Accordingly, your answer is to consist of two components. The first is a real-world, on-the-job presentation of a practical plan that you are encouraged to propose for implementation either in your current position or in the future. The second component of your answer is a paper that explains your rationale for the decisions you made as you designed your plan. 

For the presentation of your Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Plan, convert the plan, compiled from your Unit 6 and Unit 8 assignments and Units 8 and 9 discussions(attached below), into a PowerPoint. Create the presentation for a specific audience, such as a committee, an advisory board or a board of directors, or staff or faculty attending a department meeting. Be sure to follow the instructions for constructing the presentation carefully, for this is to be a professional presentation.

In the second component of your answer, the Rationale Paper, you will explain and support the decisions you made for your Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Plan. This Rationale Paper should begin with an introduction that explains the meaning and value of assessment, examines common misconceptions about assessment, and presents strategies for engaging faculty or staff members in assessment efforts. You will use your Unit 3 assignment(attached below) to create the content of this introduction. The remaining sections of the paper will align with the sections of the Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Plan, providing a rationale for what you propose in each section of your plan. Remember that the purpose of presenting your plan is to convince the decision-makers in your audience to consider implementing your plan. Both components of your answer are to be well supported by the required course readings, because when we develop assessment, we establish our credibility by using and citing authoritative sources.

Instructions

Submit the following as your answer:

Component 1: Presentation of Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Plan

Create powerpoint slides to present the content below. You have already developed most content throughout this course; be sure to incorporate instructor feedback on previous assignments as you make needed revisions and convert the content to PowerPoint slides. Include talking points, either by posting them in the comments section under each slide OR by recording them directly on the slides, to represent what you will be speaking during the presentation. Use a format appropriate for a PowerPoint presentation as you develop the following content:

• An introduction of the program, course, department, or experience for which you are proposing this assessment plan. The introduction is also to present an explanation of the Assessment and Evaluation Cycle for your plan to assess learning outcomes.
• The learning goals that students or trainees are to achieve.
• The means of measuring achievement of the goals (assessment instruments, each of which is clearly related to the respective goals that they are intended to measure).
• The standards and/or targets used to define successful achievement.
• The internal and external stakeholders and their roles in the assessment effort.
• The steps needed to plan and develop the assessment effort before its actual implementation (the action plan).
• Proposed strategies to disseminate the results of the assessment.
• The connection of the assessment effort to the effectiveness of the program, department, or institution and its applicability to accreditation.
• Proposed strategies to use the results of the assessment to create improvements.
• Proposed strategies to build a culture of assessment.
• References used and cited in the presentation. Please note: List only references which were cited in the presentation, either on the slides or in the talking points.

Component 2: Rationale Paper

The paper, the second of the two major components of your answer, is to include the sections below. You have already developed most of the content throughout the units. Your explanations must be well supported by the required course readings, because when we develop assessment, we establish our credibility by using and citing authoritative sources.

• Title page. For a refresher on how to format the title page, if needed, refer to the APA Style and Format Campus page (linked in the Resources).
• Table of Contents.
• An introduction that explains the meaning and value of assessment, examines common misconceptions about assessment, and presents strategies for engaging faculty or staff members in assessment efforts. (Use your Unit 3 assignment as the basis for the content of this introduction.)
• The remaining sections of the paper are to use the same headings as you used for the sections of your presentation of your Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Plan. Each section is to provide a rationale for what you propose in each section of your plan.
• References used and cited in the paper (minimum of six sources). Please note: Cite and list references used for your rationale paper.

Review both components of your answer for writing and APA formatting errors prior to submission. Errors should not appear in graduate-level assignments. Moreover, be sure to review the instructions and scoring guide to self-assess your work prior to submission.

Submission Requirements

Your final answer is to meet the following requirements:

• PowerPoint presentation: Effectively designed slides to present the components of the Assessment and Evaluation of Learning Plan. Refer to Guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations (provided in the Resources) for best practices.
• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
• Length: 

  Presentation: 12–15 slides, each with talking points suitable for an audience during a live presentation, and an additional slide containing references. Handouts are optional.
  Rationale paper: 7–10 pages.

• Font and font size: 

  Presentation: Appropriate for a PowerPoint presentation to the intended audience.
  Rationale paper: Times New Roman, 12 points.

RunningHead: UNIT 6 ASSIGNMENT 1 1

UNIT 6 ASSIGNMENT 1 9

Xavier Williams

Introduction

This course is designed for the department of engineering. In this engineering course, I will teach the learners about water resource engineering. They will learn Integrated Water Resources Development (IWRD) and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as a general framework for Water Resources Engineering. The students will mention water challenges experienced in their locality. This will be done in groups of five students with the aim of stating challenges of water and how to solve them. At the end of each lesson the teacher will lead in demonstration of various water resources and how water from the sources can be harnessed. The following will be the student learning goals; Learners will be able to understand elements integrated water resources management. Learners will be able to know erosion and deposition in rivers, Learners will be able to learn laws governing water in their country and internationally, Learners will be able to know erosion and deposition in rivers, Learners will be able to sit in groups and discuss different water sources.

Since this is an engineering lesson, it will be necessary to conduct a practical experience. Learners play an active role and engage more during practical exercises than in theoretical practices. During practical exercises, students get a chance to utilize what they learnt in class and build confidence while at it to deal with real world situations. Allowing students to have discussions in groups’ plays a great role in learning experience by enhancing democratic learning, complements reflective learning and accommodates individual difference. Therefore, I aim to mix the low-ability learners with the high ability learners and help in leading discussions to ensure achievement of learning goals by the end of the course.

Learning goals

Learning goals state what the teacher intends the students to achieve as a result of a successful completion of the teaching experience. It could be at the end of a program, a course or learning experience. A course learning goal explains what the students will be capable to perform at the end of a course while program goal is what the student is capable of achieving at the end of their degree or diploma certificate. A well state learning goals should state the outcomes (Marzano, 2010). This is basically what the student will be in a position to do after they successfully complete the course. They should be simple and clear such that everyone comprehends them. They should focus more on skills rather than knowledge. This is because the employers of today look for thinking and performance skills when hiring. They should be relevant and focus more on what the students are to learn. They should not be too many. More than five learning goals may reduce the efficiency of learning and may lose focus. The learning goals should fit within the scope of the course content. Most importantly they should help the learners to achieve broader learning goals (Marzano, 2010). I aim that my students will be in a position to define integrated resources management by the end of the course. They student should be in a position to understand different sources of water and to be able to list causes of erosion and deposition. Lastly by the end of this course, students will be able to mention different laws and acts related to water an assignment.

Rationale of learning goals

The learning goals are important in terms of student development. There are different levels of objectives. Students should be in a position to reach objectives from various stipulated levels. They should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of integrated water resources as well as the ability to analyze, apply, synthesize and evaluate the provided learning content. (Ennis, et al 2012). In this course, students will acquire knowledge by identifying water resources and learning laws governing water resources. The students will analyze by comparing different water sources and how to harness water from these sources. They synthesize by doing experiments in the labs and through group discussion.

Assessment instruments

An assessment instrument is part of an assessment tool that includes instructions or a checklist needed to conduct an assessment of a learning outcome. An assessment instrument can either be a test, form or a rubric and it is used to collect data for each outcome. It is the actual product that is handed out to students for the purpose of gauging whether they have achieved a particular learning outcome (Suskie, 2018). Assessment tools measures fluency, skills and abilities of a student. Assessments can either be formal or informal. Formal tools are objective measurements of a students’ skills and abilities using monitoring, screening, evaluation and diagnosis. Informal assessment are inferences a teacher receives from observations. Assessment tools are used by teachers to make informed decisions.

Rationale for learning instruments

An appropriate assessment instrument will help a tutor to measure achievement of the outcomes. It also shows whether the desired performance for a particular outcome was achieved. Assessment instruments are important since they help to produce results that can be used to make decisions that would improve student learning techniques. Assessment can either be direct or indirect assessment. A direct assessment is achieved by observing a learner’s performance or examining of products that demonstrate mastery of specific skills or course contents. It can also be done when a learner demonstrates work quality such as innovativeness or creativity. Indirect assessment is based on the knowledge and abilities reported by external sources such as supervisors, alumni, fieldwork or a faculty.

Setting Standards

Setting meaningful assessment standards, benchmarks or targets for student learning assessments is a huge challenge for educators. The first challenge is that the assessment community has limited glossary to define different terms that refer assessment such as goals, thresholds, benchmarks or targets. I settled to use standards to describe minimal acceptable student performance. The other challenge is use of standard and target. Standard described minimal acceptable performance while target describe proportion of students to reach the standard mark. There are four ways that help in setting achievable standards. A students’ standard can be established from their peers (Norcini, 2003). This is done by ensuring they perform as well or better than their peers. Standard can also be set by an external body such as passing a license exam. History records can also be used in that the current students should perform better than the former students. However, most times the three options aren’t available. In this case teachers can set their own standards. This is called a local standard.

The following steps are used when establishing a local standard; a teacher should settle on a standard that does not embarrass him or her. It would look ugly if people noticed a student that passed your course did so because you had a low assessment standard. A relative harm should be considered when setting an assessment to high or too low. A very high standard means a teacher is identifying shortcomings of a student that may not be important or scarce resources and time are used to address them. On the other hand, a very low assessment standard may mean that a teacher is risking students to graduate without being ready or capable to thrive in what comes next such as a job market (Norcini, 2003). Before setting a standard, the assignment being assessed should be considered. This is because a test done in a three-hour class will not be as polished as a three-week assignment. If an external source can be used to set the assessment standards the better. This could be a faculty from another college or a disciplinary committee. Lastly, use previous performance of the students to inform your thinking.

Student assessment aims at fulfilling to interpret and use performance results effectively and appropriately to enhance accountability and improvement of teaching as a profession. A good assessment should yield results that are used to improve teaching and learning practices. Improvement helps stakeholders to have a self-reflection of the institutional goals and figure out if the performance conforms to the vision, mission and objectives therefore improving achievement (Ervin, 1988). The steps involved in setting a good quality assessment standard, is to first know the purpose of the assessment results which ca be to maintain a status quo or to enhance improvement. One should also know who will use the results and what they will inform. The second step is to state the consequence of setting a standard bar too high or too low. Lastly the standard to be set should be grounded to the data which is subjected to discussion in order to be aware if they have achieved the set standards.

In this integrated water resource course I intend to use the following as my assessment standards. They include written exams that may be in form of short answer questions, essays and multiple choice questions. I will also use written assignments such as reports, work logs, portfolios, literature reviews and essays. Student will be required to do practical assignments that will test students’ abilities to cope with real world situations. Lastly, I will assess my students by how they participate in class.

Rationale of assessment standards

The assessment rationale for the students will be to confirm and measure students’ performance and achievement in relation to a students’ stipulated learning objectives. The rationale will also be to promote, improve and enhance the quality of learning through a clear feedback that is timely, informative and relevant to student needs. It will also reward the student achievements and efforts with an appropriate grading system. Lastly, it will provide relevant information that will help to continuously improve and evaluate quality of the curriculum and the effectiveness of the teaching methods.

Evaluation of learning plan

As a teacher, one is always working to improve the learning curriculum, organization and instruction. Evaluating lesson plans helps teachers to improve their practice, meet the learner’s needs and develop strong reflective habits. Part of evaluating a lesson plan results from evaluating lesson design. When preparing a learning plan the following questions should be considered; what is the purpose of the plan. This could be to know whether learning goals have been achieved. A teacher should also have an ability to foresee learning plan challenges and to know whether the learning plan is effective or not. To evaluate a lesson plan one should evaluate the preparation process, the lesson itself and the students (Knowles, 1975). The following questions can be used when evaluating the preparation process; How hard was it to plan the lesson and what made it hard to plan, how efficient were you in following the lesson plan, was it difficult to gather the materials required, how useful were the materials used in delivering the lesson. To evaluate the lesson itself a teacher should check if the goals set at the start of the class, which activity was well executed, whether all the students were engaged, were lesson goal successes confirmed after the lesson and finally if there was an assignment at the end of the lesson.

The Stakeholders

The Assessment and Evaluation of the learning outcomes of students or trainees in the various situation is a process that will involve all the stakeholders involved directly or indirectly. Stakeholders are individuals or a group of people who have an interest in the assessment and evaluation plan (Gardner, 2014). The Assessment and Evaluation process or plan will involve both internal and external stakeholders as the issues affect them both. The internal stakeholders are the students, teachers, administrators, and the staff while on the other hand, the parents the education standard body, alumni and the employer are the external stakeholders. The stakeholders have a say, and their actions can alter a decision in the institution and so they must be involved in every activity.

Rationale of Stake Holders

The involvement of the stakeholders in the evaluation and assessment plan is to ensure that there is a mutual understanding between all the parties involved. It is meant to prevent frustration and resistance during the assessment (Gardner, 2014). The other significant benefit of engaging the stakeholders is to get suggestions that might help you in coming up with a better and inclusive plan that will result in you achieving the objectives of the assessment and evaluation. The stakeholders can also act as sponsors in case the project needs funding or other resources. The involvement of stakeholder ensures that the best decision is made in every step of the process, which results in achieving the ultimate goal of the evaluation plan.

Action Plan To Guide Implementation

Before the actual implementation of the evaluation and assessment process, it is essential first to have an action plan. The action plan is the steps that should be followed to ensure that the evaluation plan will result in success and achieve the objectives (Banta et al., 2015). For that reason, then the action plan should be clear and direct to prevent confusions during the implementation of the actual project. Coming up with a practical assessment and evaluation plan, it is essential. First, plan on the tasks that will take place during the process, the time that every task will be expected to start and end, assess the risks that can be encountered at every step and also the resources that will be deployed for every task.

Rationale Of Action Plan For Implementation

Before implementing any plan, it is necessary first to have a laid-out plan of the activities and processes that will be involved in the actual implementation of the evaluation process. The action plan acts as a guide that indicates what should be done by whom, when, the resources needed to actualize the activity, the risks assessment and mitigation strategies for the risks (Banta et al., 2015). The action plan is essential when planning as it ensures that all the resources needed are assigned before going to the field. This prevents frustration and challenges. The action plan also acts as a sample of the actual project, and it is used to review and make changes before the real intention is implemented. It is essential always to have an action plan to guide you as it ensures everything is in its right place before performing the actual process.

Closing The Loop

My suggested assessment and evaluation plan aims at ensuring that the students, trainees or learners achieve the expected benefits from the program, and the institution. The project will determine if the expectations of the program in equipping the students with the skills and knowledge on the subject are met and what more can be done to enhance or change the situation. The plan will assess the effectiveness of what the students are learning and the impact it has on them and the society at large (Marzano, 2010). The assessment will determine if the program should continue or be scraped off depending on its effectiveness and response by the students.

The Rationale Of Closing The Loop

The importance of the evaluation and assessment of the learning outcomes of the program will determine if it is increasing any value on the students or is it a waste of time and resources (Shewbridge et al., 2011). If the data collected in the evaluation suggests that the program is not sufficient and its objectives are not being achieved then the program can be stopped as it is a waste of time and resources for the institution and the students. On the other hand, if the evaluation concludes that the program is effective and it is adding value to the stakeholders, more resources are deployed to support it, which will be beneficial for all the stakeholders.

References

Ennis, C. D., Ross, J., & Chen, A. (2012). The role of value orientations in curricular decision

making: A rationale for teachers’ goals and expectations. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 63(1), 38-47.

Ervin, R. F. (1988). Outcomes Assessment: The Rationale and the Implementation.

Knowles, M. S. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers.Mayer, R. E.

(2011). Applying the science of learning. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Marzano, R. J. (2010). Designing & teaching learning goals & objectives. Solution Tree Press,

22-33

Norcini, J. J. (2003). Setting standards on educational tests. Medical education, 37(5), 464-469.

Suskie, L. (2018, May 27). What are the characteristics of a well stated learning goals? Retrieved

from h

ttps://www.lindasuskie.com/apps/blog/show/45689916-what-are-the-c

haracteristics-of-well-stated-learning-goals.

Stakeholders and Action Plan to Prepare for Assessment

Xavier Williams

Running head: STAKEHOLDERS AND ACTION PLAN 1

Unit 8 Assignment 1

Stakeholders and Action Plan to Prepare For Assessment

The Stakeholders

The Assessment and Evaluation of the learning outcomes of students or trainees in the various situation is a process that will involve all the stakeholders involved directly or indirectly. Stakeholders are individuals or a group of people who have an interest in the assessment and evaluation plan (Gardner, 2014). The Assessment and Evaluation process or plan will involve both internal and external stakeholders as the issues affect them both. The internal stakeholders are the students, teachers, administrators, and the staff while on the other hand, the parents the education standard body, alumni and the employer are the external stakeholders. The stakeholders have a say, and their actions can alter a decision in the institution and so they must be involved in every activity.

Rationale Of Stake Holders

The involvement of the stakeholders in the evaluation and assessment plan is to ensure that there is a mutual understanding between all the parties involved. It is meant to prevent frustration and resistance during the assessment (Gardner, 2014). The other significant benefit of engaging the stakeholders is to get suggestions that might help you in coming up with a better and inclusive plan that will result in you achieving the objectives of the assessment and evaluation. The stakeholders can also act as sponsors in case the project needs funding or other resources. The involvement of stakeholder ensures that the best decision is made in every step of the process, which results in achieving the ultimate goal of the evaluation plan.

Action Plan To Guide Implementation

Before the actual implementation of the evaluation and assessment process, it is essential first to have an action plan. The action plan is the steps that should be followed to ensure that the evaluation plan will result in success and achieve the objectives (Banta et al., 2015). For that reason, then the action plan should be clear and direct to prevent confusions during the implementation of the actual project. Coming up with a practical assessment and evaluation plan, it is essential. First, plan on the tasks that will take place during the process, the time that every task will be expected to start and end, assess the risks that can be encountered at every step and also the resources that will be deployed for every task.

Rationale Of Action Plan For Implementation

Before implementing any plan, it is necessary first to have a laid-out plan of the activities and processes that will be involved in the actual implementation of the evaluation process. The action plan acts as a guide that indicates what should be done by whom, when, the resources needed to actualize the activity, the risks assessment and mitigation strategies for the risks (Banta et al., 2015). The action plan is essential when planning as it ensures that all the resources needed are assigned before going to the field. This prevents frustration and challenges. The action plan also acts as a sample of the actual project, and it is used to review and make changes before the real intention is implemented. It is essential always to have an action plan to guide you as it ensures everything is in its right place before performing the actual process.

Closing The Loop

My suggested assessment and evaluation plan aims at ensuring that the students, trainees or learners achieve the expected benefits from the program, and the institution. The project will determine if the expectations of the program in equipping the students with the skills and knowledge on the subject are met and what more can be done to enhance or change the situation. The plan will assess the effectiveness of what the students are learning and the impact it has on them and the society at large (Marzano, 2010). The assessment will determine if the program should continue or be scraped off depending on its effectiveness and response by the students.

The Rationale Of Closing The Loop

The importance of the evaluation and assessment of the learning outcomes of the program will determine if it is increasing any value on the students or is it a waste of time and resources (Shewbridge et al., 2011). If the data collected in the evaluation suggests that the program is not sufficient and its objectives are not being achieved then the program can be stopped as it is a waste of time and resources for the institution and the students. On the other hand, if the evaluation concludes that the program is effective and it is adding value to the stakeholders, more resources are deployed to support it, which will be beneficial for all the stakeholders.

STAKEHOLDERS AND ACTION PLAN 5

Reference

Banta, T. W., Palomba, C. A., & Kinzie, J. (2015). Assessment essentials: Planning, implementing and improving assessment in higher education.

Marzano, R. J. (2010). Designing & teaching learning goals & objectives. Solution Tree Press,22-33

Shewbridge, C., Jang, E., Matthews, P., & Santiago, P. (2011). OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Denmark 2011. Paris: OECD Publishing.

Suskie, L. A. (2018). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide

Gardner, M. M. (2014). Assessing student learning in the community and two-year college: Successful strategies and tools developed by practitioners in student and academic affairs.

To: Department member

Subject: The value of assessment

Dear (name),

The assessment helps improve the learning of students. With assessment, teachers can identify the areas that students need to improve and ensure that their teaching focuses on those areas. Assessment can, therefore, be used as a planning tool for teachers to determine the skills that students should learn. It also determines whether or not the educational goals are met. Educators use it to determine whether their students have acquired the skills they were supposed to develop.

Assessments affect decisions on curriculum, funding and instructional needs. It inspires educators to ask themselves whether or not they are teaching what they are supposed to teach or whether the students are learning what they are supposed to learn. It provides diagnostic feedback on the performance base of students, knowledge base and educational needs.

Educators may use assessment results to set learning standards. “After assessing students, educators determine or set a performance that demonstrates that a child has understood enough concepts in a particular subject or unit” (Suskie, 2018 p.177). The educators also set standards of the performance that shows mastery of concepts and skills being taught. For example, a performance of ninety percent would show mastery of skills and concepts in a certain subject.

The progress of students is evaluated by the use of assessments. Educators can determine the most effective teaching approaches or methods depending on how students performed using each teaching strategy. They also determine the kind of modifications or changes they need to make in their curriculums to ensure that students benefit from teaching.

“Educators can determine what students have learned and whether they can talk about the newly acquired knowledge and whether the students can demonstrate the new skills acquired” (Suskie, 2018 p.182). Assessment is crucial in motivating the performance of students. Students evaluate themselves and determine how they can do better. Teachers also evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching strategies.

The assessment helps improve the quality of education on campuses, therefore, it is crucial in the planning and budgeting of a campus. “Assessment alone changes little. Its greatest contribution comes on campuses where the quality of teaching and learning is visibly valued and worked at” (Cowie et al, 2017). Institutions are committed to improving and innovating their educational programs. Assessments would help the institutions determine the areas that they need to improve.

There are several reasons as to why a faculty member should be involved in the assessment. First of all, there are wider improvements in assessment when more people are involved. “Assessment questions are fully addressed when various members are involved” (Suskie, 2018 p.180). This helps improve student learning. When one is involved, he/she may learn about the most effective strategies for teaching students to ensure that they understand what the teacher teaches them well.

Educators have a responsibility to teach the students well. Through assessments, the educators prove that they have done their part and students have acquired the skills and knowledge that they are supposed to acquire. As an educator, the co-worker has responsibility for student learning. He should, therefore, motivate the students to learn through assessments. Taking part in the assessment process would help other educators to improve their students’ learning since one educator could share the most important ideas on how to improve the learning of students.

The administration expects collaboration from educators to ensure that student learning is improved.

REFERENCES

Cowie, B., & Cooper, B. (2017). Functions of Assessment about Sociocultural Teacher Education Approaches.

Suskie, L. (2018). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide. John Wiley & Sons.

TO: Head of the department

SUBJECT: Assessment

FROM:

Dear supervisor,

“Assessment is deciding what we want our students to learn and making sure they learn it” (Suskie, 2018 p.8). Assessment may be confused with evaluation; however, the two terms are different. Assessment is more helpful for students than evaluation because it increases their learning and development. Educators follow several steps to assess their students. “1. Establish clear, observable expected goals for student learning. 2. Ensure that students have sufficient opportunities to achieve those goals. 3. Systematically gather, analyze, and interpret evidence of how well student learning meets those goals. 4. Use the resulting information to understand and improve student learning”. (Suskie, 2018 p.8). The aim of assessments is, therefore, to improve students’ learning.

Some of the obstacles to involvement include having a culture of isolation whereby teachers do not usually get involved in collaborative activities and parents are not involved in the school’s activities. Other obstacles to involvement include societal factors, individual parent factors, child factors, and parent-teacher factors. “The parent factors include a negative perception of some parents towards school” (Astin, 2013 p.4). These are mostly parents who had negative experiences in school. The low literacy levels of some parents also prevent them from getting involved in school activities.

The school opening hours are another obstacle to involvement. This is because schools operate at the same hours as many companies and government offices, therefore, it may be difficult to have those who are working full-time jobs get involved in school activities. Faculty members may be off-putting meaning that other faculty members would not like to get associated with them.

The department can engage faculty or staff members in assessment efforts by allowing staff members who are involved in assessments to submit less-frequent reports. “Staff members should also be encouraged to share what they are doing with their peers through conference presentations and journal articles” (Astin, 2013 p.4). Through this way, faculty members understand more about assessment purposes and how it should be done.

The department can also sponsor a celebratory event such as a wine and cheese party or a luncheon whereby motivational speakers are invited. These celebratory events should exhibit assessment activities in the department. These events would be a great way to share ideas about assessment and give staff members more ideas on how they could improve the learning of the children.

Faculty members obtaining grants to strengthen assessments should be honored. All extraordinary efforts of assessment should also be honored. Staff members can be given mini-grants and assessments when they successfully assess a large number of students. Staff members who initiate crucial assessment efforts on their own should also be rewarded. “Next to disciplinary accreditation, funding from an external source may be the second most powerful incentive for turning faculty angst and even anger about assessment to acceptance, and even appreciation” (Suskie, 2018 p.179). Written recognition may be given to the faculty members.

The programs that engage in serious assessment efforts should be prioritized in the funding list. This would ensure that faculty members do not get stranded due to a lack of funds during assessments. Mini-grant programs would be very helpful in engaging the faculty members in the assessment. The efforts of teachers to improve learning should be valued. Faculties should cultivate a learning culture. “Focus conversations not on assessment but on topics such as what faculty and staff most want students to learn, curriculum design, and teaching methods” (Suskie, 2018 p.181). Assessment should thereafter be introduced as a way of facilitating the conversations. Departments should encourage the scholarship of teaching. This would ensure that teachers develop new learning methods suited to students quickly due to a higher level of motivation.

Kind regards

NAME

REFERENCES

Astin, A. W. (2013). Principles of good practice for assessing student learning. In Leadership Abstracts (Vol. 6, No. 4, p. n4).

Suskie, L. (2018). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide. John Wiley & Sons.

Closing the Loop

Xavier Williams

Unit 9 Discussion 2

Assessment and Evaluation
The use of assessment and evaluation plan is one of the critical tools that I have noted in any training course. The trainers use the tool as one of the mechanisms of meeting the expected benefits from the program.
I agree that closing the loop of an assessment and evaluation program is essential as it measures the ability of a program to equipping the students with skills and knowledge. After the assessment, the trainer should introduce what is needed to be done to improve the program.

…Cont’d
Assessment and evaluation program is crucial as it determines the effectiveness of the material delivered to students.
Similarly, it is essential to note that the assessment and evaluation tool is essential in determining the impact of any subject to society.
Therefore, if the assessment and evaluation find the subject not effective, it should be the best time to scrap off the topic.

Assessment
The importance of the evaluation and assessment of the learning outcomes of the program will determine if it is increasing any value on the students or is it a waste of time and resources (Suskie, 2018).
If the data collected in the evaluation suggests that the program is not sufficient and its objectives are not being achieved, then the program can be stopped as it is a waste of time and resources for the institution and the students.

Stakeholders
Though, I think it is essential to include different stakeholders in the assessment and evaluation. One of the critical stakeholders in the society to which the end products (students) are giving.
The article does not introduce the mechanism that can be for assessment and evaluation of the training. The tool for assessing and evaluating would be vital as it would establish effectiveness.
The mechanism should use the students as main participants in the growth of subject through assessment and evaluation.

References
Suskie, L. (2018, May 27). What are the characteristics of a well stated learning goals? Retrieved

6