The Value of Assessments in the College Experience

Introduction: Why Assessment Matters in Higher Education

The goal of college and university instructors is, of course, to provide the materials, the context, and ultimately the motivating and stimulating environment in which students may learn. But there is a deeper component that should be pivotal and ever-present within the college milieu. That vital component is a process of assessment — a means of gauging how well students are learning, which in turn indicates how effective instruction has been. Assessments are fundamental when it comes to accurately measuring the success, or lack of success, of teaching quality.

The overriding purpose of attending a college or university is not merely to engage in the process of receiving a degree, but rather to learn and achieve a level of scholarship that prepares a student for the future. Without assessments, the true value of that learning experience cannot be measured.

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)

The process and system of assessing how much learning is taking place is referred to by author Linda S. Nilson as classroom assessment techniques (CATs). While it is necessary that CATs be centered on the learner and not exclusively on the material or messages the instructor presents, what aspects of classroom dynamics should be specifically assessed remains the prerogative of the instructor (Nilson, 2010). Following the assessment, the instructor must also be open to making whatever changes might be necessary after a careful review of the results (Nilson, 2010).

Because students' need for learning is central to the assessment process, they should be actively involved in it. Nilson notes, however, that CATs do not necessarily involve students being tested or given quizzes. Rather, the process involves students synthesizing, reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating the quality of lectures and other course components the instructor presents. CATs should not be thought of as a one-time process; in an ideal classroom dynamic, the instructor and students collaborate in an ongoing course of action that involves feedback and paves the way for the instructor to make whatever adjustments are necessary to ensure a quality learning experience (Nilson, 2010).

Nilson references Angelo and Cross (1993) in suggesting that instructors begin with a limited scope as they first explore assessment. By selecting one class that is going well — and by fully explaining and providing a clear, understandable rationale for the strategy — the instructor may test a CAT in which students anonymously provide a one-sentence critique to aid the instructor's presentation.

In other words, the instructor is asking: (a) what are students getting out of this class, and (b) how could the instruction be made more relevant or interesting? Following this simple exercise, and after a thorough review of the one-sentence critiques, the instructor should be entirely transparent with the class and explain how the teaching strategy will be adjusted based on the exercise (Nilson, 2010). The instructor might choose to read aloud a few of the more poignant critiques and encourage comment, stimulating a meaningful dialogue between instructor and learners. This approach also serves to emphasize that the instructor is making an extra effort — through assessment procedures — to ensure that genuine learning and a profound level of understanding are ongoing.

How CATs Assess and Verify the Learning Process

Nilson offers instructors four categories of CATs to consider carefully before launching any assessment project. The first, declarative learning, relates to the facts and principles that should be part of a student's learning cycle. This category does not focus on how well students memorize data, but rather on the depth of their comprehension. The second category, procedural learning, entails critical thinking, reasoning, and the ability to write with clarity and discipline. The third category, conditional learning, refers to how well students are learning to analyze and solve problems and also involves role-playing (Nilson, 2010). The fourth, reflective learning, tests the beliefs and values of a student and challenges their motives for pursuing higher education.

Focused learning is typically thought of as a beginning assessment in which students' attention is directed at a specific concept, name, or historical event. In a two-or-three-minute exercise, students are asked to list as many impressions or associations connected to that specific fact or person as they can. The memory matrix is an assessment method that shows an instructor how well students can organize knowledge into structured form. The muddiest point exercise asks students to write down what they consider the vaguest or least clear portions of what the instructor has presented. Nilson acknowledges that this may be the most basic kind of assessment, one that can be administered at virtually any moment as a brief sidebar; it gives students who may be struggling, and who are not skilled at asking questions aloud, an opportunity to be honest about their difficulties (Nilson, 2010).

Another strategic CAT — designed for more advanced learning situations — is the concept map. Students are asked to construct diagrams with circles around important concepts and connecting lines between them. This visual exercise allows students to organize their grasp of the information that has been presented. The everyday ethical dilemmas assessment is very much what it sounds like: students are presented with a case study of an ethical problem relevant to the course material. Once assured their responses will be anonymous, students are more likely to open up candidly about how a solution might be found. This is an ideal way for the instructor to assess opinions and values, which in turn supports the development of moral reasoning (Nilson, 2010). Additionally, after students turn in a rough draft of a writing assignment, the instructor can provide comments on the hard copy or ask students to comment on one another's work. This aids students in continually improving their writing skills and provides the instructor with a further assessment tool.

Conclusion

The time has come for reform throughout higher education, including business schools as well as liberal arts and science-based institutions. The trend should move away from an emphasis on what instructors teach and toward a more learning-centered approach that utilizes the assessment strategies discussed in this paper. If the college experience does not inspire students as well as make them knowledgeable, it risks becoming an exercise in futility. On the other hand, when credible, proven learner-centered assessment approaches guide the agenda, the college and university experience can be genuinely fruitful — for the student and for society at large.

Works Cited

Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at Its Best. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Stivers, B., and Phillips, J. (2009). Assessment of Student Learning: A Fast-Track Experience. Journal of Education for Business, 84(5), 258–262.

Webber, K. L. (2012). The Use of Learner-Centered Assessments in U.S. Colleges and Universities. Research in Higher Education, 53(2), 201–228.