Below the fold I've pasted Hales' excellent critique of accreditation assessment (mentioned in the previous post) just in case that essay is ever taken down or goes behind a pay-wall.
![Tullius est [et Tullius non est Cicero]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDG4xhsMn9o9J6nFVbJuaWEgUYVbxr7B9gbOXGZ3gwOu55lJg3q0Ev-z3MhLy29603_fkvvngkYmsTvRd4BATcVzZvVOhgkPSy-GIAuaFE0sCVBc_zcTW_d2mKKeCWhMxsZhAPyqXzymO/s1600/cicero-right-1024x603.jpg)
Unlike my ancient predecessor, this Tullius hasn't had his hands chopped off. With hands attached I offer my thoughts on philosophy, religion, politics, and whatever else I find worth mentioning. I'm conservative religiously and politically (with libertarian leanings). I value reason and freedom but also traditions and "Oldthink." I relish being on the wrong side of history when history is wrong--part of a philosopher's job is to be unpopular. (Views given here may not represent my employers')
Showing posts with label outcomes assessment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outcomes assessment. Show all posts
Saturday, August 2, 2014
My Dim View of Accreditation and "Outcomes Assessment"
I can't see how any earnest educator can take seriously the accreditation process of universities with the proliferation of education jargon and pseudo-philosophical distinctions, for instance, between such things as goals, objectives, and outcomes--which apparently can't be well articulated by anyone promoting such distinctions; nonetheless, we're told over and over that here lies a very important distinction. I, for one, will not pretend that we're doing something important as we conform our professorial practices to the will of the accreditation "experts."
In truth, accreditation doesn't really care a fig about (ultimate) goals and outcomes. Accreditation doesn't care what my ultimate goals are (well, as long as they fit with the university goals--but those goals could be pert near anything). If my goal is to have my students skeptical of the resurrection of Jesus by the end of the semester--GREAT--just make sure this (in some nebulous way) fits with the university goals and make sure to DO THAT. If an intended outcome is that my students in my Modern Philosophy class learn about Winston Churchill--no one will raise a fuss--just so long as the students' learning about Churchill is an outcome fulfilling a goal for the course. What the goals are isn't a focus; what matters most is whether one has a means-ends rational plan that is properly documented for the assessors.
Here is an example: I am currently redesigning my online Introduction to Philosophy course. Presumably because of university assessment procedures, we are to document the matching up of all our assignments with the course objectives. Every assignment must fulfill an objective in the course and this must be documented. My first thought is:
In truth, accreditation doesn't really care a fig about (ultimate) goals and outcomes. Accreditation doesn't care what my ultimate goals are (well, as long as they fit with the university goals--but those goals could be pert near anything). If my goal is to have my students skeptical of the resurrection of Jesus by the end of the semester--GREAT--just make sure this (in some nebulous way) fits with the university goals and make sure to DO THAT. If an intended outcome is that my students in my Modern Philosophy class learn about Winston Churchill--no one will raise a fuss--just so long as the students' learning about Churchill is an outcome fulfilling a goal for the course. What the goals are isn't a focus; what matters most is whether one has a means-ends rational plan that is properly documented for the assessors.
Here is an example: I am currently redesigning my online Introduction to Philosophy course. Presumably because of university assessment procedures, we are to document the matching up of all our assignments with the course objectives. Every assignment must fulfill an objective in the course and this must be documented. My first thought is:
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