Author: Mike Carson, Director, Curriculum and Assessment
Coordinating SoTL and assessment efforts strengthens the processes of inquiry, evidence, and innovation that lead to the continual improvement of student learning (Dickson and Treml, 2013). The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) is generally defined as any systematic inquiry into student learning that is made public for the purposes of advancing the practice of teaching. At CMU, program-level assessment research serves to inform and advance our teaching through “the ongoing monitoring of the extent to which students are developing the knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes that are appropriate for graduates of their respective academic programs” (CMU Curricular Authority Document, Policy on Student Learning Outcomes Assessment).
Faculty engagement is necessary to sustain a culture of inquiry. As faculty engaged in assessment work, we offer the following recommendations for you to consider when framing your efforts and their SoTL implications.
- Consider what this work means to you: For most faculty members, engagement in assessment of learning begins with personal connections (e.g., classroom discussions, interaction with colleagues, personal inquiry) linked to special goals for improvement. Approaching the assessment process through an inquisitive lens shifts its purpose from an administrative function to a research-based function where informed decisions can be derived (Carson, 2018).
- Be the “missing link” at your institution (Carson, 2018): The missing link in the assessment chain is faculty engagement through scholarly inquiry. Over the past few decades, scholars have identified several reasons for the deterioration of faculty engagement with assessment, such as institutional impediments to their work, feelings of low significance or value, inability to entice change, institutional fatigue resulting from counterproductive norms, and lack of relevancy associated with changes to the academic environment. However, some institutions have realized a positive cultural paradigm shift when their faculty intentionally construct a culture of inquiry, including changing the language used for assessment.
- Thus, move from “pedagogical solitude to collective engagement”(Dickson and Treml, 2013): Faculty sharing results of assessment-related research contribute to the greater knowledge of teaching and learning, illuminate faculty voice, and enhance collaboration and engagement among colleagues. Working with your department and other like-minded colleagues can take your assessment data and identify research questions that are meaningful across one or more academic programs.
- Identify the most relevant SoTL journals for your field: There are a number of cross-disciplinary higher education journals that serve as good vehicles for sharing assessment research. In addition, there are many journals featuring discipline-specific teaching and learning research topics.
For assistance in identifying outlets for your research and for additional opportunities, visit Curriculum and Instructional Support’s Assessment Resources or contact us at cetl@cmich.edu.
Carson, M. (2018). Exploring faculty perceptions of engagement in program-level outcomes assessment: A qualitative study (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Dickson, K. and Treml, M. (2013). Using Assessment and SoTL to Enhance Student Learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning (136). Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/tl.20072