad categories of data sources5 for program assessment, i.e., Direct and Indirect Sources.
- Direct evidence includes course work (Discussion, assignment, Quizzes), Capstones (Thesis, Projects, portfolio, Supervised Internships, Research or Teaching) & Comprehensive Exams (Licensing, Standard or program exams)
- Indirect evidence includes Survey Results (Students, supervisors, Employers, Alumni), Course Evaluations (if it has learning outcome items or ratings), & Student Success (Completion, retention & gainful employment).