Assessment Resources

Guides and examples for faculty, programs, school assessment committees

Resources for Annual Academic Assessment Reports due December 1st, 2024 in PSS:

2024-25 expectations for reports
Tutorials for Watermark Planning & Self-Study (PSS)
APC-A assessment tips for departments

User Manuals and Video Tutorials for Assessment Program Leads.

SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes) are brief, action-oriented statements that describe what students are expected to know/be able to do at the end of a program. Outcomes help us think about what students should learn instead of just what content we teach. E.g., “Students will be able to apply legal and ethical principles to organizational decision-making.”

Bloom's Taxonomy Chart (Fractus Learning)

SLO Exemplars, Do's and Don'ts (James Madison U)

Best practices for writing outcomes (Waubonsee CC)

Checklist for reviewing Course Level Outcomes (Waubonsee CC)

A Curriculum Map is a visual tool to help align instruction with learning outcomes. The purpose of the map is to document the relationship among the components in the curriculum and help make a more coherent and intentional curriculum. A Focus Curriculum Map indicates in which courses the SLOs are addressed and perhaps also assessed. A Progression Curriculum Map includes in which courses the SLOs are I)ntroduced, R)einforced, A)dvanced and assessed.

Ithaca College Curriculum Map Guide

Curriculum Map Examples (NILOA)

Qs Curriculum Maps can help answer (Waubonsee CC)

Mapping Learning Toolkit (NILOA)

The assessment process can help refine your course or program. For example taking a closer look at quantitative or qualitative data can help to solve a learning issue, provide a clearer understanding of an aspect of your students’ learning, or focus on a retention issue. The reflection aspect of the assessment cycle is what makes it a beneficial endeavor.

Direct and Indirect Measures, the Data Collection Process (Waubonsee CC)

Using results for improvement (Waubonsee CC)

Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education, 1st ed. by Barbara E. Walvoord

Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide, 3rd ed. by Linda Suskie

Assessment in Creative Disciplines: Quantifying and Qualifying the Aesthetic by David Chase, Jill L. Ferguson, J. Joseph Hoey IV

This year's Assessment symposium was dedicated to celebrating and enhancing Ithaca College’s robust culture of excellence in fostering transformative learning experiences for students. Our keynote was by Dr. Debora Ortloff, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Assessment at SUNY’s Finger Lakes Community College and IC alum '98.
Powerpoints and handouts included here. See the AAC&U Value Rubrics website for all 16 areas also!