OUTCOMES BASED

ASSESSMENTS IN
HIGHER EDUCATION
How Leadership Styles Influence Approaches
to Assessment

Juan Lopez (He/Him/His)

Whitney Ballard (she/her/hers)
Azucena Gutierrez (she/her/hers)
Ernesto Verduzco (he/him/his)
 1. Assessment in Higher Education

a. Context of Outcomes-Based
Assessment
Agenda b. Organizations & Standards

c. Barriers & Strategies

What are we anticipated to learn
about tonight? 2. Leadership Styles within Assessment

a. Leadership Influence in
Assessment

b. Outcomes Based Assessment and

Leadership

3. Group Activity+Discussion

4. Recommendations for Future Higher

Education Leaders

5. Q/A

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Learning 1. Colleagues will be able to articulate what assessment is
and its connection to leadership roles in higher education.
Outcomes
2. Colleagues will be able to identify best assessment
practices to be used in their current or future leadership
roles.

3. Colleagues will be able to critically analyze current

assessment practices and be able to develop
recommendations within the field.

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1.
Assessment
in Higher
Education
What is it and why is
assessment important?

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 What has been one thing that has intrigued you from the
HEAL 226: Assessment in Higher Education course thus far?

How has the literature discussed in the HEAL 225:

Leadership & Supervision course influenced your approach
to assessment and/or creating learning outcomes?

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Assessment Context of Outcome-Based Assessment (Bresciani, 2009)

in Higher ▪ Stemming from educational and development psychology work of the

1930’s & 1940’s
Education ▪
- Student performance centered
Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s
- University life became the focal point of social issues at the time
- Scholars began contextualizing societal influences that impacted
student learning (curricular & co-curricular)
▪ Astin’s (1977) I-E-O Model
- Inputs: student’s qualities and characteristics upon entry
- Environments: nature of environment which students come into
contact with
- Outputs: qualities and characteristics students exit the institution
▪ Barr & Tagg’s (1995) From Teaching to Learning: A New Paradigm for
Undergraduate Education
- The Teaching v. Learning Paradigm
- Increase in individual and institutional accountability for student
learning outcomes and quality of learning.

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Assessment Organizations and Standards Influencing Outcome-Based Assessment

in Higher ▪ The American Association of HIgher Education (AAHE, 2021)

- The Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student
Education Learning
- Focused on Educational Values
- Learning as multidimensional
- Clearly stated purposes
- Valuing lived experiences
- Ongoing assessment
- Effective collaboration
- Being purposeful
- Advocacy based
- Displaying Accountability
▪ Accrediting Commission for Schools: Western Association of Schools
and Colleges
- “The Commission encourages school improvement through a
process of continuing evaluation… [to] meet an acceptable level of
quality” (ASC WASC, para. 1).

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Assessment Organization and Standards Influencing Outcomes-Based
Assessment
in Higher ▪ Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS
Education Standards,2021)
- 48 sets of functional area standards and 3 cross-functional
frameworks for higher education programs/services
- Includes Self-Assessment Guides (SAGs) for external support in
the assessment process.

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Assessment Common Barriers when Implementing Outcomes-Based
Assessment (Bresciani, 2009)
in Higher
▪ Time
Education - Added responsibilities
- Feeling of overwhelmed
▪ Resources
- Financial
- Professional development
▪ Knowledge and skills
- Unsure of assessment process
▪ Collaboration
- Loose coupling systems
▪ Trust
- How will evidence be used?
- Who will see the evidence?

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 Strategies to Overcome Barriers in Outcome-Based Assessment
Assessment (Bresciani, 2009)
in Higher ▪ Educate
Education ▪
- Professional Development
Clarify
- Provide common language
- Clarify expectations
- Provide templates
▪ Collaborate
- Model the Way for involvement within the institution
▪ Coordinate
- Developing a plan of implementation
▪ Celebrate
- Acknowledge contributions
- Provide incentives
- Encourage engagement in the process

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2.
Leadership
Within
Assessment
How do our leadership
style influence
assessment?
 The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 2014)
Leadership Five identifiable behaviors and actions of leaders
Within ▪ Model the Way

Assessment - Set example by aligning actions with shared values

▪ Inspire a Shared Vision

- Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations

▪ Challenge the Process

- Search for opportunities by seizing the initiative and look outboard for
innovative ways to improve

▪ Enable Others to Act

- Strengthen others by increasing self-determination

▪ Encourage the Heart

- Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence

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 Leadership Engagement in Assessing Student Learning (Bresciani, 2010)
1. Model the Way
Leadership a. Learning outcomes are clearly and succinctly stated

Within b. Program design is implemented in such a way that outcomes should be met if
participants engage in the program as it was intended
Assessment c. Evidence of student learning/development is shared in a manner that is
transparent and understandable to those outside the profession
2. Inspire a Shared Vision
a. Programs that are assessed align with larger institutional learning outcomes
and strategic initiatives
3. Challenge the Process
a. Focus of assessment is on exploring what students are learning and how they
are developing in a manner producing evidence that can improve learning
b. Assessment is an ongoing and organized process
4. Enable Others to Act
a. Learning and developed are dynamic processes in which learning needs to be
purposefully facilitated
b. Assessment process is collaborative, involving people and resources across
departments and divisions
5. Encourage the Heart
a. Student, parents, faculty, student affairs professionals, community partners
assess student learning and development they really care about 14
 Socially Just Practices and Policies (Dorime-Williams, 2018)

Leadership I. Student-Centered Assessment Practices

Within A. Social justice perspective places students and student success at center of all practices
1. Taking a more holistic understanding of student learning
Assessment B. Educators should consider following questions:
1. What issues are most important
2. What information would answer questions about issues of concern
3. Will the data collected appropriately align with learning outcomes being
assessed
II. Using Data Appropriately
A. Socially just assessment processes consider how data may be used politically
1. Educators should be cautious in using assessment data as the only motivator for
change
B. Important to pay attention to effect of resulting changes on minority/underserved
students

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3.
Group
Activity
Practicing what we
preach
Group
Groups will be assigned one of the Five Practices of Exemplary
Activity Leadership

▪ Group 1 - Model the Way (Case Study #1)

▪ Group 2 - Inspire a Shared Vision (Case Study #2)
▪ Group 3 - Challenge the Process (Case Study #1)
▪ Group 4 - Enables Others to Act (Case Study #2)
▪ Group 5 - Encourage the Heart (Your Choice)

There is a total of two different case studies, please explain how

you would implement the leadership practice in order to work
through the case study issue.

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LET’S GET TO WORK!
We will be spending 15 minutes in our groups. Please select a spokesperson within the group
to report out during our discussion. Enjoy!

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DISCUSSION TIME

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Recommendations ▪ Continue to implement the work
after the assessment process is
▪ Ensure to have clearly defined,
and achievable goals within the
for done, how can you continue to assessment.
create change
Future/Current
Utilize Bresciani’s recommended
Scholar-
▪
▪ Approaching assessment strategies when working to

Practitioners practices through a socially just

lens (i.e., planning,
overcome existing barriers in
conducting assessment.
implementation, reporting)

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Q&A

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References Accrediting Commission for Schools Western Association of Schools and
Colleges. (2021). About.
https://www.acswasc.org/about/acs-wasc-commission/
American Association for Higher Education. (2021). About AAHE.
https://www.aahea.org/index.php/about
Bresciani, L. M. J. et al. (2010). Demonstrating student success: A practical
guide to outcomes-based assessment of learning and development in
student affairs. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2021). About
CAS. https://www.cas.edu/standards#

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