Workshop 2: Assessing Learning in Off-Campus Study

June 25-26, 2012 | Chicago, IL

This two-day workshop will build upon and extend the May 2012 Learning from Study Abroad workshop, which worked with data from the Teagle Learning from Study Abroad survey. In this workshop, we will take stock of how to best assess student learning in off-campus study programs--and what measures are currently working on your campuses.

Workshop Goals

Summarize the conclusions of the May ACM-Teagle workshop studying data gathered from ACM programs using the Teagle-funded Learning from Study Abroad (LSA) survey instrument.
Evaluate the LSA instrument and other assessment instruments especially in regard to liberal arts learning goals.
Explore various campus initiatives for assessing student learning in off-campus study programs; through participant-led sessions, establish an inventory of effective practices and principles.
Explore more broadly how colleges and off-campus study programs can move beyond anecdotal evidence about off-campus experience and inter-cultural awareness toward more useful--and actionable--data about off-campus learning.
Increase participants' confidence in their ability to work with survey and assessment data and to use this data to improve advising of students and shaping of campus policies regarding off-campus study.
More broadly discuss ways of using data from a variety of sources to improve student learning in off-campus study programs, especially as it connects to the broad goals of liberal arts education.

Workshop Overview

This hands-on workshop will take as its starting point the use of the Teagle-funded LSA survey instrument. The May 2012 workshop focused on data collected from more than 150 pairs of pre- and post-program surveys by students in ACM programs over the last several years; in that workshop, participants considered how learning outcomes derived from study abroad relate to the growing body of information on liberal arts learning from campus-based aspects of the educational experience.

This follow-up workshop will go on to consider broader questions:

What is the general state of assessing off-campus study programs, ranging from international semester-long and short-term programs, domestic programs, and even campus-based internship and service-learning programs?
What examples can we share about effective programs and instruments (surveys, rubrics, interview protocols) for collective convincing evidence of student learning in off-campus study programs? How is this evidence being used to produce change and to better integrate off-campus learning with the home curriculum?
In what ways have campuses connected assessment data from off-campus learning to ongoing assessment of student learning on campus?