This video from the National Institution for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) features several faculty discussing the benefits of assessment within the context of their teaching and curriculum. What benefits do you anticipate you will gain from participating in assessment? What benefits do you think students may gain from this process?
Academic Assessment is a reflective process by which a department reviews and considers the effectiveness of instructional methods, class activities, curriculum, and student engagement by measuring student learning. This process should be informative and meaningful to the faculty engaged in providing instruction in the course or program, and should lead to improvements to student learning based on data-informed decision-making. While we recognize that academic assessment is a component of institutional compliance with state and regional policies, Georgia Southern values academic assessment as a critical activity to ensure continuous improvement in the academic experience of our students.
The goal of your assessment process should be to gain a greater understanding of student learning in your course or program. Keep this focus in mind as you draft student learning outcomes, design assignments for assessment purposes, decide what data is critical to collect and how you will collect it, interpret that data in alignment with student learning outcomes, and use that interpretation to drive action plans to improve student learning.
Your assessment should provide meaningful insights into student learning that can be used to guide future developments of the course or program. As disciplines, pedagogy, and student characteristics change and evolve, you may need to adapt your assessment framework and processes to address those changes and ensure that your process remains meaningful and useful.
The systematic examination of outcomes that define achievement in our courses and degree programs plays a significant role in student success. Your efforts contribute to the intellectual, personal, and professional development of students as we work together to ensure excellence in teaching and learning at Georgia Southern.