Links, Books, Articles

Roles and Responsibilities for Evaluation in Foreign Language Programs (J. M. Norris & Y. Watanabe, 2007)

• Foreign Language Program Evaluation Project web site

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (web site)

Mānoa Institutional Research (web site)

Office of Faculty Development & Academic Support: Course evaluation, faculty development, technology in the classroom (web site)

• Center for Teaching Excellence
• Faculty Mentoring Program
• Center for Instructional Support

Program-Based Review and Assessment: Tools and Techniques for Program Improvement. Office of Academic Planning and Assessment. University of Massachusetts Amherst. (2001)

• Getting Started: What is Program-Based Assessment?
• Defining Goals and Objectives
• Designing the Assessment Program
• Assessment Strategies and Methods
• Analyzing, Reporting, and Using Results

University of Massachusetts Amherst also has a handbook on course-level assessment.

Tools and Techniques for Program Improvement: Handbook for Program Review & Assessment of Student Learning. Office of Institutional Assessment, Research, and Testing. Western Washington University. (2006)

• Focus on Learning
• Assessment for Learning
• What is Program Assessment?
• Defining Mission and Goals
• Defining Program Learning Objectives
• Outcomes Design and Measurement
• Assessment Strategies and Methods
• Analyzing, Reporting, and Using Results

Western Washington University also has a handbook on course improvement.

Higher Ed Assessment Resources (maintained by North Carolina State University): Comprehensive, meta-list of internet resources

• General resources
• Assessment "handbooks"
• Assessment of specific skills or content
• Individual institutions' assessment-related pages
• Accrediting bodies
• Student assessment of courses and faculty

The 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation (Division of Research, Evaluation and Communication; Natural Science Foundation)

• Section I: Evaluation and Types of Evaluation
• Section II: The Steps in Doing an Evaluation
• Section III: An Overview of Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection Methods
• Section IV: Strategies That Address Culturally Responsive Evaluation

Evidence Guide: A Guide to Using Evidence in the Accreditation Process: A Resource to Support Institutions and Evaluation Teams. Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC). (January 2002)

• Introduction
• The Nature and Use of Evidence (Why is WASC Concerned About Assessment? What is Evidence? What Constitutes Good Evidence?)
• Evidence and the WASC Accreditation Standards
• Assembling and Presenting Evidence in the Course of Review (Where Does Good Evidence Come From? How Should Evidence Be Presented?)
  

Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning. American Association for Higher Education Assessment Forum (1992)

Excerpt

Full document (PDF, 4 pages)

• 9 principles to help examine current assessment practice and develop campus assessment policies

A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education
A report of the commission appointment by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings (2006).

Excerpts from this report related to the assessment of and reporting of student learning:

• "There are also disturbing signs that many students who do earn degrees have not actually mastered the reading, writing, and thinking skills we expect of college graduates." (p. x)
• There is a "remarkable absence of accountability mechanisms to ensure that colleges succeed in educating students." (p. x)
• "Employers report repeatedly that many new graduates they hire are not prepared to work, lacking the critical thinking, writing and problem-solving skills needed in today's workplaces." (p. 3)
• "Student achievement, which is inextricably connected to institutional success, must be measured by institutions on a 'value-added' basis that takes into account students' academic baseline when assessing their results." (p. 4)
• "There is inadequate transparency and accountability for measuring institutional performance, which is more and more necessary to maintaining public trust in higher education." (p. 14)
• "Higher education must change from a system primarily based on reputation to one based on performance. We urge the creation of a robust culture of accountability and transparency throughout higher education." (p. 21)
• "Post secondary education institutions should measure and report meaningful student learning outcomes." (p. 24)
• "We recommend that America's colleges and universities embrace a culture of continuous innovation and quality improvement by developing new pedagogies, curricula, and technologies to improve learning, particularly in the area of science and mathematical literacy." (p. 25)

A Practitioner's Handbook for Institutional Effectiveness and Student Outcomes Assessment Implementation. 3rd Ed. (1995).
J. O. Nichols.
New York: Agathon.

Achieving Accountability in Higher Education: Balancing Public, Academic, and Market Demands. (2005).
J. C. Burke & Associates.
San Francisco: Wiley & Sons.

Assessment and Curriculum Reform. (1992).
J. L. Ratcliff (Ed.)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Assessment Case Studies: Common Issues in Implementation With Various Campus Approaches to Resolution. (1995).
J. O. Nichols.
New York: Agathon.

Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education. (2004).
B. E. Walvoord.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Assessment Essentials: Planning, Implementing, and Improving Assessment in Higher Education. (1999).
C. A. Palomba & T. W. Banta.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Blueprint for Learning: Constructing College Courses to Facilitate, Assess, and Document Learning. (2006).
L. Richlin
Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Building a Scholarship of Assessment. (2002).
T. W. Banta & Associates.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Changing Assessments: Alternative Views of Aptitude, Achievement and Instruction. (1992).
B. R. Gifford & M. C. O'Connor (Eds.)
Boston: Kluwer.

Continuous Quality Improvement in Higher Education. (2004).
J. R. Dew & M. M. Nearing.
Westport, CT: Praeger.

Disciplinary Differences in Teaching and Learning: Implications for Practice. (1995).
N. Hativa & M. Marincovich (Eds.)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Disciplines as Frameworks for Student Learning: Teaching the Practice of the Disciplines. (2005).
T. Riordan & J. Roth (Eds.)
Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Electronic Portfolios: Emerging Practices in Student, Faculty, and Institutional Learning. (2001).
B. L. Cambridge, S. Kahn., D. P. Tompkins, & K. B. Yancey (Eds.)
Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education.

Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. (2001).
J. C. Bean.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

General Education Assessment for Improvement of Student Academic Achievement: Guidance for Academic Departments and Committees. (2001).
J. O. Nichols & K. W. Nichols.
New York: Agathon.

Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation. 2nd Ed. (2004).
J. S. Wholey, H. P. Hatry, & K. E. Newcomer (Eds.)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Implementing Outcomes Assessment: Promise and Perils. (1988).
T. W. Banta (Ed.)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Implementing Performance Assessment: Promises, Problems, and Challenges. (1996).
M. B. Kane & R. Mitchell (Eds.)
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

New Directions in Portfolio Assessment: Reflective Practice, Critical Theory, and Large-Scale Scoring. (1994).
L. Black, D. A. Daiker, J. Sommers, & G. Stygall (Eds.)
Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.

Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education: Views and Perspectives. (2004).
P. Hernon & Robert E. Dugan (Eds.)
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Outcomes-Based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review: A Compilation of Institutional Good Practices. (2006).
M. J. Bresciani.
Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Portfolio Development and the Assessment of Prior Learning: Perspectives, Models and Practice. (2004).
E. Michelson, A. Mandell, & Contributors.
Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Strong Foundations: Twelve Principles for Effective General Education Programs. (1994).
Association of American Colleges.
Washington, DC.

Student Outcomes Assessment: What Institutions Stand to Gain. (1987).
D. F. Halpern (Ed.)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Student Outcomes Assessment: What Makes It Work? Assessment Practices & Experiences in the California State University. (1992).
Institute for Teaching and Learning, California State University.
Long Beach, CA.

The Department Head's Guide to Assessment Implementation in Administrative and Educational Support Units. (2000).
K. W. Nichols & J. O. Nichols.
New York: Agathon.

The Departmental Guide and Record Book for Student Outcomes Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness. 3rd Ed. (2000).
J. O. Nichols & K. W. Nichols.
New York: Agathon.

The Mapping Primer: Tools for Reconstructing the College Curriculum. (2005).
R. Stiehl & L. Lewchuk.
Corvallis, OR: The Learning Organization.

Using Active Learning in College Classes: A Range of Options for Faculty. (1996).
T. E. Sutherland & C. C. Bonwell (Eds.)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Using Qualitative Methods in Institutional Research. (1991).
D. M. Fetterman (Ed.)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

University Academic Assessment and Institutional Research Web Sites

Mānoa's peer, benchmark, and comparison institutions

-Office of Institutional Studies
-Committee on Student Learning Outcomes Assessment and Improvement