Assessment as a Scholarly Activity?: Faculty Perceptions of and Willingness to Engage in Student Learning Assessment

General Education Assessment Plan: A Four-Tiered Approach

“…Designating one person the task of assessment for the department can cause a gap in communication as well as understanding of the importance of assessment for student learning for the department. According to Wang and Hurley (2012), faculty perception of the value of assessment for student learning is an important indicator of their involvement. Wang and Hurley find that faculty's perceived benefits of assessment are predictive of their willingness to engage in assessment.…”

“…The authors suggest that in order to increase faculty involvement, it is important to frame assessment as a "scholarly activity" (2012, p. 11). Wang and Hurley (2012) also suggest incorporating assessment incentives for faculty engagement into policies in the form of acknowledgments or awards. Another suggested change is to include faculty assessment efforts into their performance evaluation.…”

Engaging Faculty Through Faculty Assessment Liaisons

“…A s pressures mount to demon strate student learning, effective assessment of student learning becomes an even more central aspect of teaching and evaluation. Wang and Hurley (2012) identified a lack of faculty support as the most significant barrier to effective implementation of assessment and engagement, and commitment of faculty in the process of assessment remains a key challenge. They also noted that the greater benefit faculty saw in using assessment to improve teaching and learning, the more likely they were to participate.…”

“…They also noted that the greater benefit faculty saw in using assessment to improve teaching and learning, the more likely they were to participate. Also, faculty perception of assessment as a scholarly activity was the single most significant factor in faculty willingness to engage in assessment (Wang and Hurley 2012). However, it is uncommon for all faculty at an institution to be at the same level of understanding and skill with the assessment of student learning (Suskie 2015).…”

Faculty Learning Processes: A Model for Moving from Scholarly Teaching to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

“…Although many colleges and universities embrace and reward participation in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), there is still uncertainty about the impact of faculty development programs designed to move faculty from learning about their own teaching practices to engaging in SoTL in order to enhance student learning in the classroom (Hubball & Burt, 2006;Hoessler, Britnell, & Stockley, 2010;Ocha, 2011;Wang & Hurley, 2012). Professors with years of teaching experience oft en make commitments to certain pedagogies without ever questioning their own evolving and unfolding understanding of a particular phenomenon and their students' ability or inability to grapple with a content area the professor has already mastered (Feezel & Welch, 2000).…”