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Peer Review

Assessment That Matters: Trending Toward Practices That Document Authentic Student Learning

Reviewed:
Feb 26, 2022 by Teacher Education
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 5.0 stars
Content Quality: 5.0 stars
Effectiveness: 5.0 stars
Ease of Use: 5.0 stars
Overview:

This is a report from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NIOLA) on best practices and approaches in the assessment of student learning. Using the survey results from over 800 accredited, undergraduate US colleges and universities, the report provides a summary of findings and presents implications for policy and practice.

Type of Material:

Reference Material

Recommended Uses:

The material can be used with students analyzing the situation of tertiary education in terms of student learning. In a class, teachers can use the content to request students about their opinions and contrast those results with their own learning situation. 

The best uses of the material are self-paced, individual and team reading.

Technical Requirements:

Software to access the internet and to open a PDF file.

Identify Major Learning Goals:
  • The goal of the report is to share a snapshot of institution-level assessment in 2017 and trends over time.
  • The purpose of the report is to indicate that assessment of student learning remains an ongoing and prevalent activity for US higher education.
Target Student Population:

College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
  • English language proficiency
  • Basic understanding of student learning outcomes assessment

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:
  • The content is organized and meaningful.
  • The results are valid and reliable.
  • The content is appropriate for the intended audience.
  • Examples and exemplars are included.

The aim of the report is to inform readers the result of a national survey related to student authentic learning. The information can be used in Education graduate school to analyze the efforts colleges and universities make to provide quality of learning to society. The information can be adjusted to any content related to the status of student learning in higher education. 

Concerns:
  • The results are now 5 years old; the content may need to address the state of learning outcomes assessment and the impact of the global pandemic.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

The material information is to socialize the results of a national assessment on the efforts higher education institutions make in order to provide students with quality of learning. 

Students exposed to this material will be able to contrast those results with their current learning situation. It would be a great exercise to encourage student accountability of their own learning. At the same time, professors using this report can have some feedback on what their students think about their teaching procedures. 

The material will be easy to incorporate in any lecture related to assessment addressed to student learning. 

An assignment professors can design is to contrast the results of the report with the students current learning situation. 

 

 

  • The intent/purpose of the report is easily identifiable.
  • The report incorporates language that is easy to understand, along with text features that enhance comprehension.
  • The material could be appropriate for individual decision-makers and faculty, or teams of faculty and campus administrators.
  • The implications could be integrated within program, department or campus-wide assessment processes.
Concerns:
  • Due to the current state of affairs within US higher education institutions, some recommended practices may need to be re-considered, such as assessment of student learning in emergency remote teaching and learning situations.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:
  • The report is made available on the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment website.
  • The website is functional and easy to navigate.
  • Graphics, charts and tables are included in the report to enhance the reader's experience.
Other Issues and Comments:
  • References with hyperlinks are available for additional information.
  • Appendices are included.
  • More up-to-date reports are available on the NILOA website.
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