Discover, Assess, Distribute.
The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment makes learning outcomes visible and useful to the public.
Call for Examples:
Vignettes of Equitable Assessment Practice
An upcoming book from Stylus aims to help higher education implement equitable assessment. A central element is providing examples of practice showcasing how assessment for equity is carried out within classrooms, programs, student affairs, co-curricular, etc. Share your examples of equitable assessment practice for inclusion in the book by August 1, 2020.
Making the Move to Online Courses:
Resources to Inform Teaching and Learning
The NILOA Team has compiled and will continue to update a resource list to assist the field as we make the move to online courses.
NILOA Webinar Series
Beyond the Looking Glass:
Tenets of Meaningful Transparency
April 30, 2020
In the final episode of NILOA’s six-part webinar series, Natasha Jankowski, Ruth Slotnick, and Christina Ouellette discuss the role of transparency in student learning (view presentation slides). This includes communication about programmatic design, and the processes and practices at institutions working to convey information of student learning in a clear and coherent manner to different audience(s). The importance of transparency to students and student voice in the process are explored through the example of the transparency project at Bridgewater State University. The webinar concludes with institutional strategies and considerations for transparency in a time of Covid-19. We encourage you to participate in the BSU National Learning Outcomes Transparency survey! We also invite you continue the conversation on social media using the tags #NILOAwebinar, #AssessmentBook, and #AssessmentMusic.
The Evidence-Based Storytelling Toolkit:
Using Assessment Data to Write
Your Learning Narrative
April 23, 2020
Natasha Jankowski, Brad Mello, and Joe Levy provide resources on how to think about and plan for telling a story of learning to specific target audience (view presentation slides). Presenters will provide institutional examples of evidence-based storytelling, as well as guidance on communicating in a time of crisis and tips on messaging assessment efforts to faculty and staff. A new resource from NILOA “Planning for Effective Communication of Assessment: A Toolkit for Practice” was also introduced during the webinar. We invite you continue the conversation on social media using the tags #NILOAwebinar, #AssessmentBook, and #AssessmentMusic. NILOA will host the final webinar of this series April 30, 2020 at 3pm EST.
Outcomes, Alignment and Mapping, Oh My!:
Curriculum Mapping as Educational Design
April 16, 2020
Natasha Jankowski, Dan McInerney, and Errin Heyman present considerations for planning ahead to the summer and fall semester for supporting and advancing learning, especially in light of any learning outcomes that may need to be re-emphasized for returning students within programs. Presenters discussed alignment, levels of mapping, what is feasible now, and where to place our attention as we plan for the future (view presentation slides). NILOA has developed a guiding document for Program Planning in a Time of COVID-19. We encourage you continue the conversation on social media using the hashtags #NILOAwebinar, #AssessmentBook, and #AssessmentMusic. NILOA will continue to host weekly webinars every Thursday at 3:00pm EST through the end of April.
Assignment Design: Charrettes to Build Community in a Time of Physical Distance
April 9, 2020
NILOA will host weekly webinars every Thursday at 3:00pm EST through the end of April. This recording is of the 3rd webinar in the series, presented by Natasha Jankowski, NILOA Executive Director, Pat Hutchings, NILOA Senior Scholar, Tami Eggleston, McKendree University, and Shontell Stanford, Morehouse School of Medicine. The webinar discusses best practices for designing assignments for online learning, including tips for maintaining equity, quality, and applicability (view presentation slides). NILOA also developed a guiding document to conduct Assignment Charrettes in a Time of COVID-19. We encourage you continue the conversation on social media using the hashtags #NILOAwebinar, #AssessmentBook, and #AssessmentMusic.
Second Community Check-in and Updates
April 2, 2020
NILOA will host weekly webinars every Thursday at 3:00pm EST through the end of April. This recording is of the 2nd webinar from April 2, 2020, led by Dr. Natasha Jankowski, NILOA Executive Director. She discusses faculty evaluations, student surveys, messaging assessment reports, and assessing online in the time of COVID19 (view presentation slides). A new NILOA Viewpoint, discusses some of the issues that should be considered in making changes to how we grade students and using pass/fail. We encourage you continue the conversation on social media using the hashtags #NILOAwebinar, #AssessmentBook, and #AssessmentMusic. More information on the webinar series.
First Community Check-in and Updates
March 26, 2020
NILOA will host weekly webinars every Thursday at 3:00pm EST through the end of April. This recording is of the first webinar from March 26, 2020, led by Dr. Natasha Jankowski, NILOA Executive Director. She introduces a handful of resources, as well as advice, to help the field of assessment—and higher education writ large—to navigate the current transition to online as the field responds to the COVID19 pandemic (see presentation slides). The webinar focuses on providing a space for people to come together and decompress, share concerns, and experiences. We encourage you continue the conversation on social media using the hashtags #NILOAwebinar and #AssessmentMusic. More information on the webinar series.
New Resources
Equity in Assessment Case Studies
We recognized that there are practices occurring within institutions of higher education that address issues of equity in relation to assessment, but what is lacking is awareness of the various practices, their effectiveness, process elements, and the impact of equitable assessment efforts on diverse student populations and their learning. To help meet this need, NILOA the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), and Campus Labs invited case studies around Equity in Assessment to highlight examples from which others can learn and to continue to dialogue on equitable assessment. Our first three cases in the series are now available:
Assessment Perspectives Podcast
Episode 1. Christina Ouellette discusses Bridgewater State University’s Transparency Project
The Assessment Perspectives podcast highlights useful practices, innovations, personal experiences of those doing assessment work, and examines career trajectories of leaders that have impacted the field of assessment. The first episode features Christina Ouellette, a graduate student who leads Bridgewater State University’s Transparency Project. The BSU Transparency Project started in 2017 with the purpose of promoting and enhancing transparency of program learning outcomes for current and prospective students, faculty, staff, and administrators. We thank you for listening, and encourage you to also participate in BSU’s short survey on your perceptions of the visibility and understandability of learning outcomes in higher education campuses and organizations. Listen…
Call for Examples:
Vignettes of Equitable Assessment Practice
An upcoming book from Stylus Publishing aims to assist higher education faculty and staff in implementing equitable assessment at different levels throughout higher education. One central element of the book is providing examples of practice, showcasing how assessment for equity is carried out within classrooms, academic programs, student affairs units, co-curricular activities, and across an institution. We invite you to share examples of equitable assessment practice for inclusion in the book by completing the form by August 1, 2020. Provide Examples…
Applications for
the Excellence in Assessment
Class of 2020 due July 1
The Excellence in Assessment (EIA) designation is accepting applications for the 2020 designee class. EIA recognizes institutions for their efforts in intentional integration of institution-level learning outcomes assessment. If your institution is involved in exemplary assessment practice, please review the application packet and the accompanying rubric that evaluators use to assess each application. Materials are due by July 1, 2020. Read more…
Featured Website:
Western University
Western University’s Thrive Online webpage is this month’s NILOA Featured Website as an example for how evidence of student learning can be shared in different ways; in this case, by letting students tell their learning stories. Thrive Online is a space for Western University students to share their learning stories and life experiences so that peers can celebrate, engage, and educate each other even while not physically together on campus. The website stresses the values of joy, courage, curiosity, equity, decolonization, empathy, hope, humility, and integrity across the platform. Students who contribute to Thrive Online can have their pieces published in the Scholars’ Life print magazine, which can then go into their resume/CV. Students are also encouraged to submit course blog assignments, or share observations and insights from coursework. Students can post on various topics, including academics, culture and community, student experiences, wellness, and more. Read more…
New to Assessment?
Assignment Library
Browse our interactive, online library of high-quality, peer-reviewed assignments.
Transparency Framework
The NILOA Transparency Framework helps institutions evaluate the extent to which they are making evidence of student accomplishment discoverable and meaningful to various audiences in an online format.
