GLOSSARY OF ASSESSMENT TERMINOLOGY

Assessment Loop:
An iterative process consisting of:

• Defining/revisiting/asking questions about learning goals/outcomes, including the ways in which learning has occurred so far.
• Selecting/designing tools and methodologies and collecting evidence for student learning. Value added methods take a look at the gains attributable to the learning experiences offered to students in a program.
• Analyzing and interpreting the collection of evidence in relation to the learning goals/outcomes, and making judgments about the learning that has occurred.
• Using the results in a reflective process to plan and implement changes in teaching and/or the curriculum, with the expectation of demonstrable improvements in student learning.

Culture of Evidence:
A collective stance in which continuous reflection about the evidence for learning drives decision making, resource allocation, and daily practice and discourse.

Direct Evidence for Learning:
A collection of results that are a direct indication of students’ knowledge, skills and behaviors/dispositions in relation to established goals and outcomes, as measured by methods such as standardized tests, capstone experiences, home-grown tests and examinations, portfolios, research projects, performances, etc.

Indirect Evidence for Learning:
A collection of results deemed likely to indicate the students’ achievement of established learning goals/outcomes and include descriptive data such as completion rates, employment rates or graduate school enrollment rate; other methods such as satisfaction surveys, employer surveys or opinion polls. Indirect evidence is generally collected by a third party, instead of the faculty or instructor.

Learning Goals:
A learning goal is a general statement of the knowledge, skill and/or behavior/dispositions the student is expected to achieve/demonstrate by the end of a learning experience. Goals can be single strand (e.g. the student solves a quadratic equation) or cross cutting through several strands in a discipline, a program or the entire university experience (e.g. the student analyzes demographic, social and historical information in the context of economic and community development).

Learning Outcomes:
A learning outcome is a specific statement, expressed in a measurable manner, of the level of knowledge, skill and/or behavior/dispositions the student is expected to achieve/demonstrate by the end of a learning experience. A learning outcome must state the level of performance that is required (e.g. the student demonstrates command of Greek language by using primary sources –written and spoken– to analyze current events in Greece; the student is able to engage in a discourse on current issues with college-level native speakers).

Analysis Process:
Applying a set of assumptions and approaches for the interpretation of assessment results. The analysis process connects the evidence collected to the established learning goals and outcomes.

Rubric:
A rubric is defined as a tool for assessing student performance on selected tasks according to stated criteria and predetermined expectations. Rubrics specify various degrees of mastery, holistically or analytically (e.g. statement describing what each score in a 1 to 4 scale means regarding paragraph construction when scoring a writing piece analytically).