Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our FAQs provide helpful insights into the assessment process at Kennesaw State. Get valuable answers to key topics such as how to get started, the purpose of assessment, and the ongoing nature of continuous improvement. These FAQs also explain why course grades alone are not sufficient for assessment and emphasizes the importance of using direct measures of student learning.
If you have other questions not explained here, please email us.
Assessment Team Email
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How should I begin?
颁辞苍迟补肠迟鈥�assessment@kennesaw.edu鈥痮r鈥痗ontact your department chair/school director to ask for historical artifacts of assessment. -
What is assessment?
- Assessment is a collaborative effort intended to鈥痬easure and improve student learning and student success. It is guided by the Office of Assessment.
- Your鈥痯rogram鈥痟as a mission and vision, along with program and course learning outcomes. Assessment results鈥痵hould inform鈥痚fforts to improve student learning and student success, as well as curriculum changes.
- Assessment is one step in the continuous improvement cycle and should never be a burden when done correctly.
- Assessment is a collaborative effort intended to鈥痬easure and improve student learning and student success. It is guided by the Office of Assessment.
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Are we done once the outcomes have been achieved?
- Assessment and improvement is a continuous process. A new cycle begins after the previous one has been completed (see model above). Once there is no more room for improvement for a particular learning outcome, the focus should move to a knowledge or skill area where there is more room for improvement.
- Learning outcomes and measures鈥痵hould also be鈥痳evised as needed to ensure they align with curriculum changes, industry standards, and employer needs.
- In these cases, the Assessment Plan should be updated to reflect the shift in focus.
- Assessment and improvement is a continuous process. A new cycle begins after the previous one has been completed (see model above). Once there is no more room for improvement for a particular learning outcome, the focus should move to a knowledge or skill area where there is more room for improvement.
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Why can't course grades be used as assessment?
- Overall grades are not granular enough to determine the鈥痵pecific鈥痑reas with which students struggle. As such, it will be difficult to identify strategies to improve student learning in those鈥痵pecific鈥痑reas and track progress over time.
- Many factors may contribute to course grades that do not relate to student learning, such as attendance鈥痑nd class participation.
- Instead, of course grades, direct measures of student learning include: exam鈥痠tems, rubric鈥痠tems, and internship evaluation鈥痠tems鈥痶hat directly related to the Student Learning Outcome of interest.
- Overall grades are not granular enough to determine the鈥痵pecific鈥痑reas with which students struggle. As such, it will be difficult to identify strategies to improve student learning in those鈥痵pecific鈥痑reas and track progress over time.