A Different Approach to Measuring Learning
by Stephen Nathanson, Philosophy Professor

Like many professors, words like "outcomes assessment" have always had various unpleasant effects on me-ranging from aesthetic disgust to a queasy stomach. But at a certain point, it started to seem reasonable to me that various people-ranging from parents to employers to society at large-have a legitimate interest in knowing whether students actually learn as a result of being in school. And, for various reasons, the usual indicators of being educated-passing courses and receiving a diploma-have ceased to inspire confidence. Hence, the pressure for new measures.

     Then, it occurred to me that I too care about whether students in my classes are learning and that I would feel more satisfied if I knew more about the results of my hard work. Of course, tests and papers provide important information, but grading is often done in a rush, making it difficult to use them to take stock.

   The form included here is one (partial) response to this problem, a way for me to find out something that I actually care about and that might be taken to be one indicator of course "outcomes." The form asks students to measure their current and prior understandings of key concepts and theories, as well as to judge changes in their skill level for various skills that I care about.

     I don't take their opinions to be definitive, but it is hard to dismiss as irrelevant what students themselves think about how much they have learned. Moreover, getting students to think about how much they are (or are not) learning may help to focus them more productively. It conveys the idea that taking courses is a means of achieving knowledge and skill development, not just a matter of satisfying requirements or, to borrow Rob Fried's phrase, playing the "game of school."

     Unlike the SGA/TCEP questions, my form focuses almost exclusively on student learning and not on the quality of teaching. At the same time, if students indicate that they are learning a lot, that presumably reflects well on the professor and the individual course. Moreover, designing this form has helped me to focus more effectively on just what are the key things I hope to accomplish in a course. The items listed on the form are all listed on a questionnaire I give at the beginning of the course, and most of them appear as goals on my syllabus as well. So, the final questionnaire is not something that I create by fudging at the end. Rather, I ask about the things that I have committed myself to at the beginning.

   The term "outcomes assessment" is still not a favorite in my vocabulary, but I have come to see that it names something that I actually care about-what students learn in my courses. By designing my own form, I get to focus on the outcomes I value, rather than having them mechanically imposed from the outside.


Moral Philosophy-End-of-Course Knowledge & Skill Self-Assessment
For each subject listed below, please assess your level of knowledge at the start of the course and your level of knowledge now.
10=Very Knowledgeable, 1=Not knowledgeable at all

  Start of the Course   Now
1. Ethical relativism 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
2. Ethical egoism 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
3. Psychological egoism 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
4. Rational egoism 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
5. Utilitarianism 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
6. Kant's moral philosophy 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
7. Kohlberg's moral psychology 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
8. Gilligan's moral psychology 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
9. Virtue ethics 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
10. Moral philosophy in general 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1


For each skill listed below, please assess your level of ability at the start of the course and your level of ability now.
10=Very Strong, 1=Very Weak
  Start of the Course   Now
11. Ability to read philosophical texts with understanding. 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
12. Ability to explain ideas in writing. 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
13. Ability to understand and evaluate arguments for and against views. 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
14. Ability to present ideas orally. 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
15. Ability to explain and defend your own views. 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
16. What is the most valuable thing you learned from this course? 
17.What is your overall assessment of the educational value of this course? Very valuable   10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1   Not valuable at all