Assessing Student Learning in the PreNinja Program: A Case Study Analysis

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Assessing Student Learning in the Pre-Ninja
Program A Case Study Analysis Opportunity for
Application

• Leanne Charlesworth Mary Louise Gerek
• November 4, 5 12, 2009
• Nazareth College of Rochester

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Student Learning Outcomes in the Pre-Ninja
ProgramExercise 1

• Envision a program focused on educating Ninjas.
  
• On your white 3X5 card, write a student learning
  outcome for this hypothetical Pre-Ninja Program.
  

Ninja A member of a class of 14th-century
Japanese mercenary agents who were trained in the
martial arts and hired for covert operations such
as assassination and sabotage (American Heritage
Dictionary) A person trained in ancient Japanese
martial arts and employed for espionage and
assassinations (Merriam Webster).
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Primary Workshop Outcome

• Participants are able to
• identify and write clear student learning
  outcomes.

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Student Learning Outcomes in the Pre-Ninja
ProgramExercise 1

• Envision a program focused on educating Ninjas.
  
• On your white 3X5 card, write a student learning
  outcome for this hypothetical Pre-Ninja Program.
  

Ninja A member of a class of 14th-century
Japanese mercenary agents who were trained in the
martial arts and hired for covert operations such
as assassination and sabotage (American Heritage
Dictionary) A person trained in ancient Japanese
martial arts and employed for espionage and
assassinations (Merriam Webster).
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Pre-Ninja Case StudySourceDean Dad (2008,
April 22). Confessions of a community college
Dean. http//suburbdad.blogspot.com/2008/04/pre-ni
nja-program.html
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What is a Student Learning Outcome?

• the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits of
  mind that students take with them from a learning
  experience (Suskie, 2004, p. 75).
• among the goals that faculty and institutions
  hold most dear, and they may be the most
  important qualities that higher education can
  nurture in the citizens of the future (Walvoord,
  2004, p. 3).
• should focus on what is truly important, not
  just what can be readily measured, and include
  skills and attitudes as well as knowledge.
  should be expressed in three dimensions 1) what
  we want students to learn 2) how well we want
  them to perform and 3) their development over
  time. should represent the highest ambitions of
  the program, not just minimum standards (Wright,
  2006, p. 1).

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What is a Student Learning Outcome?

• Nazareth College
• Knowledge or skill that is specific, measurable,
  written in terms of what students will know or
  do, or how they will act.
• Meaningful in identifying opportunities to
  improve the class or program.
• Nazareth College of Rochester (2009). Rubric for
  review of departmental assessment plans.
  Retrieved from https//www.naz.edu/dept/research/d
  ocuments/NazRubricMasterPrintCopy.pdf
• Adapted from Concordia College

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Moving Student Learning Outcomes toward
Usefulness (Reiner, 2009)

• Communication
• Students communicate.
• Students are able to communicate with others.
• Students are able to effectively communicate.
• Students demonstrate effective written and oral
  communication skills.
• Students demonstrate the ability to write and
  speak effectively including responsiveness to
  audience and purpose.

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Moving Student Learning Outcomes toward
Usefulness (Suskie, 2004)

• Good Students demonstrate information literacy
  skills.
• Better Students are able to locate information
  and evaluate it critically for its validity and
  appropriateness.
• Good Students are knowledgeable about the
  planets.
• Better Students are able to accurately describe
  each planet.

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Examples of Effectively Expressed Learning
Outcomes(Suskie, 2004, p. 80)
Students are able to

• Biology Make appropriate inferences and
  deductions from biological information.
• Business Administration Develop graphic,
  spreadsheet, and financial analysis support for
  positions taken.
• English Present original interpretations of
  literary works in the context of existing
  research on these works.

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More SLO Examples (Suskie, 2004, p. 80)
Students are able to

• Health Care Management Apply basic
  problem-solving skills along with health care
  financial management knowledge to develop
  recommendations related to the financial issue(s)
  confronted by a health care organization.
• Womens Studies Use gender as an analytical
  category to critique cultural and social
  institutions.

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SLO Examples from Nazareth Students are able to

• Economics examine the causes and patterns of
  societal change within the framework of economic
  reasoning
• Inclusive Childhood Education (and willing to)
  critically reflect on their own beliefs and
  practices.
• Political Science articulate and apply the
  content, principles and theories of the subfields
  of political science.

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More SLO Examples from Nazareth
STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO

• Theatre demonstrate skills and craftsmanship
  outside of the student's primary focus.
• Social Work evaluate research studies and apply
  findings to practice and, under supervision,
  evaluate their own practice interventions.
• English demonstrate competence in producing
  clear, correctly formatted, adequately supported
  literary-critical argument in polished prose,
  based on critical reading.

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Examine your own student learning outcome(s).
Note potential strengths and improvements.

• Pair and share, providing observations and
  analysis for your partner.
• If time, write your best examples on poster
  sheets.

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Using Student Learning Outcomes for Affirmation
Improvement

• Demonstrate or measure student
• learning outcomes through
• Direct Measures such as
• Embedded exam questions.
• Specific assignments targeting an outcome.
• Ratings of student knowledge or skills by
  internship or field experience supervisor.
• Indirect Measures such as
• Student self-rating of learning outcome
  achievement.
• Survey or interview responses of students or
  alumni.
• Placement rates in jobs or graduate schools.
• Analysis of this information should inform
• decision-making.

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Examples of Completed Assessment Planning Form

• Political Science
• Economics
• Social Work
• For examples, please call the Assessment Office,
  X2805

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Our Workshop Learning Outcome Participants are
able to identify and write clear student learning
outcomes.

• Our assessment approaches
• Your feedback on our workshop feedback form
  (anonymous) Please answer the questions and
  place this indirect measure in the box.
• Your final ninja learning outcome (new
  improved) Please use your yellow 3X5 card and
  take a moment to write a clear student learning
  outcome for the pre-Ninja program (your best
  work), label it as Ninja Exercise 2, and place
  this direct measure in the box.
• Thank you!

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References

• Reiner, C.M. (2009). Assessing assessment What
  makes assessment good? Paper presented at the
  2009 Assessment Institute, Indianapolis.
• Suskie, L. (2004). Assessing student learning A
  common sense guide. Hoboken, NJ Anker
  Publishing.
• Walvoord, B.E. (2004). Assessment clear and
  simple A practical guide for institutions,
  departments, and general education. San
  Francisco Jossey Bass.
• Wright, B.D. (2006). Guidelines for good
  assessment of student learning at the department
  or program level. Handout distributed at the 2008
  Annual Meeting of the Association of American
  Colleges Universities, Washington, D.C.
  Retrieved from http//www.aacu.org/meetings/annual
  meeting/AM08/documents/GuidelinesforGoodAssessment
  .pdf