[PDF] Using Quality Benchmarks For Assessing And Developing Undergraduate Programs eBook

Author : Dana S. Dunn
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 23,16 MB
Release : 2010-12-21
Category : Education
ISBN : 0470892471

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Praise for Using Quality Benchmarks for Assessing and Developing Undergraduate Programs "This welcome volume provides discipline-friendly, carefully crafted frameworks for focusing faculty and staff on the dimensions that matter to student learning and institutional effectiveness." —George D. Kuh, Chancellor's Professor and director, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research "A welcome contrast to narrow, mechanical views of assessment, this volume provides a comprehensive model for academic program improvement. Readers will find a powerful framework, flexible tools, and a human touch that brings the whole process to life." —Pat Hutchings, former vice president, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "Comprehensive in its scope, detailed in its research and analysis, practical in its examples and recommendations, this book provides a refreshingly developmental approach to program assessment and improvement." —Timothy Riordan, associate provost, Alverno College

Author : Richard Arum
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 32,93 MB
Release : 2016-05-31
Category : Education
ISBN : 1119268508

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An ambitious, comprehensive reimagining of 21st century higher education Improving Quality in American Higher Education outlines the fundamental concepts and competencies society demands from today's college graduates, and provides a vision of the future for students, faculty, and administrators. Based on a national, multidisciplinary effort to define and measure learning outcomes—the Measuring College Learning project—this book identifies 'essential concepts and competencies' for six disciplines. These essential concepts and competencies represent efforts towards articulating a consensus among faculty in biology, business, communication, economics, history, and sociology—disciplines that account for nearly 40 percent of undergraduate majors in the United States. Contributions from thought leaders in higher education, including Ira Katznelson, George Kuh, and Carol Geary Schneider, offer expert perspectives and persuasive arguments for the need for greater clarity, intentionality, and quality in U.S. higher education. College faculty are our best resource for improving the quality of undergraduate education. This book offers a path forward based on faculty perspectives nationwide: Clarify program structure and aims Articulate high-quality learning goals Rigorously measure student progress Prioritize higher order competencies and disciplinarily grounded conceptual understandings A culmination of over two years of efforts by faculty and association leaders from six disciplines, this book distills the national conversation into a delineated set of fundamental ideas and practices, and advocates for the development and use of rigorous assessment tools that are valued by faculty, students, and society. Improving Quality in American Higher Education brings faculty voices to the fore of the conversation and offers an insightful look at the state of higher education, and a realistic strategy for better serving our students.

Author : Christina Brown
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 39,81 MB
Release : 2012-11-01
Category : Education
ISBN : 9780988311602

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Created at the Center for Collaborative Education, this is a practical guide for implementing performance assessments in schools and school districts. It includes extensive tools and assessments aligned with the Common Core. The guide is spiral bound for use by teachers and teams of educators. It offers full discussion of issues pertaining to performance assessment.

Author : Donald B. Yarbrough
Publisher : SAGE
Page : 385 pages
File Size : 45,52 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Education
ISBN : 1412986567

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Including a new section on evaluation accountability, this Third Edition details 30 standards which give advice to those interested in planning, implementing and using program evaluations.

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 27,52 MB
Release : 2014-05-29
Category : Education
ISBN : 0309289548

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Assessments, understood as tools for tracking what and how well students have learned, play a critical role in the classroom. Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards develops an approach to science assessment to meet the vision of science education for the future as it has been elaborated in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (Framework) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). These documents are brand new and the changes they call for are barely under way, but the new assessments will be needed as soon as states and districts begin the process of implementing the NGSS and changing their approach to science education. The new Framework and the NGSS are designed to guide educators in significantly altering the way K-12 science is taught. The Framework is aimed at making science education more closely resemble the way scientists actually work and think, and making instruction reflect research on learning that demonstrates the importance of building coherent understandings over time. It structures science education around three dimensions - the practices through which scientists and engineers do their work, the key crosscutting concepts that cut across disciplines, and the core ideas of the disciplines - and argues that they should be interwoven in every aspect of science education, building in sophistication as students progress through grades K-12. Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards recommends strategies for developing assessments that yield valid measures of student proficiency in science as described in the new Framework. This report reviews recent and current work in science assessment to determine which aspects of the Framework's vision can be assessed with available techniques and what additional research and development will be needed to support an assessment system that fully meets that vision. The report offers a systems approach to science assessment, in which a range of assessment strategies are designed to answer different kinds of questions with appropriate degrees of specificity and provide results that complement one another. Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards makes the case that a science assessment system that meets the Framework's vision should consist of assessments designed to support classroom instruction, assessments designed to monitor science learning on a broader scale, and indicators designed to track opportunity to learn. New standards for science education make clear that new modes of assessment designed to measure the integrated learning they promote are essential. The recommendations of this report will be key to making sure that the dramatic changes in curriculum and instruction signaled by Framework and the NGSS reduce inequities in science education and raise the level of science education for all students.

Author : Samuel J. Messick
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 14,74 MB
Release : 2013-12-16
Category : Education
ISBN : 1135451850

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Assessment in Higher Education brings together in one place most of the major issues confronting higher education in the 1990s. These include enhancing student access, development, and success in higher education; transforming admissions testing to meet expanding educational needs; resolving the politics of accountability by assessing quality outcomes of higher education; assuring fair assessment responsive to human diversity; and facing the technological future of higher education. An integrative thread that weaves through all of these issues is the concept of equity, especially as it bears on social justice in education and on fairness in assessment. Another integrative thread is the role of computer and multimedia technology not only in improving the efficiency and power of all the functions of higher education assessment, but also in revolutionizing the delivery of higher education itself.

Author : Sue Bloxham
Publisher : McGraw-Hill Education (UK)
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 45,96 MB
Release : 2007-10-16
Category : Education
ISBN : 0335234844

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"As an overview, Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education makes a very useful contribution to assessment literature, providing a publication that is relevant and accessible to practitioners whilst giving rigorous exploration of issues associated with student assessment. It should find a readership on that basis and will be welcomed as a considered and insightful contribution to the literature on student assessment." Higher Education Review What are the main issues when considering the design and management of effective assessment strategies for academic programmes? How should lecturers design and use assessment in university so that it helps students to learn, as well as judging their achievement? How can students be prepared for assessment, including peer, self and group assessment? This book provides comprehensive practical guidance on managing and improving assessment within higher education. It tackles all stages in the assessment cycle including: Assessment design Preparing students for assessment Marking and moderation Providing feedback Quality assurance It also provides a concise introduction to the research literature on assessment which will inform practice, debate, programme enhancement and practitioner research within university departments, teaching teams and courses for higher education teachers. The practical guidance in the book is substantiated with reference to relevant research and policy. In particular, it considers how the different purposes of assessment create conflicting demands for staff; often characterised by the tension between attempting to support student learning whilst meeting imperatives for quality assurance and demonstrable maintenance of standards. Issues are debated using concrete examples and workable solutions are illustrated. Consideration is also given to the management of assessment as well as to how new technologies might be used to develop assessment methods and enhance student learning. Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education is key reading for both new and experienced lecturers, programme leaders and academic developers, and will enhance their efforts to use assessment to improve students’ learning as well as to grade them fairly, reliably and efficiently.

Author : Committee on an Assessment of Quality-Related Characteristics of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 206 pages
File Size : 24,19 MB
Release : 1982-02-01
Category : Education
ISBN : 0309033365

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The quality of doctoral-level chemical engineering (N=79), civil engineering (N=74), electrical engineering (N=91), and mechanical engineering (N=82) programs at United States universities was assessed, using 16 measures. These measures focused on variables related to: (1) program size; (2) characteristics of graduates; (3) reputational factors (scholarly quality of faculty, effectiveness of programs in educating research scholars/scientists, improvement in program quality during the last 5 years); (4) university library size; (5) research support; and (6) publication records. Chapter I discusses prior attempts to assess quality in graduate education, development of the study plans, and the selection of disciplines and programs to be evaluated. Chapter II discusses the methodology used, focusing on each of the assessment measures. Chapters III to VI present, respectively, findings from the analyses of the chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs. Chapter VII includes a summary of results, correlations among measures, several additional analyses, and suggestions for future studies. Among the findings reported are those indicating that electrical engineering programs had, on the average, the largest number of faculty (N=23) in December 1980 and had graduated the most doctoral students (N=32) during fiscal years 1975-1979. (Survey instruments and supporting documentation are included in appendices.) (JN)

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 90 pages
File Size : 47,37 MB
Release : 2012-11-03
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 0309266262

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Research and development (R&D) organizations are operated by government, business, academe, and independent institutes. The success of their parent organizations is closely tied to the success of these R&D organizations. In this report, organizations refers to an organization that performs research and/or development activities (often a laboratory), and parent refers to the superordinate organization of which the R&D organization is a part. When the organization under discussion is formally labeled a laboratory, it is referred to as such. The question arises: How does one know whether an organization and its programs are achieving excellence in the best interests of its parent? Does the organization have an appropriate research staff, facilities, and equipment? Is it doing the right things at high levels of quality, relevance, and timeliness? Does it lead to successful new concepts, products, or processes that support the interests of its parent? This report offers assessment guidelines for senior management of organizations and of their parents. The report lists the major principles of assessment, noting that details will vary from one organization to another. It provides sufficient information to inform the design of assessments, but it does not prescribe precisely how to perform them, because different techniques are needed for different types of organizations. Best Practices in Assessment of Research and Development Organizations covers three key factors that underpin the success of an R&D organization: (1) the mission of the organization and its alignment with that of the parents; (2) the relevance and impact of the organization's work; and (3) the resources provided to the organization, beginning with a high-quality staff and management.

Author : Peggy L. Maki
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 46,93 MB
Release : 2023-07-03
Category : Education
ISBN : 1000977919

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This book challenges institutions and their programs to prioritize the use of chronological assessment results to benefit enrolled students in comparison with the more common practice of prolonged assessment cycles that generally benefit future students. Peggy Maki advocates for real-time assessment processes to identify patterns of underperformance and obstacles that require timely interventions for enrolled students to succeed. In tandem with the sets of educational practices and policies that many institutions have now undertaken to close achievement and graduation rates across our diverse student demographics, such as developing clear degree pathways, she calls on all higher education providers – if they are to remain relevant and meet their social purpose in our complex world – to urgently recalibrate their assessment processes to focus on currently enrolled students’ progress towards achieving a high-quality degree, regardless of when they matriculate or re-enter higher education. She demonstrates that we already have sufficient examples and evidence to implement real-time assessment of students as they progress through their studies. She draws on the practices of specialized accredited programs, such as those in the professions that assess in real time; on the experiences of institutions that have adopted competency-based education; and on the affordances of technologies that now provide faculty and students with up-to-the-minute diagnostics. She identifies the six principles necessary to implement a real-time assessment process, illustrated by case studies of how campuses have operationalized them to advance students’ equitable progress towards achieving a high-quality degree; and demonstrates the benefits of real-time assessment compared to more future-oriented processes, among which is engaging students in reflecting on their own progress along their degree pathways.She advocates for the use of well documented national outcomes-based frameworks such as Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP), its aligned Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education scoring rubrics ( VALUE), the Degree Qualifications Profile, and discipline-based outcomes assessments to ensure high-quality degrees that meet well-defined standards and criteria. She also identifies how data systems and technological developments help to monitor closely and respond in time to students’ patterns of underperformance.The book is an urgent call for higher education to achieve the values of equity, transparency and quality it espouses; and ensure that all students graduate in a timely fashion with the competencies they need to be active and productive citizens.