Transcript Assessment at Truman State University: Lessons Learned

Welcome to
Assessment at Truman State
University: Lessons Learned
from Thirty-five Years of
Experience
Please look at the Prompt Sheet on your
chair and think about your responses.
Thanks!
International Assessment & Retention Conference
Phoenix, Arizona
Assessment at
Truman State University:
Lessons Learned from
Thirty-Five Years of
Experience
Marcia Kottemann
David Gillette
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Your Institutions…

Why did assessment begin at your
institution?

Why does your institution continue
using assessment techniques?
Beginning Assessment

Student Learning

Curriculum and Program Review

Other Institutional Outcomes

Competitive Environment

Accreditation

State Compliance
Continuing Assessment

Tradition
 Same reasons, reverse order?
 Student
Learning
 Curriculum and Program Review
 Other Institutional Outcomes
 Competitive Environment
 Accreditation
 State Compliance
Lessons Learned
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
Truman’s assessment
history begins in the
early 1970s

Effective practices and assessment
pitfalls

Examining challenges and successes
we become better practitioners
Methodology
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
Assessment Internships
 Resources:

Secondary documents



Building a Scholarship of
Assessment
In Pursuit of Degrees With
Integrity
Primary documents

Mission Statements

Planning Documents
Interviews
Charles McClain
Darrell Krueger
Candy Young
22
others including
Peter Ewell
Thesis Questions
 How
and why did the
assessment culture at
Truman develop?
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 How
has assessment evolved over time in
response to Truman’s goals and needs?
 What
are the costs and benefits of
assessment at Truman?
Truman’s History of
Assessment

Assessment began in 1972-1973

President Charles McClain

Dean of Instruction Darrell Krueger

Top down initiation

Faculty buy-in key to viability & success
Truman’s History of
Assessment

Assessment evolves 1970s through 1980s
 Assessment
spreads across campus
 Primarily nationally
normed instruments
 G. Theodore
Mitau Award for Innovation
and Excellence (1983)
 LAS Mission change (1986)
 Assessment
 Consistent
monitors mission statement success
increase in quality of education
and reputation
Truman’s History of
Assessment

Experimentation with structure 1990s
 President
Russell Warren (1990)
 Assessment Committee (Jack Magruder)
 Office of Assessment

Local Instrument Development
 Capstone,

Portfolio and Interview Projects
Name change, NMSU to TSU (1996)
 Continued evaluation (2000…)
Truman’s History of
Assessment

Current structure
 Assessment
Committee (advisory to VPAA)
 Design
& Implementation Group (DIG)
 Analysis & Reporting Group (ARG)
 Portfolio
and Interview Project Chairs
 Assessment specialist (VPAA’s office)
 Part-time staff
 Office
support
of testing and assessment
 Capstones & Continuous Improvement
Plans
Discussion…

What makes an effective assessment
program?
✓Student
Learning & Development
✓Institutional
✓Faculty
Development
Development
✓Accountability
✓Reporting
Issues in Defining
Effectiveness

Differences in faculty and student values
 Differences in administrative values
 Comparisons between qualitative and
quantitative techniques
 Multiple assessment audiences




State-level
University-level
Program-level
Course-level
Discussion…

What is the most effective assessment
tool on your campus?
 Describe.
 What

makes it so effective?
On your campus, what would people
identify as assessment’s greatest
benefit?
Two very effective tools

Faculty - Portfolio Project
 LAS
Outcome review
 Curriculum awareness
 Faculty development

Students - Interview Project
 Feelings
of validation
 Faculty/University took time to listen
 Not time consuming
Lessons:
Effective Assessment Characteristics

Self-reflection

Increasing quality of education

Faculty buy-in

Student motivation

Accountability to audiences

Faculty development

Leadership with vision
We found...
Interview Subjects Mentioning Characteristic
Leadership with Vision
Accountability
Increased quality of education
Faculty buy-in
Self-reflection
Faculty development
Student motivation
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Discussion…

What is the least effective assessment
tool on your campus?
 Why?

On your campus, what are the greatest
challenges to assessment?
Lessons: Assessment Challenges

Lack of action or visible results

Frustration

Apathy

Compliance attitude

Overzealous commitment to
assessment
We found...
Interview Subjects Mentioning Characteristic
Overzealous commitment
Lack of results or visable
action
Frustration
Apathy
Compliance attitude
0%
20%
40%
60%
Solutions

Remedying assessment challenges

Effective examples
 Sophomore Writing
 failed
Experience
to meet the desired outcomes
 3-tiered
approach to writing assessment
 Junior Test
 University
motivation
Conference Day testing
 Letter from
the President, Faculty Proctors
Lessons Learned at Truman

Closely monitor qualitative data on
student attitudes
 Recognize and address factors that
impact student motivation
 Publicize all assessment-related changes
 Making
informed curriculum changes
 Liberal
Studies Program
 JINS Classes
 Assessment Grants & Colloquia
Lessons We Wish We’d
Learned Sooner

Consistent reevaluation of the
assessment program

Budget cuts alone should not drive
assessment reevaluation
Questions? Comments?
Assessment at
Truman State University:
Lessons Learned from
Thirty-Five Years of
Experience
Marcia Kottemann - [email protected]
David Gillette - [email protected]
Thanks for coming!