TY - GEN
T1 - Improving upon best practices
T2 - 119th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition
AU - Estell, John K.
AU - Yoder, John David S.
AU - Morrison, Briana B.
AU - Mak, Fong K.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The Faculty Course Assessment Report (FCAR) presents a streamlined methodology that allows instructors to write assessment reports in a concise, standardized format conducive for use in both course and student (program) outcomes assessment. The FCAR is a short one to two page form completed by the instructor that taught the class. The FCAR is structured as a sequence of standardized reporting categories that include what course modifications were made, the outcomes assessment information obtained, reflection on the part of the instructor, and suggestions for curricular improvement. Through this approach, the instructor is guided through a systematic review of the course, with the additional benefit of clearly and succinctly documenting critical portions of the "closing the loop" process. At the center of this approach is the concept of performance vectors, a 4-tuple vector that categorizes aggregate student performance on a directly measured assessment artifact. For each performance criterion to be reported, an entry is placed into the FCAR documenting the criterion, the outcome being supported, the assignment(s) used for acquiring the data, the assessment tool used for evaluating the data, and the resultant performance vector. Additionally, as this assessment information is processed by the instructor who is closest to the data, any observed difficulties or extenuating circumstances affecting performance can be readily documented as part of the FCAR. For the department chair or assessment coordinator, FCARs provide a valuable resource, as all assessment information regarding a particular course is included in one place in a readilyaccessible common format. This information can then be extracted and summarized in a way that allows all courses that cover a given ABET Student Outcome to be easily evaluated. For the past several years, presentations featuring the FCAR assessment methodology have been given at the annual ABET Symposium. Based partly on this dissemination stream, the use of this instrument has spread far beyond its origins. As other institutions and departments have adopted the instrument, they have made modifications as well. In turn, these adopters have reported at a variety of venues regarding how their version of the FCAR has played a highly useful role in streamlining their continuous quality improvement processes, yielding both qualitative and quantitative information, facilitating greater consistency in the reporting and processing of that information, and keeping faculty actively engaged in an on-going assessment process. In brief, this paper will present an in-depth discussion of the FCAR instrument, how it has been adopted and modified by other programs and institutions, and recommendations regarding its future use.
AB - The Faculty Course Assessment Report (FCAR) presents a streamlined methodology that allows instructors to write assessment reports in a concise, standardized format conducive for use in both course and student (program) outcomes assessment. The FCAR is a short one to two page form completed by the instructor that taught the class. The FCAR is structured as a sequence of standardized reporting categories that include what course modifications were made, the outcomes assessment information obtained, reflection on the part of the instructor, and suggestions for curricular improvement. Through this approach, the instructor is guided through a systematic review of the course, with the additional benefit of clearly and succinctly documenting critical portions of the "closing the loop" process. At the center of this approach is the concept of performance vectors, a 4-tuple vector that categorizes aggregate student performance on a directly measured assessment artifact. For each performance criterion to be reported, an entry is placed into the FCAR documenting the criterion, the outcome being supported, the assignment(s) used for acquiring the data, the assessment tool used for evaluating the data, and the resultant performance vector. Additionally, as this assessment information is processed by the instructor who is closest to the data, any observed difficulties or extenuating circumstances affecting performance can be readily documented as part of the FCAR. For the department chair or assessment coordinator, FCARs provide a valuable resource, as all assessment information regarding a particular course is included in one place in a readilyaccessible common format. This information can then be extracted and summarized in a way that allows all courses that cover a given ABET Student Outcome to be easily evaluated. For the past several years, presentations featuring the FCAR assessment methodology have been given at the annual ABET Symposium. Based partly on this dissemination stream, the use of this instrument has spread far beyond its origins. As other institutions and departments have adopted the instrument, they have made modifications as well. In turn, these adopters have reported at a variety of venues regarding how their version of the FCAR has played a highly useful role in streamlining their continuous quality improvement processes, yielding both qualitative and quantitative information, facilitating greater consistency in the reporting and processing of that information, and keeping faculty actively engaged in an on-going assessment process. In brief, this paper will present an in-depth discussion of the FCAR instrument, how it has been adopted and modified by other programs and institutions, and recommendations regarding its future use.
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85029091741
SN - 9780878232413
T3 - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
BT - 119th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition
PB - American Society for Engineering Education
Y2 - 10 June 2012 through 13 June 2012
ER -