Reference, Higher & Continuing Education, Education 

American higher education needs a major reframing of student learning outcomes assessment. Dynamic changes are underway in American higher education. New providers, emerging technologies, cost concerns, student debt, and nagging doubts about quality all call out the need for institutions to show evidence of student learning. From scholars at the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education presents a reframed conception and approach to student learning outcomes assessment. The authors explain why it is counterproductive to view collecting and using evidence of student accomplishment as primarily a compliance activity.Today's circumstances demand a fresh and more strategic approach to the processes by which evidence about student learning is obtained and used to inform efforts to improve teaching, learning, and decision-making. Whether you're in the classroom, an administrative office, or on an assessment committee, data about what students know and are able to do are critical for guiding changes that are needed in institutional policies and practices to improve student learning and success.Use this book to: Understand how and why student learning outcomes assessment can enhance student accomplishment and increase institutional effectiveness Shift the view of assessment from being externally driven to internally motivated Learn how assessment results can help inform decision-making Use assessment data to manage change and improve student success Gauging student learning is necessary if institutions are to prepare students to meet the 21st century needs of employers and live an economically independent, civically responsible life. For assessment professionals and educational leaders, Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education offers both a compelling rationale and practical advice for making student learning outcomes assessment more effective and efficient." 

Machine generated contents note: Preface ix Acknowledgments xvii About the Authors xix 1. From Compliance to Ownership: Why and How Colleges and Universities Assess Student Learning 1 Stanley O. Ikenberry and George D. Kuh PART ONE What Works? Finding and Using Evidence 2. Evidence of Student Learning: What Counts and What Matters for Improvement 27 Pat Hutchings, Jillian Kinzie, and George D. Kuh 3. Fostering Greater Use of Assessment Results: Principles for Effective Practice 51 Jillian Kinzie, Pat Hutchings, and Natasha A. Jankowski 4. Making Assessment Consequential: Organizing to Yield Results 73 Jillian Kinzie and Natasha A. Jankowski PART TWO Who Cares? Engaging Key Stakeholders 5. Faculty and Students: Assessment at the Intersection of Teaching and Learning 95 Timothy Reese Cain and Pat Hutchings 6. Leadership in Making Assessment Matter 117 Peter T. Ewell and Stanley O. Ikenberry 7. Accreditation as Opportunity: Serving Two Purposes with Assessment 146 Peter T. Ewell and Natasha A. Jankowski 8. The Bigger Picture: Student Learning Outcomes Assessment and External Entities 160 Jillian Kinzie, Stanley O. Ikenberry, and Peter T. Ewell PART THREE What Now? Focusing Assessment on Learning 9. Assessment and Initiative Fatigue: Keeping the Focus on Learning 183 George D. Kuh and Pat Hutchings 10. From Compliance Reporting to Effective Communication: Assessment and Transparency 201 Natasha A. Jankowski and Timothy Reese Cain 11. Making Assessment Matter 220 George D. Kuh, Stanley O. Ikenberry, Natasha A. Jankowski, Timothy Reese Cain, Peter T. Ewell, Pat Hutchings, and Jillian Kinzie References 237 Appendix A: NILOA National Advisory Panel 261 Appendix B: NILOA Staff, 2008 to 2014 263 Index 265 . 

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-260) and index.