Assessment Resources for Faculty: Pat Thatcher's Recommended Reading

"Peggy Maki updates and expands the contents of her acclaimed first edition to reflect changes in assessment practices and developments over the prior seven years, such as the development of technology-enabled assessment methods and the national need for institutions to demonstrate that they are using results to improve student learning. This book is designed to assist colleges and universities build a sustainable commitment to assessing student learning at both the institution and program levels. It provides the tools for collective inquiry among faculty, staff, administrators and students to develop evidence of students'abilities to integrate, apply and transfer learning, as well as to construct their own meaning. Each chapter also concludes with (1) an Additional Resources section that includes references to meta-sites with further resources, so users can pursue particular issues in greater depth and detail and (2) worksheets, guides, and exercises designed to build collaborative ownership of assessment."

"The only teaching improvement text that uses fable & metaphor and READS LIKE A NOVEL! WATERMARKS is the perfect read for part and full-time college instructors to get a grip on learning outcomes, alternative assessment, learning communities and all the newest instructional practices for the 21st century classroom. You will find that this book is like no other in the area of faculty development in its use of story and metaphor. Part One is all story and metaphor, with deep, embedded significance for what it means to “guide” student learning. The title, Watermarks, emerges in Part Two where the paddlers glean ten (10) hallmarks of sound instructional practice from the story that reframe best practices for 21st century college teaching (guiding). Part Three reveals in depth how one program faculty applied each of the ten Watermarks in their face-to-face and virtual classrooms and how you can do the same in your own courses. If our wildest hopes are realized, this story about water will be a significant change agent for a new generation of college faculty." Amazon

" A short, useful guide of about 100 pages that takes people through assessment step by step, this book is intended to make assessment simple, cost-efficient, and useful to the institution, while meeting the requirements of accreditation agencies, review boards, etc._ Using this short, clear guide that an institution could put into everyone’s hands that is involved in assessment effort, an institution could shape and implement an assessment plan. The increasing importance of assessment to higher education institutions makes this a very timely resource for virtually any college or university. " Publisher Description