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Assessment/Learning Outcomes I TrackSummary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2006

John Berg,
Kerstin Hamann and
Dianne Long
John Berg
Affiliation:
Suffolk University
Kerstin Hamann
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida
Dianne Long
Affiliation:
California Polytechnic State University
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Extract

Assessment is of increasing importance for political science facultyand departments across the discipline. One indicator of thisrelevance is the diversity of backgrounds of the 24 presenters andparticipants in our track, ranging from graduate students to fullprofessors and deans, housed in institutions of higher learningranging from community colleges to Ivy League universities, andbelonging to departments ranging in size from 40 majors to over1,100. Some attended because they wanted to share their enthusiasmfor assessment, while others were interested in learning more abouta process they were forced into by administrators, legislatures, oraccreditation agencies. The group discussed many different aspectsof assessment, including designing measurements for classroom andprogram assessment as well as some of the problems linked toassessment. We proposed the following summary conclusions:

Information

Type
2006 APSA TEACHING AND LEARNING CONFERENCE TRACKSUMMARIES
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , July 2006, pp. 537 - 538
Copyright
© 2006 The American Political Science Association

Assessment is of increasing importance for political science faculty and departments across the discipline. One indicator of this relevance is the diversity of backgrounds of the 24 presenters and participants in our track, ranging from graduate students to full professors and deans, housed in institutions of higher learning ranging from community colleges to Ivy League universities, and belonging to departments ranging in size from 40 majors to over 1,100. Some attended because they wanted to share their enthusiasm for assessment, while others were interested in learning more about a process they were forced into by administrators, legislatures, or accreditation agencies. The group discussed many different aspects of assessment, including designing measurements for classroom and program assessment as well as some of the problems linked to assessment. We proposed the following summary conclusions:

1. Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning.

Assessment focuses on finding out what students have learned. While not all departments and faculty members may value imposed assessment activities, most can agree that measuring student learning is important. Politicians, accreditation requirements, and university administrators put increasing value and weight on assessing what has been achieved and to determine the value of public and private investment in education. Consequently, more college and university faculty are taking a proactive approach to assure that the discipline will identify what is important to assess and what measures and practices are most useful in defining student achievement. Assessment allows faculty to verify what students learn; consequently, it will facilitate informed decisions about curricula and programs.

2. Learning objectives are the building blocks of assessment activity.

Before assessment can take place, it is critical to set out the learning objectives for the particular courses and groupings of courses. These objectives are best stated in terms of learner objectives, such as increase in knowledge or skills. Assessment links learning objectives with learning outcomes to see whether students have acquired the skills and knowledge they are taught. This is true for classroom and program assessment alike, and both levels of assessment are closely linked: We teach programmatic objectives through our courses and, often, we use course work to measure the extent to which students have achieved programmatic goals.

3. Political scientists have the skills to conduct meaningful assessment.

The political science quantitative and qualitative toolbox includes case studies, scoring rubrics, surveys, content analyses of portfolios, rating scales, reflective essays, standardized achievement tests, and focus groups. This toolbox fully equips faculty in the discipline to conduct meaningful assessment that can demonstrate the value of the discipline as part of students' educational experience.

4. Assessment can be beneficial.

By analyzing what the students have and have not learned, instructors and programs can improve curricula and teaching methods, thereby improving students' learning. Since program assessment is a collaborative undertaking, the endeavor can stimulate new conversations and partnerships among departmental faculty members and with other units on campus, such as assessment or teaching and learning centers. Assessment results can be used to demonstrate the unique contribution our discipline makes for higher education. They might also be used to leverage additional resources for political science departments and faculty. For individual faculty members, assessment provides another opportunity to engage in research by practicing the scholarship of teaching and learning.

5. Assessment is not without challenges.

The assessment process requires resources and time, and often these are not readily available. Moreover, oftentimes faculty members find it difficult to agree on what is to be assessed, and how. If assessment produces improved student learning, that ought rightly to lead to higher student grades—and to the perception of grade inflation. In addition, faculty members often fear a general loss of autonomy, particularly if assessment is imposed from the outside. Finally there is the Big Fear: What if we measure student learning and find that there is none? Will we lose students, administrative support, and funding as a result? And what of the individual faculty whose courses are found to be ineffective? Will they suffer punitive consequences? Given these fears, departments may be tempted to devise assessment measures that are designed to cover up problems, rather than reveal them. If assessment is to be effective, it must not be punitive—but that principle may be hard to maintain in practice.

6. Next steps.

Our track members concluded that assessment is becoming a part of the academic endeavor that will gain in importance. Consequently, the track suggests that APSA continue to facilitate and take a more visible leadership role in assisting faculty members in their assessment efforts, both at the level of classroom instruction as well as at the programmatic level. APSA could become more engaged in the national discussion on assessment, help develop testing instruments that are germane to the discipline and could be obtained at low cost to faculty and departments, and take a leadership role in coordinating resources and training for assessment in the profession. It is essential that assessment demonstrate the unique contribution political science makes to the undergraduate curriculum. Despite the problems inherent in assessment, it is thus of fundamental importance to the discipline.