UH and UHM Websites
- Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
- Office of Student Affairs policies and procedures
- Office of Faculty Development & Academic Support: Course evaluation, faculty development, technology in the classroom.
- UH System Office of Institutional Research
- UH System Vice President for Academic Strategy
Academic Program Assessment Resources
- Program-Based Review and Assessment: Tools and Techniques for Program Improvement. Office of Academic Planning and Assessment. University of Massachusetts Amherst. (2001). Topics include the following:
- Getting Started: What is Program-Based Assessment?
- Defining Goals and Objectives
- Designing the Assessment Program
- Assessment Strategies and Methods
- Analyzing, Reporting, and Using Results
- University of Massachusetts Amherst also has a handbook on course-level assessment.
- Tools and Techniques for Program Improvement: Handbook for Program Review & Assessment of Student Learning. Office of Institutional Assessment, Research, and Testing. Western Washington University. (2006). Topics include the following:
- Focus on Learning
- Assessment for Learning
- What is Program Assessment?
- Defining Mission and Goals
- Defining Program Learning Objectives
- Outcomes Design and Measurement
- Assessment Strategies and Methods
- Analyzing, Reporting, and Using Results
- Western Washington University also has a handbook on course improvement.
- Clearinghouse-style list of assessment resources (initially created by Ephraim Schecter; now maintained by Assessment Commons). Topics include the following:
- General resources
- Assessment handbooks
- Assessment of specific skills or content
- Individual institutions’ assessment-related pages
- Accrediting bodies
- Student assessment of courses and faculty
- The 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation by the Division of Research, Evaluation and Communication; Natural Science Foundation. Includes the following:
- Section I: Evaluation and Types of Evaluation
- Section II: The Steps in Doing an Evaluation
- Section III: An Overview of Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection Methods
- Section IV: Strategies That Address Culturally Responsive Evaluation
- Creating an Effective Assessment Plan for the Sociology Major by the ASA Task Force on Assessing the Undergraduate Sociology Major
- Evidence Guide: A Guide to Using Evidence in the Accreditation Process: A Resource to Support Institutions and Evaluation Teams. Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC). (January 2002). The guide includes the following:
- Introduction
- The Nature and Use of Evidence (Why is WASC Concerned About Assessment? What is Evidence? What Constitutes Good Evidence?)
- Evidence and the WASC Accreditation Standards
- Assembling and Presenting Evidence in the Course of Review (Where Does Good Evidence Come From? How Should Evidence Be Presented?)
- Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning. American Association for Higher Education Assessment Forum (1992)
- A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education
A report of the commission appointment by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings (2006). Excerpts from this report related to the assessment of and reporting of student learning:- “There are also disturbing signs that many students who do earn degrees have not actually mastered the reading, writing, and thinking skills we expect of college graduates.” (p. x)
- There is a “remarkable absence of accountability mechanisms to ensure that colleges succeed in educating students.” (p. x)
- “Employers report repeatedly that many new graduates they hire are not prepared to work, lacking the critical thinking, writing and problem-solving skills needed in today’s workplaces.” (p. 3)
- “Student achievement, which is inextricably connected to institutional success, must be measured by institutions on a ‘value-added’ basis that takes into account students’ academic baseline when assessing their results.” (p. 4)
- “There is inadequate transparency and accountability for measuring institutional performance, which is more and more necessary to maintaining public trust in higher education.” (p. 14)
- “Higher education must change from a system primarily based on reputation to one based on performance. We urge the creation of a robust culture of accountability and transparency throughout higher education.” (p. 21)
- “Post secondary education institutions should measure and report meaningful student learning outcomes.” (p. 24)
- “We recommend that America’s colleges and universities embrace a culture of continuous innovation and quality improvement by developing new pedagogies, curricula, and technologies to improve learning, particularly in the area of science and mathematical literacy.” (p. 25)
Co-curricular Program Assessment Resources
- The Administrative Unit Assessment Handbook: Guidelines for Planning and Implementing. Measuring Student Support Services and Administrative Outcomes by the University of Central Florida.
- Assessment: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Effective Outcomes Assessment. Academic Support and Administrative Units at AUC by the American University in Cairo.
Articles & Newsletters
- Bibliography of articles about program assessment that include results
- Assessment Update [bimonthly newsletter published by Wiley] online via Hamilton Library’s electronic resources.
Books at the Assessment and Curriculum Support Center
- Please email our office at airo@hawaii.edu if you’d like to see our bookshelf and borrow a book.