Principles of Assessment at UCSC
What is assessment?
Assessment is the process of measuring student learning for the purpose of providing meaningful feedback to improve teaching and learning.
Engaging faculty in systematic assessment is important because the landscape of teaching and learning is constantly changing. Our campus has experienced substantial growth and demographic changes in the student population, and practices that worked for UCSC students ten years ago may not work for today’s students. Effective assessment enables us to discover what is working well, what can be improved, and which students need more support.
Assessment at UCSC is…
Faculty-led & Program-specific
Ultimately the quality of our academic programs is the responsibility of our faculty. Faculty are the experts in their fields, and they are in the best position to determine what students in their disciplines should be learning. For that reason, the entire assessment process at UCSC is faculty-led, locally defined, and program-specific.
Actionable
Our 3-year assessment cycle engages faculty in meaningful and regular assessment. This process produces results that identify specific areas of improvement in courses and in the program overall. Our approach to program improvement is valuable to both students and faculty.
Equity-minded
At UCSC, we work to support the academic success of every student at our institution across diverse demographic and academic backgrounds, with a focus on underrepresented students. As part of our approach, ALEE Center specialists work closely with faculty to identify courses and assignments that are essential for student success in the program. Then, they design student-friendly tools to collect assessment data. ALEE Center specialists disaggregate this data based on students’ background characteristics to examine whether there are any demographic or academic differences in student learning. These analyses allow faculty to identify specific areas for improving equity in learning outcomes.
Equity-minded assessment impacts…
Students
- Understand major/graduate program as more than a collection of classes
- Receive detailed feedback on learning progress
- Identify and reflect on personal strengths, weaknesses, and progress
- Select appropriate program of study (prospective students)
Faculty
- Articulate what students are expected to know and the skills they will acquire in their program
- Communicate clear expectations to students for the course and assignments
- Design assignments and assessments geared toward evaluation of student learning outcomes
- Provide a framework for faculty evaluation of the curriculum based on empirical data
- Improve and measure the impact of implemented changes
Institution
- Support faculty efforts to understand differences in student learning based on academic or demographic characteristics in specific courses
- Develop best practices for addressing equity gaps
- Facilitate evaluation of student achievements across programs
- Support institutional transparency and accountability