Assessment by Design: A Practical Approach to Improve Student Learning

Written with faculty in mind, Assessment by Design is a practical resource that will also be useful to student affairs staff and administrators dedicated to using assessment to improve learning in curricular and co-curricular settings. This book presents the Cycle of Assessment as a framework that supports assessment in service of improving student learning. The framework consists of the following stages: Developing Your Assessment Question; Planning Decisions to Consider; Collecting and Scoring the Data; Analyzing and Discussing Assessment Data; and Report and Act on Assessment Findings. After an introductory chapter that provides an overview of the cycle, the book devotes a chapter to each stage of the cycle. After a concluding chapter, four appendices include helpful rubrics, forms, and exercises.

This book uses Action Research ideas to inform local classroom and institutional practices. While the theoretical framework is explained, each part follows through by offering immediate application: Hands-on activities for the readers to perform that directly support the practice of assessment in context, allowing readers to consider and apply the framework in their own programs, classes, and activities.

The book emerged from a workshop the author developed and led for many years in both face-to-face and online settings while she was Director of Assessment, Evaluation and Institutional Outcomes at Johnson County Community College (JCCC). Initially developed for JCCC faculty, it was later offered to participants from a variety of schools around the country, 4-year as well as 2-year, and private as well as public.