Upcoming Workshops
Validity and Reliability in Assessment – November 7th 2024, 10am on Zoom
Join us to learn more about what measurement validity and reliability means and what the most important things to consider are for program assessment work.
Index of Workshops
Graduate Assessment Focused
“The Value of Assessment: Small Strategies with Big Impact”
September 21, 2021
OIRA kicked off their fall assessment workshop series with a virtual address by Sandra Bailey on Tuesday, September 21 at 2 PM. Professor of business management at Oregon Institute of Technology, Sandra joined us to discuss the value of assessment for academic programs. With experience as a faculty member and as an assessment professional, Sandra offers a unique perspective on the importance and usefulness of assessment for all programs.
Workshop Resources:
The Value of Assessment Workshop Video
Assessment 101
September, 2021
In this workshop we provide a high-level overview of the program-level learning outcomes assessment process and discuss how it is implemented at UMaine.
Workshop Resources:
Learning Outcomes Workshop
October, 2021
Description: The purpose of this workshop is to help create a shared vocabulary around learning outcomes and discuss the different types of outcomes used in assessment. Participants will recognize the differences between program outcomes and course outcomes and understand how they interact. They will also be equipped with tools to build strong learning outcomes at any level.
Workshop Resources:
Learning Outcomes Workshop Video
Learning Outcomes Handout (with link to slides)
Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs (external link):
Curriculum Mapping Workshop
October, 2021
Description: Curriculum mapping is a graphical way to visualize where program outcomes are being introduced, reinforced and mastered throughout a program. Creating a curriculum map is usually the second step, after developing program outcomes, in a program’s assessment plan. Once created, the map provides a way to identify gaps and redundancies within a program of study and therefore allows more purposeful planning to maximize program effectiveness. In this workshop we will review the steps needed to create a robust curriculum map and discuss how to use it to inform curricular review.
Workshop Resources:
Curriculum Mapping Workshop Video
Curriculum Mapping Handout (with link to slides)
Previous Workshop Video (April 2020)
Using Rubrics to Improve Learning
August, 2020
Description: This workshop was a collaborations between the OIRA and CITL to discuss how rubrics can help improve student learning, the fundamental considerations for building rubrics, and an exploration of their applications.
Workshop Resources:
Using Rubrics to Improve Learning Workshop Video
Using Rubrics to Improve Learning Slides
Using Rubrics to Improve Learning Handout
Undergraduate Program Assessment Informational Session
October, 2020
Description: Following our 2019 university-wide self-study process, NECHE affirmed that while some units are using assessments of student learning outcome results to improve their programs, we still have work to do in growing the culture of assessment on our campus. Toward that end, the university has made some changes to the campus assessment plan, and the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) has been exploring the use of Brightspace for tracking student performance on learning outcomes. We invite academic unit chairs, directors, program coordinators, and/or others involved in the assessment process to join OIRA in a Zoom informational session on the following topics:
- Program assessment tracking expectations
- The introduction of a new website to better facilitate the collection of yearly program assessment information
- Learning outcomes features in Brightspace
Workshop Resources:
Undergraduate Program Assessment Informational Session Video
Undergraduate Program Assessment Informational Session Slides
NECHE Presentation – Assessing Assessment
The following is a “virtual poster” we presented at the 2020 NECHE conference.
Abstract:
In this poster, we will provide details of a newly established process for providing feedback on the quality of assessment planning and reporting within undergraduate programs at the University of Maine. Feedback from NECHE pointed to a need to strengthen our culture of assessment on campus. One of the steps we took in response was the establishment of a process for reviewing program assessment reports with our Assessment Advisory Board (AAB), a board of faculty and dean-level administrators. The main assessment tool used to evaluate the program assessment plans is a rubric adapted from Fulcher et al., (2017). We will share the process of applying the rubric and organizing feedback for departments. The assessment of program assessment reports provides units constructive feedback to promote a shared understanding of assessment practices over time and in targeted ways.
The poster will also include lessons we have learned while establishing this new process: the benefits of using a detailed rubric over a general one, reaching consensus on feedback presented to academic programs, and opportunities for establishing a shared understanding of approaches to assessment.
Learn How to Use Learning Outcomes and Mastery Scoring in Brightspace
February, 2021
Using learning outcomes in your course can provide a clear progression of student development towards meeting your instructional objectives. In this workshop, OIRA and CITL demonstrate how to add learning outcomes to your course and program in Brightspace, and then how to associate these outcomes to different learning activities so you can better capture and evaluate student learning in your course. We also demonstrate the Mastery View of the gradebook that is activated when using outcomes.
Workshop Resources:
Learning Outcomes and Master Scoring in Brightspace Workshop Video
Learning Outcomes and Mastery Scoring in Brightspace Slides
Adding Learning Outcomes to a Course (Instructions)
Aligning Learning Outcomes to Assessments in Brightspace (Instructions)
Validity & Reliability in Program Assessment
November, 2024
In this workshop we address what measurement validity and reliability mean for program assessment work and focus on the most important things to consider.
Workshop Resources:
Validity & Reliability for Program Assessment Workshop Video
Gen Ed Summit 2024: Eddie Watson
May 2024
Recording of Dr. Eddie Watson’s presentation at the May 2024 UMaine General Education Summit. The title of the presentation is “National Conversation Regarding General Education Reform and
Integrative Learning.”
Summit Resources:
Gen Ed Summit Video: Eddie Watson
Gen Ed Summit 2024: Kate McConnell
May 2024
Recording of Dr. Kate McConnell’s presentation at the May 2024 UMaine General Education Summit. The title of the presentation is “Sharing Our Gen Ed Story: How Assessment can Empower Faculty and Promote Learning in Ways Others can Understand.”
Summit Resources:
Gen Ed Summit Video: Kate McConnell
Graduate Assessment Focused
Graduate Program Learning Outcomes
October 2020
Description: This workshop provides guidance on how to develop program learning outcomes that are meaningful, measurable, and manageable and are aligned to the Graduate School Learning Goals.
Workshop Resources:
Graduate Program Learning Outcomes Workshop Video
Graduate Program Learning Outcomes Slides
Graduate Assessment – Expectations for 2022-23 (Fall 2022)
October 14, 2022
In this workshop we provided an overview of the program assessment process at UMaine and expectations for the 2022/23 academic year for graduate programs.
Workshop Resources:
Graduate Assessment Expectations Workshop Video
Graduate Assessment Expectations Slides
Graduate Program Assessment General Expectations
Graduate Assessment – Program Learning Outcomes (Fall 2022)
October 18, 2022
In this workshop we provided guidance on how to develop program learning outcomes that are meaningful, measurable, and manageable and are aligned to the Graduate School Learning Goals.
Workshop Resources:
Graduate Assessment Program Learning Outcomes Workshop Video
Graduate Assessment Program Learning Outcomes Slides
Graduate Assessment – Curriculum Mapping (Fall 2022)
November 1, 2022
Curriculum mapping is a graphical way to visualize where program outcomes are being introduced, reinforced and mastered throughout a program. In this workshop we reviewed the steps needed to create a robust curriculum map and discussed how to use it to inform curricular review.
Workshop Resources:
Graduate Assessment Curriculum Mapping Workshop Video
Graduate Assessment Curriculum Mapping Slides
Graduate Assessment – Assessment Planning (Fall 2022)
November 9, 2022
In this workshop we reviewed the steps for building a meaningful assessment plan to make sure all your program learning outcomes are assessed over the three year assessment cycle. All graduate programs are expected to create an assessment plan by the end of this academic year.
Workshop Resources:
Graduate Assessment Planning 2022 Workshop Video
Graduate Assessment Planning 2022 Slides
Graduate Assessment – Using Rubrics for Assessment
February 12th, 2024
This workshop provided an overview of design practices for general analytic rubrics for graduate program assessment, as well as some examples of rubrics used for graduate program assessment.
Workshop Resources:
Graduate Assessment Using Rubrics Workshop Video