The BG Perspective Advisory Committee periodically reviews the curriculum for each BG Perspective course by using course-embedded assessment of the course student learning outcomes. Such a process requires teachers of the course to look beyond the typical grading and testing approaches used in a particular course. For example, if one of the course objectives is to achieve an effective level of understanding of a certain number of concepts, then one would expect the testing process to examine student understanding of such concepts. However, a BG Perspective assessment often requires examining concepts and processes that do not necessarily fit into a course design. For example, “You will be able to communicate effectively by gaining proficiency in reading, writing and presenting” is one BG Perspective student learning outcome. An assessment of this learning outcome would require faculty teaching a BG Perspective course to state explicitly in the syllabus that proficiency in reading, writing and presenting is a course objective. Furthermore, the syllabus should indicate how the faculty member expects to measure those outcomes.

Assessment Report Guidelines

To complete an assessment activity, write a brief 1-2 page report that provides insight into the course’s attempts to achieve the University Learning Outcomes (ULOs) or the BG Perspective student learning outcomes. The BG Perspective Advisory Committee does not expect all students to have achieved excellence in the BG Perspective skills and knowledge domains by the completion of the nine courses, but it does expect to see that serious efforts were made in courses to ascertain the degree of student achievement and that there are attempts to improve over time.

Please remember to assess student learning from a liberal studies intellectual skills perspective. That is, use either the University Learning Outcomes (ULOs) (add link here) or the BG Perspective student learning outcomes, which include outcomes for the intellectual skills (e.g., modes of inquiry, critical thinking, values) and the course’s knowledge domain, as you design your assessment activity. We particularly encourage faculty to explore using the AAC&U VALUE metarubrics for designing assessment rubrics. Work that is already a part of the course—projects, tests, papers, reports, creative activities, etc—can serve as the evidence for the assessment report as long as it is evaluated from the perspective of the ULOs or BG Perspective student learning outcomes. For faculty development opportunities, please contact the BG Perspective office or inquire at the Center for Teaching and Learning for appropriate faculty learning communities.

Directions for Submitting the Assessment Report

The BG Perspective course-embedded assessment projects should include each of the four main elements. (These are the same components required by BGSU’s Student Achievement Assessment Committee).

1. Specify the BG Perspective student learning outcomes in both the skills and knowledge domain for the course. We are especially interested in the outcomes which have received particular attention in the time period covered by this report. We expect that BG Perspective student learning outcomes overlap with the course outcomes.
2. Describe the method you selected to assess student learning, noting especially the assessment “tool” that was administered and the setting(s) where data were collected. The assessment “tool” can take various forms depending on your discipline, class size, and outcomes you want to measure. For example, a project, test, paper, report, or creative activity could be used as an assessment tool provided that it measure the intended learning outcomes.
3. Summarize your analysis of the assessments results. What did you discover about student learning after reviewing the results of a test your class took or after reviewing a set of papers or creative projects? What was the measurable student learning achieved? Did the achievement meet expectations? Be sure to present an analysis of your findings, not a report of the students’ grades.
4. Report actions that have been taken based on the assessment findings. This last step is particularly important. For instance, how have you revised your teaching, course content, or assignments based on your analysis of the assessment results?

Please complete the cover sheet and get the appropriate signatures, this document should be submitted to the BG Perspective office located at 124 Conklin North . Then, submit your report & representative syllabus or syllabi electronically to BG Perspective at bgp@bgnet.bgsu.