Why can course grades count as assessment of student learning outcomes?
Although the grades students receive is an important indicator of whether they have successfully met a faculty member’s requirements and expectations for a course – they are considered by most assessment experts to be simply too broad and general to function as effective programmatic assessment measures. Grades are often too broad in that they may take into consideration such elements as how much a student has improved over time in a course; how much effort a student has expended in a course; or even the attendance of a student. Also, course content and management (including grading structure/weighting/ number of tests, etc.) vary among faculty members teaching the same course. Thus, grades do not get at answering whether students can demonstrate the ability to perform at an acceptable level in each specific program outcome. For example, a course may include completing an assignment that is worth 20% of the course grade. It is possible for one student to get an exceptional grade on tha
The grade a student receives in a course is an important indicator of what a student knows and can do following the completion of a course. Course grades, however, are simply too broad and general in too many cases to function as effective assessment measures. Grades are often too broad in that they may take into consideration such elements as how much a student has improved over time in a course; how much effort a student has expended in a course; or even the attendance of a student. Grades are not often enough specifically tied to what a student was supposed to learn in a course based on the student learning outcomes of that course. Assessment measures, however, are more closely associated with specific student learning outcomes. Assessment measures are designed to be specific, with assessment solely concerned with the manner or degree to which a student can demonstrate knowledge, skill or disposition.
