Streamlining the assessment process with the faculty course assessment report

• Autores: John K. Estell
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 25, no. Extra 5, 2009, págs. 941-951
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The Faculty Course Assessment Report (FCAR) presents a methodology that allows instructors to write assessment reports in a standardized format that is conducive for use in both course and program outcomes assessment. The FCAR document is structured as a sequence of reporting categories that include what course modifications were made, the outcomes assessment information obtained, reflection on the part of the instructor, and suggestions for course and/or program improvement. Through this method, the instructor documents critical portions of the ``closing the loop'' process while being guided through a systematic review of the course. The FCAR approach facilitates program-level assessment through use of a ``components'' category containing collected evidence in support of the set of metrics used with the program outcomes. For each component, the instructor provides a vector that categorizes aggregate student performance on a set of assignments along with details regarding the assignments used for acquiring the data. When the FCAR document is submitted, the assessment coordinator enters all of the reported performance vectors into a spreadsheet or database; this information is then organized into tables presenting the set of performance vectors for each metric. The evaluation of the program outcomes can now be quickly processed by inspection of the tables. If one or more performance vectors indicate non-compliance, one can refer back to the associated FCAR; an examination of the component in question, along with the reflection and course improvement sections, provides appropriate background information that can be used to understand the nature of the non-compliance and present appropriate solutions.