Step 4: Direct Assessment and Rubric Design

Step 4: Direct Assessment Rubric Design
•After the careful analysis of the course content and identification of skills and competencies that students are expected to acquire, assessment rubrics need to be developed just as carefully for each one of the student learning outcomes identified at the course level. Assessment rubrics are tools that allow for very careful recording of results of these demonstrations.•Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) are all demonstrations of what it is that students can do as a result of instruction. These demonstrations can only be assessed at the course level as a result of direct assessment activities such as: presentations, group interactions or other observations of students’ behaviors or products of learning that students generate such as portfolio with samples of writing, art, videos or photographs.•Program Learning Outcomes and Institutional Learning Outcomes may be measured together as they can also be assessed only at the course level.•For example, students presenting an ability to analyze chemical compounds, may do it in a form of an oral PowerPoint presentation done online. Chemistry instructor then can attest to the student learning at the course level, department can evaluate student learning at the program level as the student is demonstrating an aspect of chemistry important to the program, and an institutional level student learning outcome can be documented as the students present their abilities to speak publicly, which may be an institutional learning outcome.•A comprehensive assessment rubric of this kind allows for assessment of skills and competencies at all levels at once. Upon program completion and upon graduation from the institution, students should be ready to demonstrate these skills to their employers and at higher levels of their academic careers.