Assessment & Evaluation
Resources for both assessment of student learning and course quality.
Assessment and Evaluation of Students and Learners
This is an index of best finds that highlight the various aspects of assessment of student learning in higher education courses. Emphasis has been placed on resources that provide information about assessment practices for teaching in an online environment.
Philosophy of Assessment
- A Brief Primer: Bloom's Taxonomy at Wikipedia
Article with Accompanying Graphic - Challenging Perspectives on Assessment,The Open University
A short series of video presentations (transcripts also provided) about assessment designed to provote debate and discussion.
View Menu of Videos
Comprehensive Handbooks
- Course-Based Review and Assessment: Methods for Understanding Student Learning
Office of Academic Planning & Assessment, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Download Handbook - Teaching and Learning Online: Communication, Community, and Assessment
Office of Academic Planning & Assessment, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Download Handbook - Assessment Techniques Guidebook Online
University Assessment Committee (1997 - 1999), North Dakota State University
View Guidebook - Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide
Classroom assessment strategies developed in real college and university settings.
View Website - Designing and Managing Multiple Choice Questions
Practical strategies for developing high quality multiple choice exams.
View Guide
Learning Goals & Objectives
- Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Honolulu Community College Intranet
Download Handout
- Teaching Goals Inventory, Angelo & Cross, University of Iowa
From the website: "The Teaching Goals Inventory (TGI) is a self-assessment of instructional goals. Its purpose is threefold: (1) to help college teachers become more aware of what they want to accomplish in individual courses; (2) to help faculty locate Classroom Assessment Techniques they can adapt and use to assess how well they are achieving their teaching and learning goals; and (3) to provide a starting point for discussion of teaching and learning goals among colleagues." The inventory is automated and self-scoring.
View Goals Inventory Web Site
Rubrics
Rubrics are one way of establishing criteria that can be used to more objectively rate student work. A rubric is an explicit set of criteria against which student tasks or assignments can be compared, for the purposes of assessment. A rubric describes the characteristics and attributes of varying levels of quality work, and assigns a value to each level - often either a point structure or a corresponding letter grade. It is not uncommon for instructors who use rubrics to make these available to students prior to completing assignments so that students are both fully aware of what constitutes quality work, and can consciously endeavor to meet expectations.
- Rubrics - A Simple, Straightforward Beginner's Introduction
This website features a quick introduction to rubrics and some basic examples for establishing them for a learning situation.
View Web Site - Rubrics - University of Wisconsin, Stout
Includes literally dozens of rubrics for a variety of learning situations including cooperative learning, student-authored media projects (podcasting, PowerPoint, video), oral presentations, math and science, and writing, for a variety of age groups.
View Web Site - "Writing Assessment Rubrics"
Sample rubrics specifically for writing assignments covering six points of a written assignment: voice, ideas and content, sentence fluency, word choice, organization, and conventions.
View Guide - Rubrics for Student Work
Specific examples of rubrics for different types of student assignments.
View Web Site - Creating Your Own Rubrics
A guide and wizard for creating and printing your own rubrics for any class project, paper, or assignment.
View Wizard
University Centers & Research Institutions
- Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology, Washington State University
Online at: https://my.wsu.edu/portal/page?_pageid=177,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
The Center has created several models for assessment, especially of student critical thinking, and has active involvment in classroom-based research to improve assessment in higher education. - The TLT Group - Teaching, Learning & Technology
Online at: http://www.tltgroup.org/
From the website: "The TLT Group helps people in educational institutions to improve teaching and learning by making more appropriate and cost-effective use of information technology without sacrificing what matters most to them. This work includes: professional and faculty development, planning visions and strategies, collaborating across boundaries, and productive assessment and evaluation." - Assessment at North Carolina State
Online at http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/index.html
Includes an exhaustive mega-index of Internet assessment resources: "Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment" - Assessment, University of Technology Sydney, Institute for Interactive Media & Learning
Online at: http://www.iml.uts.edu.au/assessment/index.html
An overview of assessment topics including assessment criteria, online assessment, and assessing group work. - Assessment in Higher Education, Central Queensland University
Online at: http://ahe.cqu.edu.au/
Site includes sections for journal articles on assessment.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles Online
- Australian National Training Authority. (2002). Assessment & Online Teaching.
Australian Flexible Learning Quick Guide Series.
Access guide online - Benson, A. D. (2003). Assessing participant learning in online environments.
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 100, 69-7.
Access article online - Rowe, N. C. (2004).
Cheating in Online Student Assessment: Beyond Plagiarism. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 7(2).
Access article online - Vonderwell, S., Liang, X. & Alderman, K. (2007).
Asynchronous Discussions and Assessment in Online Learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 39(3), 309 - 328.
Access article online (PDF) - Innovate - Journal of Online Education
Articles that address online assessment and effective course design.
Print (Book) Resources
- Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, 2nd. Ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
- Miller, M.D., Linn, R.L., & Gronlund, N.E. (2008). Measurement and Assessment in Teaching, 10th Ed. Prentice Hall Publishers.
- Suskie, L. (2004). Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide. Bolton, MA: Anker.
- Wiggins, G. (1998). Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Assessment and Evaluation of Instruction
Resources for assessment to improve the quality of the course and your own teaching.
Teaching Strategies: Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (University of Michigan)
Links to journal articles specifically on topic for both peer review and student review practices.
Evaluation of Teaching (Ohio State University)
This site includes specific descriptions of procedures used in peer assessment and student assessment of teaching.
The Professional Evaluation of Teaching (American Council of Learned Societies, 1996)
A overview of the two most common methods of instructional evaluation - student review and peer review.
What Do They Know, Anyway? (Felder, 1992)
Is student evaluation of teaching really valid? A summary of research findings.
How to Evaluate Teaching (Felder & Brent, 2004)
A outline of methods for evaluating instruction, available in PDF format.
The Evaluation of Teaching (Styer, 2000)
An overview of the pros and cons of the most common methods of instructional evaluation.
Persistent Problems in Evaluating College Teaching (McKeachie & Kaplan)
A discussion of some common challenges to validity in evaluation of teaching and practical strategies for improvement.
Evaluation of Course Quality
What constitutes a great online course or training program? Quality can be defined and measured; these resources provide a wealth of guidance for achieving the best possible learning environment.
Chickering and Gamson - The Seven Principles of Good Practice: Using Technology to Improve Learning Outcomes
This web resource is based upon one of the classical works on good practice in teaching, The Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (1986), and includes updated resources to account for the improvements in technology in education. A recommended read for all educators! Find it online at: http://www.tltgroup.org/Seven/Home.htm
Quality Matters (Maryland Online)
This site provides a practical and useful rubric for instructors to apply to online course designs. The goal of Maryland Online's Quality Matters project was to "develop a ... pathway for inter-institutional quality assurance and course improvements in online learning, [and] create and implement a process to certify the quality of online courses and online components....The project identified 40 elements, distributed across eight broad standards, shown to positively impact student learning. These elements were then incorporated into a web-based rubric and weighted from 1 (important) to 3 (essential). Annotations and multiple examples from real online courses have been provided for each essential element." See http://www.qualitymatters.org/
Best Practices in Designing Online Courses by Las Positas College
A straight-forward checklist for designing quality course websites and course plans, including templates and example files that can be downloaded. Find it online at: http://lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/lpc/blackboard/best_practices/
The Sloan Consortium
"A Consortium of Institutions and Organizations Committed to Quality Online Education" online at: http://www.sloan-c.org/index.asp. This site includes a members' wiki for best practices and a Quality Framework. Select the "Effective Practices" link.
Want to offer a course through NDSU Distance & Continuing Education?
Select this link to access forms and syllabus guidelines.
Course Template for Blackboard
The DCE Instructional Design Team has created a template that is available to all DCE course instructors upon request. This course template is customizable and intended to speed the design and setup of a new course website in Blackboard. Personalized training and assistance in setting up the template is also available. Contact Lyn DeLorme by phone at 701-231-6371 or by email at lyn.delorme@ndsu.edu.