I am pleased to announce the 2024-2025 Assessment for Advancing Equity Learning Community Program. Applications are due May 8, 2024. Acceptance will be announced in late May 2024.
Overview:
Curriculum-based assessment offers a powerful lever for advancing equity in the major. This method of self-study shifts focus away from student performance and onto the effectiveness of our course and program designs. By collecting and disaggregating outcomes data, this type of assessment allows us to ask how effective the program is not only on average, but also specifically for students of distinct racial, economic, social, and educational backgrounds. Promoting student success and addressing equity gaps is vital to campus growth, and we hope that units take advantage of this assessment platform that has been put in place.
The goal of this program is to assess student learning at UC San Diego, and to identify and close any equity gaps in learning. As defined in the EVC’s Collective Impact Framework, “Equity gaps for students at UC San Diego refer to differences in engagement and outcomes between groups, with a particular focus on underrepresented students (e.g., ethnic/racial minorities, low-income, first-generation college, women).” In the context of programs and courses, equity gaps may appear as differences in course grades (DFW rates, grade distributions), in-course or in-program retention, time-to-degree, program-level GPA, or other gaps in academic outcome by group. The concept of an equity gap implies that there is a problem with the educational and systemic structures such that these structures are differentially affecting students’ ability to thrive. The work done by the Equity-Minded Assessment Fellows will help ensure that we are dismantling the educational structures that cause these gaps.
We invite faculty to submit applications to become Equity-Minded Assessment Fellows and join the Assessment Learning Community to support their assessment efforts. Faculty who are accepted and participate in the community will receive the following benefits:
- A $9,000 department support funding for education activities, professional and/or scholarly achievement and activity, including creative activity
- Access to your departmental data dashboards
- Designation as Equity-Minded Assessment Fellows
- Support from the Teaching and Learning Commons and the Assessment Learning Community as you work through your project
Learning Community Timeline:
The Equity-Minded Assessment Fellows program will start with a short orientation in late spring 2024. The Assessment Learning Community will continue through the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.
Application Details:
To apply, units need to do the following:
- Complete data training
- Submit an assessment application
- Submit a letter of endorsement from the program or department chair with your application
Note that the application offers two “pre-packaged” template proposals:
- Course-Level Assessment of Equity in Student Learning and
- Curriculum Assessment and Reform for Equity of Outcomes
Units wishing to pursue an assessment project in these areas may customize and submit this pre-packaged proposal instead of developing a project and a proposal from scratch. For more details see this document.
Application Review Criteria:
Applications should clearly describe how assessing learning within the curriculum will serve to inform questions of equity in student outcomes and experience. The application should also present a case for how the findings will be used to introduce change to interrupt patterns of inequity.
Applications will be reviewed for the following:
Alignment to Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence
The application shows clear alignment between proposed assessment and Strategic Plan focus on Access & Success, Climate, and Accountability.
Learning Outcomes
The application addresses a specific learning outcome and explains why examining it is valuable to the program.
Feasibility
The application specifies a clear work plan that is well suited to completing the work according to the timeline provided.
Methods
The proposed methods are clear, aligned with outcome(s), and well suited for this project.
Impact
The application clearly describes next steps and links the proposed project to past and future efforts by the unit.
Student Voice
Student voice is considered at various points in the application with a plan to engage students or incorporate their voice in clear ways.
Sustainability
The application describes how these and/or other related assessment efforts will continue after support for the current project ends.
