2006 APSA TEACHING AND LEARNING CONFERENCE TRACK
SUMMARIES | |
Assessment/Learning Outcomes III Track Summary
Lisa A.
Cave
a1
, Allison M.
Johnson
a2
, S. J.
Lange
a3
and Lindsey
Lupo
a4
a1 Morehead State University
a2 University of Nevada, Las Vegas
a3 Morehead State University
a4 University of California, Irvine
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Assessment, by definition, is a means of estimating the quality or
value of something. In this case assessment may be geared toward students
directly in the form of enhancing learning, faculty in terms of better
teaching, departments for improved curriculum development, and
institutions for the purpose of public relations, resource allocation, and
accreditation. This panel examined assessment in all of these cases, with
a particular focus on assessment of learning outcomes. Learning outcomes
are at the very essence of what we as teachers are trying to achieve and
assessment provides us with ways to determine whether we are actually
meeting these goals. The purpose of this track was to examine both
assessment and learning outcomes and to develop ways to improve both. This
article synthesizes the main findings of papers presented in the track
together with the ensuing discussion. The article is split into five major
topics: the role of assessment, the uses of assessment, the inevitability
of assessment, approaches of assessment, and how we do assessment.
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