The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness has compiled the following information as a resource for assessment at Miami University. Recommendations for improvements are always welcome; please contact William Knight at knightw3@MiamiOH.edu.

Chapter 1: Overview of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment

This section includes information on the rationale for and benefits of assessment; good practices in assessment; University, departmental, divisional, and office responsibilities; support resources for assessment; and a glossary of assessment terms.

Chapter 2: Department Assessment Plans

This section includes information on the structure of departmental assessment plans, information for programs with external program accreditation, information about free-standing certificates, and a departmental assessment plan template.

Chapter 3: Department Assessment Reports

This section includes information on the structure of departmental assessment reports, a departmental assessment report template, information about submitting assessment reports, and the assessment feedback rubric and a sample feedback report.

Chapter 4: Global Miami Plan Assessment

This section includes information on global Miami Plan competencies and assessment.

Chapter 5: Assessment in Academic Support and Co-Curricular Units

This section includes information on the required elements of assessment, lists of academic support and co-curricular units with contact persons and deadlines, and resources

Chapter 6: Learning Goals/Outcomes

This section includes information on creating learning goals and examples of good and not-so-good learning goals.

Chapter 7: Curriculum Maps

This section includes an overview and several examples of curriculum maps.

Chapter 8: Collecting Assessment Evidence

This section includes information on and examples of direct and indirect measures and detailed descriptions of assessment methods.

Chapter 9: Using Surveys

This section includes definitions, information on the appropriate use of surveys; advantages and disadvantages of surveys; types of surveys and survey questions; information on planning surveys, constructing survey items, and analyzing survey results; and frequently-asked questions.

Chapter 10: Using Tests

This section includes definitions, information advantages and disadvantages of using tests, planning tests, features of a good test, analyzing test data, and frequently-asked questions.

Chapter 11: Using Performance-Based Assessment

This section includes definitions, information on the appropriate use of performance-based assessment, advantages and disadvantages, types of performance-based assessment, planning performance-based assessment, analyzing performance- based data, and frequently-asked questions.

Chapter 12: Using Focus Groups

This section includes definitions, information on appropriate use of focus groups, advantages and disadvantages, planning and conducting focus groups, and analyzing focus group data.

Chapter 13: Relating to Other Campus Assessment Efforts and Using Available Resources

This section includes information on use of institutional data, transcript analysis, curriculum review, and anecdotal records; using interviews and unobtrusive measures; and the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness as an internal assessment resource.

Chapter 14: Analyzing, Interpreting, Communicating, and Acting on Assessment Results

This section includes information on reporting assessment results; ensuring data quality; sharing assessment results; honest, balanced, fair, and useful reporting of assessment results; venues for sharing assessment results; advice for when people feel threatened by assessment results; ways to make results have the most impact; using assessment results effectively and appropriately; making better meaning of assessment results; moving from assessment results to action; provides case studies of departmental use of assessment activities; and includes frequently-asked questions.

Chapter 15: Making the Assessment Process More Manageable

This section includes tangible suggestions for making assessment more manageable, setting priorities for assessment, examples of assessment information that may already be on hand, advantages and disadvantages of using samples of student work for Assessment, outlines a basic no-frills department assessment system, and includes information on rubrics.

Chapter 16: Motivating Colleagues to Participate in Assessment

This section includes information on tangible actions to promote faculty participation in assessment, a discussion of the benefits of assessment, a consideration of assessment and academic freedom, why grades are not sufficient evidence for assessment, common misconceptions about assessment, and a listing of journals that publish scholarship on assessment of college student learning.

Chapter 17: Print and Online Assessment Resources and Assessment Conferences

This section includes information on print ad online assessment resources as well as assessment conferences.

Chapter 18: Assessment Resource Handbook

This is all of the sections included in one pdf document (100 pages).