Measuring Course Competencies With Standards
Measure Competency by Tying Course Standards to Course Objectives
Nov 14, 2009
It is important to have a set of standards tied to the course objectives that can be measured and evaluated. For example, if an objective states that the student will be able to analyze the components of an essay, there must be a process in place that allows the student to demonstrate that he or she can actually analyze the components of an essay. The standard in this case would be to write an essay, following the criteria given in the course and using all the components of the essay. The steps below will help the curriculum developer create standards based on objectives for an course.
Learning Assessment
Assessing the learning is part of the curriculum process, and faculty like to have some freedom in determining the kinds of assessments that will work best in their classes. Using standards as a way of measuring the learning is an effective way to allow various assessment processes with the same result. Start by determining the level of proficiency that is appropriate for the type and importance of the course objective.
- Basic or low proficiency
- Proficient
- Advanced, above proficiency
Criteria for Standards
The standard must meet three criteria:
- They must enable students to meet the varying standards in other schools and states. This is important for credit transferability.
- They must be understandable and accepted in diverse communities.
- They must be realistic and manageable.
Authenticity of Standards
Standards must reflect rigor, thought, diversity, and authenticity. The standards can be tests, assignments, discussions, or any measurable activity that is related to the content and the stated objective for the course.
Types of Standards
There are many types of standards, including existing industry standards, but the thing to remember about standards is they must be achievable. There is an excellent book, Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) by Angelo and Cross, that has a variety of assessments and how to use them. Classroom Assessment is a teaching method as well as a technique to measure student learning. Classroom Assessment generally is used to improve the course rather than to grade the students' work.
Link the Objectives to the Standards
If the course has five objectives, it is not always necessary to have five standards, but each of the objectives must be covered in the standards. The most logical way to approach the creation of standards is to start with the objectives, then review the content of the course and determine what the student needs to do with the content to meet the objective.
Choose Activities
Review the objectives and then choose activities or assessments that will provide the student with the experience needed to achieve the objective. An example would be: Objective: Analyze the quality of work by use of external criteria. Standard: Write an APA formatted, minimum 1,000 word essay describing exactly what characteristics, aspects or attributes one will look for in a presentation. Some specifics that can be objectively measured are the format and length of the paper. More subjective measurements can be made on the content. If the paper meets the criteria, the student has met the objective.
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