Institution-level

Involving faculty in assessment

 

Abstract

The key to faculty involvement in assessment and student learning outcomes lies in motivation.  Faculty must have time to meet and discuss assessment issues.  Faculty must feel that this work is related to the scholarship of teaching and learning and that the work is particularly related to rewards for promotion and tenure on the one hand and quality education for their students on the other.  This workshop will demonstrate projects of faculty engagement in assessment and learning outcomes at two CSU campuses.

 

Target Audience

College/University faculty and administrators who are interested in exploring strategies for encouraging and supporting faculty involvement in assessment and student learning outcomes.

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

1.       Understand that faculty need be heard in the process of developing assessment plans or rubrics. The hand-me-down rubrics will not entice faculty buy-in.

2.       Identify effective strategies for building faculty consensus in developing assessment and student learning outcomes in one’s own discipline or department

3.       Organize a roundtable discussion of faculty from different disciplines to share experiences in assessment and to elevate the interest of faculty. A better practice is to have a mix of accredited and non-accredited disciplines for the roundtable. Faculty from each camp will become more appreciate of their work by listening to colleagues’ presentation.

4.       Demonstrate to faculty that assessment rubrics eventually will reduce faculty workload (such as grading papers the traditional way) and refocus student learning on competence (tied to job and career development) from memorizing and the “A+ mentality.”

5.       Share and maintain assessment tools and records

Conducted by:

 

Mayling Chu

Mayling Chu, PhD, is a Visiting Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay. In spring 2008, she participated in the multi-disciplinary Learning Outcome Assessment faculty group at California State University, East Bay. Currently, she is involved in developing student learning outcomes and assessment rubrics for the new Master of Social Work Program at California State University, Monterey Bay.