Assessment Handbook

• Introduction
  • Characteristics of Assessment
  • Necessity of Assessment
  • Benefits of Assessment
  • Glossary

• Assessment at HCC
  • Future Direction
  • Flowchart of Assessment
  • Timeline
  • Evaluation
  • Principles
  • Grades and Assessment
  • Success and Retention

• Assessment of Learning Outcomes
  • Course Assessment
    • Course Outcomes
    • Verbs for Writing Outcomes Using Bloom
    • Assessment Instruments
    • Resources on Assessment
    • Evaluation Methods
    • Resources on Methods of Evaluation
    • Level of Achievement
    • Course Outcomes Matrix
    • Example of Completed Course Matrix
  • Program Assessment
    • Program Curriculum Map
    • Completed Program Curriculum Map
  • Institution-Wide Assessment
    • Institution-Wide Outcomes Matrix
    • Completed Institution-Wide Matrix
  • Reporting
    • Online Report of Outcome Assessment
    • Completed Online Reporting Form
  • Assessment Plan Checklist

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Although final course grades are not good indicators of students’ mastery of outcomes, grades on individual assignments may become part of the assessment process if those grades help to measure students’ mastery of one of the course outcomes. In developing course assessment, the instructors of the course and the department need to collaborate to determine what all students should know, be able to do, or think as a result of taking the course and then establish ways to evaluate if students indeed have met the goals of the outcomes. Course-level assessment, and ultimately program and institution-wide assessment as well, are the province of the course instructors. They act as a team with the department chair in establishing outcomes and assessment of those outcomes. Department chairs initiate and monitor assessment of courses, yet faculty teaching the courses have ultimate responsibility for establishing the outcomes and assessment of the outcomes for the courses. Because of the importance of assuring a seamless transition from one course in a sequence to another, faculty teaching courses that are prerequisites/corequisites for the course or for which the course is a prerequisite/corequisite should be included in the process of planning outcomes and assessment.