Otis is committed to fostering student learning, success, and continuous improvement in both curricular and co-curricular programs. This guide provides essential resources on assessment best practices, as well as links to the College Assessment Plan (CAP) and the redesigned Program Review process.
Educational assessment is the process of systematically collecting, reviewing, and using information about educational programs to enhance student learning. Assessment seeks to answer, Are Otis students learning? What are they learning? And how do we know?
The following are examples of how one may observe and analyze student learning:
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Accreditation - Our accrediting bodies and recent reports
Student Outcomes (student learning and engagement evidence)
Best Practices (part of the Teaching/Learning Center site)
Joanne Mitchell
Assistant Provost for Academic Effectiveness and Accreditation
Accreditation Liaison Officer for WCSUC and NASAD
Specific evidence might include both quantitative and qualitative measures, direct and indirect evidence. Quantitative measures are assessment findings that are summarized with a number that indicates the extent of learning and could include: student retention and graduation rate trends (disaggregated by various demographic categories); number of non-majors taking courses; number of students in a minor; placement of graduates into jobs or graduate schools, post-graduate opportunities; graduating student and/or alumnx satisfaction surveys; and disciplinary ratings of the program.
Qualitative measures are assessment findings that are verbal descriptions of what was discovered or learned and could include the ongoing efforts by the department to respond to previous assessment results; performance evaluations of students’ senior show, thesis, capstone and/or thesis projects; and student/alumnx achievements.
Direct assessments “require that students display the extent of their learning by doing something” (Allen, 103). Examples of direct evidence include published tests, locally developed tests, work accompanied by a rubric, senior shows, juried shows, embedded assignments in course activities, capstones, senior theses, critiques, portfolios, exhibitions if scored using a rubric, student reflections (if developing them were intended PLO/CLO’s), score gains (value added) between entry and exit, observations of student behaviors, ratings of students skills by qualified raters/jurors, and competence interviews.
Indirect assessments “involve a report about learning rather than a direct demonstration of learning” (Allen, 103) and include surveys, interviews, focus groups, grade distributions, admission rates into grad programs, quality and reputation of grad programs in which alumnx are accepted, placement rates of graduates into appropriate career positions and starting salaries, alumnx perception of career responsibilities and satisfaction, retention and graduation rates, student reflections of what they have learned over the course of the program, questions on course evaluations that ask about the course and not the faculty member, exit interviews, student participation in faculty work, publications, and conference presentations, honors, awards and scholarships. (From Assessing Student Learning by Linda Suskie)
Otis College of Art and Design | 9045 Lincoln Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90045 | MyOtis
