Office of Academic Assessment

In August 2022, the Office of Academic Assessment welcomed a new full-time staff member! Tyler Rowe joins the office as an Academic Assessment Designer; together, Liz and Tyler will continue to support the work of the Learning, Equity, and Assessment Program (LEAP). Additionally, the Office will work with departments during the 2022-2023 academic year to create curriculum maps for the undergraduate majors.

During Fall 2021, the Learning, Equity, and Assessment Program (LEAP, formerly the Student Learning Committee) launched its new ongoing processes for assessing student learning. Building on the strategic planning conducted in Spring 2021, all departments collected student data in Fall 2021 and, anonymized, evaluated and reported on that data in Spring 2022. We completed Spring 2022 data collection, and evaluation of those materials will begin shortly!

What's new:

• During Fall 2022, OAA will be launching a new series of short videos as well as a new workshop series. More information is coming soon!
• Read about our Values, Mission, and Vision for the Office of Academic Assessment under "About Us."

What's coming:

• Accessible Assessment: as part of our continued efforts to ensure that all materials are fully accessible, we will be updating old versions of handouts and adding additional resources that address assessment from a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) perspective.

MARCH 2022:

• The Office of Academic Assessment will participate in CITL's session, Grades!, happening March 2, 2022. 

Individual Consultations (Ongoing)

The Office of Academic Assessment offers consultations, both virtually and in-person, for faculty interested in discussing assessment of student learning. We are available to discuss learning outcomes, rubrics, assignments, analysis of findings, equity-minded assessment, and additional topics. Click on the link below under "Book a Consult" to schedule a session with Liz or Daniela.

Workshops (Upcoming)

The Office of Academic Assessment is currently designing a number of workshops for faculty interested in topics such as equity-based assessment, evaluating class participation, and authentic assessment. Dates and signup information for workshops will be available here once announced.

Use the link below to access our consultations calendar. Consults must be booked at least 48 hours in advance. If the times listed do not work for your schedule, or you are interested in scheduling a workshop for members of your department, please email Liz Chase, liz_chase@emerson.edu.

Below you will find a list of past events; if you would like to know more about these events, please get in touch with us.

Virtual Course Spa (August 16-19, 2021)
August 16, 2021: Equity Minded Assessment of Student Learning

• This session explores the growing practice of Equity-Minded Assessment in higher education: What is it? Why is it valuable for us and for our students? How can we begin or further our practice of equity-minded assessment in our classrooms? The session will include an overview of what makes an assessment “equity-minded,” and participants will have an opportunity to design or revise a student assignment with these principles in mind. Participants are encouraged to have an assignment or assignment idea handy!

August 17, 2021: Rubric Design

• So you want to talk about rubrics? Perhaps you are new to writing them or maybe you need a refresher? Join Daniela Puorto as she works through the basics of creating a rubric to maximize your assessment and streamline your grading.

August 16-19, 2021: "Assessment Sauna"

• Assessment can make you sweat! Relax and discuss methods of evaluating student learning with Liz Chase and Daniela Puorto. Popular treatments include: Design student learning outcomes; Develop research-focused learning outcomes