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Outcomes Assessment under way

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Across the country, driven in part by changing accreditation requirements, universities are becoming involved in outcomes assessment. In addition to traditional measures of quality, such as the preparation and productivity of faculty and the breadth of the library holdings, campuses are seeking ways to demonstrate the extent of student learning. At Fresno State, outcomes assessment is being used in departments to gather data to be used for program improvement.

Three years ago, permission was obtained from the chancellor's office to allow departments to substitute the development of an assessment plan for a five-year review of academic programs. As of this year, all departments have begun planning for assessment. Several departments have completed assessment plans through university-level review and are already applying what they have learned. Three departments that are making effective use of the assessment process are Psychology, Theatre Arts and Music.

Jean Ritter, former assessment coordinator for the undergraduate program in psychology, notes that one of the greatest benefits of outcomes assessment is the opportunity for faculty to have meaningful discussion about expectations for student learning. In the Psychology Department these discussions led directly to ideas for improving the program.

"Once we explicitly identified the knowledge base and skills we expect our students develop, we took a close look at the structure of the program," said Ritter. "We found evidence in our first assessment activity that our curriculum was meeting our goals in some areas, but we found gaps in others. We were able to address those gaps with a curriculum change."

Terry Miller, assessment coordinator for Theatre Arts, describes several assessment activities being carried out by faculty across the department.

"This year, M.C. Drake, Dan Carrion and Jeff Hunter will be using a new scoring rubric they've developed for evaluating student projects in design. Ruth Griffin and Kenneth Balint will be using their new rubric to assess dance performance. Ed EmanuEl and Melissa Gibson have helped develop a 20-question exam on literature and history of the theatre," said Miller. "It's given to entering students and then to students who've taken all of our literature/history courses. It's an interesting exercise, which can generate animated discussions about which 20 questions to ask. Scoring these exams keeps us humble; students don't always learn what we think we've taught.

"We're also assessing the progress of acting students in auditioning, by implementing a professional-style monologue audition. Each auditioner is scored using a rubric developed by acting teachers Kathleen McKinley and Brad Myers, along with directors including Kim Morin, Barb Maier and Thomas-Whit Ellis. We're finding that the assessment process can clarify the program's goals, for us and for our students. We know that some of our assessment projects will crash and burn. But others will prove enlightening and useful," Miller said.

José Diaz, assessment coordinator and chair of Music, describes a fundamental shift in student achievement as a result of outcomes assessment. "The process of developing a music outcomes assessment plan created an invigorating environment for faculty contemplation and discussion about standards for the synthesis of artistic and intellectual development of students.

"It has been standard practice for at least two centuries for developing musicians to undergo a series of proficiencies in various aspects of the discipline. Traditionally, all musicians must achieve proficiencies in keyboard skills, ear training and sight singing, and artistic skill, as well as even more specific proficiencies depending on a student's chosen emphasis," said Diaz. "All these various proficiencies traditionally are passed or failed depending on the student's demonstrated skill. What hasn't been a traditional marker for student success is synthesis of artistic skill and intellectual knowledge. To our knowledge, there has never been a standardized measure of synthesis during the course of a musician's developing years.

"This has been the crux of our efforts - to determine how much knowledge of the academic aspects of our discipline students are absorbing and how they apply this knowledge to enhance their artistry. To enhance our students' ability to synthesize these areas of knowledge with their performance, we have revised our theory and history curriculum to incorporate practical application of repertoire they study in their performance classes. The results of this curricular revision have begun producing an increased number of 'informed' performances - that is to say, performances where it is clearly evident that the students can demonstrate more than just technical proficiency in their chosen performance medium. Students are beginning to approach their performances with an understanding of music's structural elements as well as demonstrating an understanding of style that is more than mere imitation."

In the future, outcomes assessment will be integrated into program review. An important indication of the success of the assessment initiative will the extent to which program review is transformed from a periodic demonstration of accountability to an opportunity for reflection and planning. These three examples demonstrate ways in which outcomes assessment has brought faculty together to discuss and improve student learning in their programs.

Back to University Journal, 12/10/01 Issue