The Assessment Process

Arguably, the most critical step in the assessment process is the final one – using assessment data to improve school programs.  If a significant number of students have failed to demonstrate competence on a key learning goal, a response must be crafted.  There are a number of curriculum changes that can be proposed to improve the learning experience, including new course design, revision of the content and/or methodology of existing courses (including courses outside of the business school), course collaboration,  and enhancement of out of classroom experiences such as tutorials, skill-building workshops, internships, service learning, etc. 

A second improvement strategy may focus on faculty development, including implementation of teaching workshops on topics that are related to the learning goal (e.g., writing across the curriculum, activity-based learning).  Some schools have grant programs that encourage faculty involvement in assessment or curriculum development of targeted skills or content areas.  See, for example:

Bowling Green State University:  http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/provost/Assessment/GrantInfo.htm

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville: 
http://www.siue.edu/~deder/assess/srafund.html

St. Cloud State University: 
http://condor.stcloudstate.edu/~assess/  (Mini-grant proposals)

University of Wisconsin, Madison: 
http://www.provost.wisc.edu/assessment  (University Assessment Funds) 

A final issue to consider after reviewing assessment results is the assessment process itself.  Are the learning goals appropriate?  Do objectives need modification?  Are the methods and measures generating adequate data for evaluating student competency in each area?  It is unlikely that a school’s first attempt at developing an assessment process will be its last.  Schools that are most effective at assessment use assessment data not only to refine their curriculum, but to refine the process as well.