The Need to Know Information
Main Function
Assessment results should be used to improve student or institutional learning.
Key Points to Know
- Assessment can only become meaningful if results are shared, discussed, and used to improve learning.
- Assessment results should never be used punitively.
- Results of one cycle should inform improvement strategies for the next cycle.
Benefits
When assessment results are reviewed with the intent to improve learning
- Discussion and reporting are improved: Faculty can point to tangible evidence when they report their students are (or are not) learning.
- Teaching is improved: Faculty can know how to adjust teaching when they see where students have skill deficiencies. In many cases, faculty can know how their students perform compared to other students, helping those faculty members hone their teaching methods.
- Collaboration is enhanced: Regular conversations about results can lead to discussions of best instructional methods, wider benchmarking and comparisons, common challenges and effective solutions, and more.