ALI at Bentley
The College's Assurance of Learning System
In summer 2003, Bentley instituted the Assurance of Learning Initiative (ALI), with the goal of implementing an institution-wide assurance of learning program. The overall purpose of the assurance of learning program is two-fold: 1) to provide meaningful data about the effectiveness of academic programs at Bentley; and 2) to improve the effectiveness of these programs.
The assessment system is based on two broad principles:
Principle #1: Improve overall student outcomes rather than ensure that students achieve a pre-defined level of proficiency.
Principle #2: Focus on program-level assessment, rather than student-level assessment, using sampling and aggregate measures.
Given the college’s collaborative, inclusive culture, and that ALI is a faculty led initiative, taking a directive approach to build an assessment program would be counter productive. Rather, the program is being built through education, encouragement, and facilitation. While a slower process and one that does not follow the conceptual linear models suggested by many assessment proponents, it has been successful at Bentley. ALI started with 5 pilot projects and now has more than 25 active assessment intiatives in various stages of progress.
For each academic degree program assessed, the system includes the following four components (as shown in Figure 1):
- Definition — Defining appropriate goals and learning objectives
- Measurement — Measuring learning outcomes using appropriate methods
- Interpretation — Gathering and interpreting results
- Refinement — Reflecting on the usefulness of measures taken and the learning outcomes, as suggested by the data; and revising academic programs or measures as needed
Although learning outcomes assessment focuses on understanding
the outcomes shown in this system, it is also helpful to understand who the students are, what characteristics they come in with, and
how they experience the academic and non-academic environment while here. The relationship between the inputs, environment factors, and outcomes may be fuzzy, but having some data is better than ignoring possible relationships. For example, does student involvement in service learning correlate with choice of major? Does involvement in team sports correlate with higher conflict management skills?
Figure 1: Assurance of Learning System, Bentley College
It is possible to collect data only on learning outcomes, and for initial assessment initiatives this would be the recommended path. However, a clearer understanding may evolve from a broader perspective on assessment which includes considering inputs and the environment. As shown in Figure 2, at every stage of the learning process, assessment consists of identifying sources of data, designing data collection methods, collecting and analyzing the data, and faculty discussions of the results.
Figure 2: Assurance of Learning Process
Assurance of Learning Council (ALC)
ALC works through three areas of influence:
- Facilitating assessment projects
- Informing the community about assessment activities
- Reporting on assessment activities and results
The 2006/07 Assurance of Learning Council members are:
Iris Berdrow, MG, Director ALI
Audrey Adam, IR
Andrew Aylesworth, MK
David Carhart, MA, Wilder Teaching Professor
Marilyn Durkin, MA, Associate Dean A&S
Judith Kamm, MG, Associate Dean Business
Vicki LaFarge, MG, Dept Chair
Joseph Newpol, LTFP
James Salsbury, MG, GB301 Coordinator
Gerard Stenerson, Asst Dean for 1st Year Programs
Coralee Whitcomb, CIS, Academic Integrity Coordinator
Previous Year’s ALC members included:
Joel Deichmann, INTL
George (Skip) Hachey, FI
Trevor Larkin, FI
Gary Lewis, MIS
Linda McJannet, EN
David Nelson, FI
Aaron Nurick, MG, Wilder Teaching Professor
John Seeger, MG
Ruth Spack, EN
