The fourth step in the assessment cycle is to identify the culminating student products you will use to assess the CLOs or PLOs. Culminating student product to assess CLOs include tests, papers, presentations, or other projects. Culminating student products to assess PLOs include the following:
- A comprehensive final exam developed by departmental faculty
- A capstone project manuscript
- A student portfolio of written work, art work, or other learning artifacts
- A final performance or exhibition of work
- An oral presentation of a capstone project
- A major field test (MFT) published by a testing company such as the ETS or College Outcomes
What is important is that the assignment or test bear directly on the student learning outcomes you plan to assess and that the product enables you to evaluate how each individual student performed on the SLO.
Also important is that you design your assignment to be transparent: that is, that you clarify for students the assignment's purpose, task, and grading criteria. Research shows that doing these three things improves student performance, especially for students who are first generation, of color, or low income.
You will find a number of resources below to help you with Step 4.
Step 4 Resources:
- Plan the Assessment Process
- One Easy Way Faculty Can Improve Student Success Academic Impressions
- Complex Assignments
- Transparent Assignment Template
- Draft Checklist for Designing a Transparent Assignment University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Standardized Tests
- Culminating Project Worksheet for PLO Assessment
- PLO Target Worksheet
- AAC&U VALUE Rubrics
SLO Resource Pages:
- Step 1: How to Write an SLO
- Step 2: How to Map the Curriculum
- Step 3: How to Use SLO’s in Teaching
- Step 4: How to Create Assignments to Assess an SLO
- VALUE Rubrics: Association of American Colleges and Universities
- Step 5: How to Assess an SLO
- Step 6: How to Interpret Findings and Develop an SLO Improvement Plan
- Step 7: How to Implement Your Improvement Plan
