Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and diverse sources in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences; the process culminates when assessment results are used to improve subsequent learning (Huba and Freed, 2000).
This web page contains many resources to support the assessment work of experiential learning opportunities, or evaluation of teaching. Please see the links below for assistance with the following types of assessment.
Certificate ProgramCourse-Based Assessment Certificate: This self-paced course contains three modules designed to introduce participants to the foundations of assessment design and planning at the course level. Topics include assessment planning for student and instructional improvement, equitability in assessment, and student-direct assessments. This course is beneficial for instructors interested in examining and recrafting their assessment practices to provide a student-centric approach to teaching, learning, and assessment. |
List of Resources
Assessment Guides for Faculty: These guides give a breakdown of what assessments are expected from the instructor and students in experiential learning contexts, when the assessments will be disseminated to the instructor/student, and the purpose of each assessment.
Assessment Toolbox (Experiential Learning): This webpage provides multiple resources to meet various assessment needs, including a direct vs. indirect assessment guide, guided reflections for service-learning, collaboration rubric, ways to choose the right assessment tools, and rubrics for experiential learning.
Assessment Toolbox (Formative vs. Summative): This document provides explanations for formative and summative assessment, and tools in order to complete either type of assessment.
Best Practices for Online Exams: This downloadable document outlines ten tips to create and deliver online exams to your students.
Course-Level Assessment: This webpage provides an overview of formative and summative assessments that measure student learning.
Designing Effective Exam & Test Questions: This webpage provides an overview of the different types of exam questions that instructors can utilize, things to consider before creating the exam, and “after test” checks an instructor can use to determine that a good test was constructed and used.
Direct Assessment (Experiential Learning): This webpage provides information on direct assessment, which is critical for evaluating Experience Learning’s impact on student learning at UT. This assessment will use a series of rubrics designed around each of the student learning outcomes and associated benchmarks.
Experience Learning Student Learning Outcomes: This webpage provides information on the core Student Learning Outcomes of the Experiential Learning QEP initiative.
How to Assess Lifelong Learning: This webpage covers some of the key attributes of lifelong learning, how to measure attainment of lifelong learning outcomes, and how to determine the best methods to assess lifelong learning in your experiential course.
In-Class Group Work Assessment: This document outlines resources for conducting formative, informal assessments through active group assignments, which has quickly become one of the more effective ways to improve student interaction and participation in a socially distanced learning environment.
Indirect Assessment (Experiential Learning): This webpage provides information on indirect assessments, which complement direct assessments by measuring changes in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors resulting from experiential learning.
Rubrics – An Introduction: This webpage provides an introduction to rubrics, highlighting why rubrics should be used for certain assessments, the necessary components of a rubric, and the types of rubrics that can be used.
Teaching Evaluation Frameworks: On this webpage, we have provided the tools to aid you in teaching evaluation through self-evaluation strategies or peer-evaluation strategies.
Teaching Evaluation Toolbox: This tool was created with both the reviewer and the person reviewed in mind. To this end, this guide is divided into two sections – one containing helpful tips for evaluators and the other with advice for those being evaluated. The latter includes faculty up for tenure and lecturers up for review and promotion.
Top 10 Considerations When Reviewing an Assessment Report: This list of considerations may be used in several ways. You may reference the list while reviewing reports, copy and/or paste items that are missing or need attention, and/or check of items as you find them and then share the document with the report writer.
Top 12 Considerations When Writing the Annual Assessment Report: This list of considerations includes information to write an effective annual assessment report.
Writing Clear Learning Outcomes: This webpage provides an overview of clear learning outcomes, which are are statements describing what students should know (knowledge), think (attitudes, values), or do (skill) by the end of the program/course.
OIRA Assessment Resources: The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment provides resources on program assessment, writing assessment reports, and much more. Program assessment involves providing evidence of the effectiveness of your courses and curriculum.