When Assessment is About Deep Change, Not Grades: Pressure from Stakeholders Leads to Breakthroughs in Tracking Student and Institutional Progress

drupal — Tue, 22 Jul 2003 16:59:44 -0500

Transformative assessment systems are institution-wide assessment strategies that are based on institutional goals and implemented in an integrated way for all levels (the course, the program, and theinstitution) to systematically transform teaching and learning.

To achieve the desired transformation effectively, the design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the use of technology must also be integrated into transformative assessment system planning. To be useful in transforming the institution, assessment must be seen in a new way-as a tool for communication about the nature of the desired transformation of teaching and learning.

This article summarizes the NLII's conceptual framework for transformative assessment; presents a rubric and other work products of the Transformative Assessment Project (TAP) team; highlights the Student Learning Objectives system at University of Washingtonm the Goals, Activities and Processes Survey (GAPS) research project at Washington State University and a laptop pilot at University of New Orleans as early models with transformative assessment potential; and discusses NLII resources and activities (past, present and planned) relating to transformative assessment.

EDUCAUSE | Contributed by EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative and IT Effectiveness

When Assessment is About Deep Change, Not Grades: Pressure from Stakeholders Leads to Breakthroughs in Tracking Student and Institutional Progress