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| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Assessment | While “assessment” generally means “measurement,” the term is increasingly used in the higher education context to refer to a systematic cycle of collecting and reviewing information about student learning. The complete cycle involves: clearly stating expected goals for student learning, offering learning experiences, measuring the extent to which students have achieved expected goals, and using the evidence collected to improve teaching and learning. |
| Curriculum Map | A matrix representation of a program’s learning outcomes that shows where they are taught within the program. |
| Direct Measures | Processes used to directly evaluate student work. They provide tangible, self-explanatory, and compelling evidence of student learning. Examples include: exam questions, portfolios, performances, projects, reflective essays, computer programs, and observations. |
| Evaluation | Generally refers to a product-oriented, comparative, or prescriptive process aimed at making an informed judgment about the extent to which a program is achieving its intended outcomes and/or the quality or worth of a program. While evaluation may include assessment of student learning, its broader scope may also take additional factors, such as faculty or program goals, into consideration. |
| Goals | Broad statements of what you aim to achieve, inside or outside the classroom. |
| Grading | Grading is a process of evaluating student performance. It can be a basis for assessment if it follows a rubric, which defines different levels of student achievement. |
| Indirect Measures | Processes that provide evidence that students are probably attaining learning goals. These require inference between the student’s action and the direct evaluation of that action. Examples include: course grades, student ratings, satisfaction surveys, placement rates, retention and graduation rates, and honors and awards earned by students and alumni. |
| Learning Outcomes | Related to learning goals, these are the specific results—measurable statements of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits of mind that students acquire as a result of the learning experience. |
| Objectives | These are the tasks to be accomplished in order to achieve the goal. These are the means to the end—the process that will lead to an outcome. |
| Outcomes | The results of instruction, without regard to process. |
| Rubric | A grading guide that explicitly states the criteria and standards for student work. The traits of student work are separately named, and each trait is evaluated from high to low. |
| Standards | Clear definitions of expectations, or targets for student performance against which we gauge success in achieving an outcome. Often based upon a rating scale or grading rubric, standards differentiate outstanding, adequate, and poor performance. |