Assessment as Scholarship: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

1. Assessment as Scholarship: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Casimir Barczyk Department of Marketing, HR, and Management Center for Instructional Excellence – Faculty Club Luncheon October 11, 2005

2. What’s in it for me? • Enhanced teaching effectiveness • Increased scholarly productivity • Improved student evaluations • Salary increases • Enhanced promotion dossier • Greater joy – the joy of accomplishment

3. Agenda • Four points • How assessment can be viewed from various theoretical bases • How assessment can be done on different levels • How assessment and institutional research are connected • How assessment can result in presentation and publication opportunities

4. Some introductory thoughts • Assessment is part of the SoTL, if: • The resulting publications are peer reviewed • The results are disseminated • Assessment and evaluation must be distinguished • Assessment can be applied to learning, processes, and knowledge

5. Theoretical Perspectives for Assessment in Business Disciplines • Management • Performance • Change • Marketing • Perceptions of value • Satisfaction • Organizational behavior • Perceptions • Beliefs • Total quality management • Quality standards • Continuous improvement • Problem solving

6. Example: Management Perspective Variable of interest - change • Problem • New course, observation that students are not grasping the material • Three questions • What do you like about this course? • What do you dislike about this course? • What would you like to see changed in this course?

7. What do you like about this course? ResponseNPercent • Interesting material 10 24.4% • Instructor’s teaching style 8 19.5% • Chapter review questions 7 17.1% • Current events discussions 4 9.7% • Pace of the class 4 9.7% • PowerPoint presentations 3 7.3% • Textbook 2 4.9% • Student discussion 2 4.9% • Morning class 1 2.4% • N = 41

8. What do you dislike about this course? ResponseNPercent • Nothing 11 42.3% • PP not available before class 5 19.2% • Off-topic discussions 3 11.5% (Students with wrong information and uninformed opinions) • Book 2 7.7% • Dry material 2 7.7% (Material covered in other OBHR classes) • Questions read too fast 1 3.8% • Tests over too many chapters 1 3.8% • Not enough notes 1 3.8% (Too much airtime when no one answers questions) • N = 26

9. What would you like to see changed in this course? ResponseNPercent • Have PP presentations before class 8 28.6% • Nothing 6 21.4% • In-class rather than out-of-class exercises 2 7.1% • Study guides for exams 2 7.1% • Article presentations on compensation issues 2 7.1% • Faster pace 1 3.6% • Uniformed students should sit quietly and learn 1 3.6% • More students participating in discussion 1 3.6% • Guest speakers 1 3.6% • Spend more than 20 minutes on the assigned topic 1 3.6% • More depth on subject 1 3.6% • Fewer chapters on exam 1 3.6% • Quizzes 1 3.6% • N = 28

10. Implications for change • Provide PP presentations before class • Maintain current participative style of teaching • Continue asking review questions • Continue current events discussion • Continue the present pace of presentations • Encourage students to provide factual support for their opinions • Provide study guide for exams • Consider some options • Articles for extra credit • In-class rather than out of class exercises

11. Student reactions to assessment VariableNMean Satisfaction with assessment 22 3.90 (0.96) Satisfaction with feedback 22 4.18 (1.11) Perception of benefit of changes 22 4.14 (0.99) Satisfaction with involvement 22 4.27 (0.77) Autonomy 22 4.00 (0.98) Feedback 22 4.55 (0.51) Skill variety 22 4.32 (0.78) Task significance 22 4.32 (0.65)

12. Closing the loop • Based on the changes made, have students benefited? • Need to repeat the process after some time. • Repeat the three questions • Probe whether the changes were beneficial after four to six weeks

13. Levels for assessment • Classroom • Major • Student competence in relevant areas • Program • Nine factors for the School of Management • Satisfaction with management degree and career • Institution • Retention and six year graduation rate • Academic reputation • Student engagement

14. Assessment and Institutional Research • Office of Planning and Institutional Research • Rich source of data • Open to faculty for analysis and collaboration • Demographic data • Faculty resources • Student selectivity • Financial resources • Alumni giving • National study of student engagement • Study of faculty engagement - planned

15. Possible institutional research topics • Faculty course evaluations: implementation issues • Learning to work, working to learn: integrating employability into the curriculum • Effect of adjunct instructors on educational quality • Association between motivation and general education standardized test scores • Assessing the quality of academic programs • Assessing satisfaction and productivity of a higher education program • Assessing the relationship between entering characteristics and college experiences or student satisfaction with general education or major field courses • Assessing educational attainment among first-generation students

16. Assessment and scholarly output • Opportunities for assessment studies • Assessment Institute • Association for Institutional Research Forum • Conferences with pedagogical track • Journals in business dealing with teaching • Marketing education • Management education • Journals and conferences in science, humanities, and education dealing with teaching • Binder: my papers on assessment topics

17. Conclusion • Assessment is part of the SoTL • Assessment can use various theoretical perspectives • Assessment can be performed at various levels • Institutional research office - rich source of data • Assessment studies can be presented and published in numerous venues and journalistic outlets

18. Thank you • For your attention and participation in this discussion • Are there any brief questions of clarification?