The Assessment Tool Kit is a useful resource for direct and indirect measures of student learning.  A description of each technique is provided below.

Direct Measures

• Rubric Tutorial (PPT)
• 12 Classroom Assessment Techniques for Critical Thinking Skills
• Item Analysis
• Spreadsheet – for test items with partial credit
• Spreadsheet – for test items without  partial credit
• Embedded Test Questions
• Pre and Post Tests
• Summary and Analysis of Discussion Threads

Indirect Measures

• Focus Groups (PDF)
• Templates for Matching Course Outcomes to General Education Student Behaviors
• Communication (MS Word)
• Technological Competency (MS Word)
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (MS Word)
• Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning (MS Word)
• Culture and Society (MS Word)
• Information Literacy (MS Word)
• Student Self-Reflection (PDF)
• CCSSE Report - Gen Ed Goals (PDF)

Direct Measures

Rubric Tutorial: This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions for developing various types of rubrics, specific sets of criteria that clearly define for both student and teacher what a range of acceptable and unacceptable performance looks like. Rubrics can be used at every level of assessment, classroom, course, program, and general education.

Advanced Classroom Assessment Techniques: The Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) featured on this site are simple tools for assessing students’ critical thinking skills in any discipline.  Each technique has a brief description, tips for analyzing the data, an estimate of the effort required, and a reference to additional information.  Formative assessment techniques, like the ones described here, reinforce classroom material and help instructors determine how well students are learning.

Item Analysis: Item analysis is a process of  examining class-wide or course-wide performance on individual test items.  The presentation, “Analyzing Test Results,” will walk you through the process of organizing your data, testing for difficulty and discrimination, creating a simple test blueprint, and item analysis.  It also contains suggestions for using the results to improve student learning and two blank spreadsheets to help you get started.

Embedded Test Questions: Embedded assessment on multiple choice tests allows faculty to measure specific course learning outcomes by incorporating assessment items into an existing unit test, mid-term exam, or final exam.  A group of instructors teaching a particular course select one course learning outcome and work together to design test questions and analyze results to determine how well students achieved the outcome.

Pre- and Post-Tests: This technique is effective for measuring what students learned in a course or program.  Test items are based on Course Learning Outcomes or Program Objectives.  Pre- and post-tests are often referred to as value-added assessment since the method compares what students knew before the course/program to what they know after.  This method is particularly useful for developmental courses in that standards-based tests or benchmarks may not be appropriate for measuring students in these courses.

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Indirect Measures

Focus Groups: Focus groups are small groups that meet in order to discuss a specific topic under the guidance of trained moderator. A focus group provides a method of indirect assessment for Program Assessment. Small programs can use one focus group to gather qualitative data; larger programs may want to conduct a focus group on each campus. Focus groups are versatile in that they can be used to gather information before, during or after a program of study is completed.

Matching Course Outcomes to General Education Student Behaviors: This method is part of the Program/Discipline Review Process. Faculty review course outcomes on each of the discipline’s master syllabi and match those outcomes to specific student behaviors for each of the six CCAC General Education Goals. This exercise ensures that courses actually measure general education student behaviors.

Student Self Reflection: Students rate their own knowledge, skills and attitudes; this can provide useful indirect evidence of student learning and also helps students to develop metacognitive skills and achieve deeper learning.  Sample designs are included.

Matching CCSSE Results to General Education Goals: This report matches the results from the 2007 CCSSE survey to CCAC’s General Education Goals.  It is an indirect measure because it relies on student opinions about their education.  If you are interested in learning how students in your class compare to the student body, administer the Student Course Feedback Form and compare your results to the 2007 report.

The definitions for many of these terms are in the ASL Glossary

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