Assessment Resources

The term assessment includes a range of activities and processes used to help the university gather information about student experiences and their learning outcomes.   Those activities may take the form of surveys, standardized tests, program evaluation forms, focus groups, or any of a variety of other shapes.  But whatever the shape they take, their purpose is the same—to gather information to help UNI continue to put Students First and to provide them with the best possible experience and education while they are at UNI.

Faculty, staff, and administrators at UNI want to know what students are learning, how well they are learning it, and what kinds of experiences—both inside and outside of the classroom—add to student learning. 

For example, studies have shown that employers look for strong oral and written communication skills, ability to think critically and to work as part of a team, experience with diversity, as well as initiative, flexibility, and a well-developed work ethic, to name a few qualities they seek.   UNI wants to make sure that graduates not only know the content in their academic field, but have the qualities required for success in their work, their communities, and their personal lives. 

Some specific questions about students that assessment processes can answer include ones like these:  How well can students write, speak, solve problems and use information sources, and what are the best ways to teach these skills?  What kinds of internships and other hands-on experiences do students get and how satisfied are employers with their work?  What kinds of international experiences are available and how do students benefit from them?  What other services and programs are being offered and how satisfied are students with what they gain from them?  What kinds of relationships do students have with faculty and staff?  The lists could go on and on! 

The purpose of assessment at the program level is to gather evidence of student learning to provide information to the faculty about student learning for ongoing improvement. It is a regular process that allows faculty to ask key questions about learning in their programs and gain information they can use to support decisions about curricular change. Assessment can help identify successes and challenges and suggest possible steps to improve the program.

For many disciplines, professional organizations have put forward examples of learning outcomes that departments can use as a reference. The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment website provides links to a range of professional organizations and discipline-specific learning outcomes.

Assessment should begin with real questions that faculty would like to answer about their programs. If a program has recently participated in program review, there may be issues or questions that arose during that process that could provide a meaningful starting point for assessment.

In some cases, faculty share an anecdotal sense that some aspects of the program are either particularly successful or in need of improvement and would like to have concrete evidence to guide future decisions about the direction of the program.  If changes have been made to some aspect of the curriculum, the assessment process can be used to gather evidence about the impact of the change on student learning.

Concrete questions about the quality of the program will help suggest where to begin with assessment and help faculty set priorities and devise a timeline.

It is important to document what your program did to assess student learning and what actions it plans to take based on assessment results.  It is acceptable to summarize assessment activities and results (e.g. minutes from a faculty meeting), but be sure to record the following information: a description of the group that was assessed, including the sample size of the group, a description of the information or student work collected or reviewed, a description of how the review process took place, a summary of results, and a description of who interpreted the assessment results. Finally, include a summary of how the reviewers interpreted the results and what actions the program intends to take based on this information. Include all of this information in the program’s annual assessment report, which is due before November 1 each year.

Although you may well be using graded student work as the cornerstone of your program’s assessment process, it is important that the process be considered separately from the assigning of grades.  While grades are a form of assessment, they are of limited use for program assessment since they don’t provide detailed information about what to work on.

Goals are broad statements of what you aim to achieve, inside or outside the classroom. Outcomes are the specific results of these goals -- measurable statements of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits of mind that students acquire as a result of the learning experience.

• Take advantage of the opportunity to complete surveys and evaluations.  The more students that respond to assessment activities, the more accurate a picture of student perceptions and experiences will emerge from these assessment tools. 
• Whether you are taking a standardized test or filling out a survey, take time to do a thorough and thoughtful job.  The information that is collected will only be useful and representative of UNI students if it is honestly done. 
• If you have questions about a particular assessment instrument or how information from it will be used, ASK!
• For additional information on assessment policies and procedures at UNI, feel free to browse the links on this web site or to contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies