- About CELTUA
- Calendar and Events
- Full and Part-time Faculty and Staff
- Grad and Undergrad Students
- Grants and Awards
- Overview
- Past Recipients and Project Summaries
- E. Phillips Knox Teaching Award
- Major Teaching Project for Departments/Programs
- Major Teaching Project for Individual or Small Groups of Faculty
- Minor Teaching Project for Individual or Small Groups of Faculty
- Minor Teaching Project for Individual or Small Groups of Graduate Students or Undergraduate Students
- Visiting Teacher Award for Departments/Programs
- Faculty Exchange Relocation Grants
- Award Portfolio Examples
- Engaged Learning and Top 25
- Assessment
- Assessment/Accreditation
- Assessment Successes
- Briefs
- E-portfolios
- Student Success Plan
- Publications and Library
- Consulting and Resources
The Top 25 Project
ASSESSMENT
Assessment is an integral part of the TOP 25 Project. Project teams identify appropriate assessment methods as part of their initial proposal and work with Assessment staff to ensure the timely collection and use of assessment data throughout the project. Assessment staff also monitor and collect assessment data as part of the project. The three primary areas of assessment include:
- 1) content master
- 2) critical thinking
-
3) student satisfaction
Each Top 25 Team is expected to:
- Identify the major (3-4) student learning outcomes for the course.
- Assess improvements in students' content mastery.
- Assess additional important outcomes (e.g., improvements in writing, changes in student attitudes, etc.) that have been identified.
- Carry out full-cycle assessment; student learning should be continuously monitored and the course modified as necessary.
- Assist with the collection of data for assessments conducted by CELTUA.
In addition to assisting with each team's course assessment, CELTUA also conducts the following Top 25 assessments (please click here for a copy of all assessments used).
- Critical Thinking: Top 25 faculty provide samples of student work (papers, speeches, projects) that are then assessed by the Assessment Fellows for evidence of critical thinking. Although the Washington State University Critical Thinking Rubric is commonly used for these assessments, the Assessment Fellows have also worked with Top 25 teams to design discipline- or assignment-specific critical thinking rubrics. In addition, some Top 25 teams also conduct their own, discipline-specific assessments of critical thinking.
- Student Perceptions and Satisfaction: Students in all redesigned Top 25 courses, as well as a subset of students in the original (pre-redesign) Top 25 courses, are asked to complete a Top 25 survey during the second half of their class. The survey addresses issues such as student satisfaction, student perceptions of inquiry-guided learning, and classroom activities.
- Focus Groups: Members of CELTUA conduct a limited number of focus groups with students who are currently enrolled in Top 25 courses. These focus groups provide the Top 25 teams with feedback about the extent to which their course is acheiving the goals of the Top 25 project.
- Classroom Observations: Members of CELTUA and the Top 25 Coordinating Committee participate in observations of the Top 25 courses. Formative feedback is provided to the Top 25 teams so that teams can continue to improve their class redesign.
In surveys, faculty and students have shared their perceptions of how effective Top 25 courses have been in meeting their goals. The first summary of student results was prepared in June 2009 , and the second was prepared in the spring of 2011. A faculty survey was conducted and the report prepared in the spring of 2011.
The Office of Institutional Research has prepared a summary of trends found in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) for Miami University from 2003 - 2011. The NSSE is a national survey assessing the extent to which undergraduates engage in a variety of educationally effective activities. The results suggest that Miami University is experiencing improvements in its academic environment that are not occurring at other institutions. Miami University students' benchmark scores and scores on Top 25-relevant items have consistently increased between 2003 and 2011, whereas comparison institutions' scores have remained relatively stable on most items.
Please Note: If you are planning to submit a proposal for a Top 25 course, you must meet with the Coordinator of Assessment prior to submitting the full proposal. Please e-mail celt@muohio.edu or call 513-529-9266 to make an appointment.