Educational Outcomes Assessment

There is a fundamental logic underlying the idea of assessment that is surprisingly easy to grasp but even easier to lose sight of when implementing an assessment program. That logic suggests that first you should clearly identify what you are trying to accomplish (goals/objectives). Second, you measure outcomes to determine the degree of success the program is having at achieving the objectives. Third, you examine the program process to try to identify the variables responsible for any identified weaknesses or noteworthy strengths and make indicated adjustments to the program. Finally, you collect follow-up data to see if the adjustments eliminated the weaknesses. Note that in this often cited but seldom followed assessment sequence, the examination of process variables follows the measurement of outcomes. Process variables derive their meaning from their relationship to known outcomes. Yet the tendency to focus on process variables as indicators of quality has a long history in assessment and program evaluation. This reliance on process requires one to assume a relationship between the process variable--- say percent of program faculty with doctoral level degrees--- and program outcomes--- say student scores on a standardized test. Such assumptions are rarely justified. However, since process variables are usually easier to measure, present less threat to program staff and are, after all, what faculty deal with on a day to day basis, this tenacious, though illogical, practice persists. Processes Do Not Equate to Outcome