Rocky Mountain Section Session on Assessment

Time: April 12 starting at 3:45 p.m.
Location: Campus of the University of Wyoming

This session is broken up into three thirty minute blocks.

Block 1 3:45-4:15 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. William Marion,Valparaiso University.
Dr. Marion is a member of the steering committee for the NSF grant: Supporting Assessment in Undergraduate Mathematics (SAUM). His talk will provide an introduction to the practice of assessment at the departmental and even institutional level. Included in the presentation will be: the MAA's Assessment Project, the principles of assessment, the assessment cycle, some examples of learning goals and objectives and tools that can be used to measure whether a Department is meeting the objectives, and how to get started on a Department Assessment Plan.

Block 2 4:20-4:50 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines.
Title: Assessing Learning and Teaching Goals in Mathematics and Computer Science.
Abstract: In 1997, the Colorado School of Mines' Mathematical and Computer Science Department began the process of departmental assessment reform. The initial step in this reform was to establish goals and objectives that addressed both student learning and teaching outcomes. Based on these goals and objectives, a departmental assessment plan was put into place. This presentation will describe the departments' current assessment system and how the information acquired through this system has been used for departmental improvement.

Speaker: Dr. Kyle Riley, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Title: Assessing the Department and the Mathematics Program by Using an External Review.
Abstract: The MAA Guidelines for Programs and Departments in Undergraduate Mathematical Sciences recommends the use of a periodic external review as a tool to assess the department and the mathematics program. The external review should also play a role in the strategic planning of the department. This talk will present some of the benefits of using an external review and provide an outline on how to conduct an external review.

Block 3 5:00-5:30 p.m.
This last section will be an open forum for all parties interested in discussing assessment. Think of this as a town hall meeting about assessment for educators in mathematics.

Some Helpful Resources