Improving Program Assessment with UDL

Presented by Gina Pizzaglia, Teaching Professor and Director of the MPS Program in Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University Park, and Christopher Barnes.

This workshop provides an overview of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 guidelines and how the guidelines can be used to improve learning outcomes assessment.

Creating and Using Rubrics

This workshop gives an overview of rubrics and how they can be used to score assignments. (34 minutes)

Presenters:

• Mary Ann Tobin, Associate Research Professor & Senior Instructional Consultant – Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
• Kirsten Hochstedt, Assistant Director of Assessment – Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research

After attending the “Creating and Using Rubrics” workshop participants will be able to:

• Describe what a rubric is and the advantages of using rubrics.
• Identify the elements of a rubric and the different types of rubrics.
• Design a rubric using best practices or modify an existing rubric.

Enhancing Ethics Education and Assessment in Graduate Programs

Join a distinguished panel of faculty and administrators to explore innovative approaches to ethics education and assessment in graduate programs. This workshop provides practical strategies, insights, and real-world examples to help graduate program leaders strengthen ethical decision-making initiatives. (1 hour, 17 minutes)

Presenters:

• Betty Harper, Assistant Vice Provost for Assessment, will set the stage by framing the discussion and introducing the panel.
• Katie Bode-Lang, Director of Education and Outreach in the Office for Research Protections, will share insights into the Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) and Research Integrity and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) programs, highlighting challenges such as scalability and funding.
• Michael Verderame, Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate School, ill describe his experience improving ethics education within the College of Medicine (COM) and the impactful strategies implemented there.
• Ted Toadvine, Nancy Tuana Director of the Rock Ethics Institute and Professor of Philosophy, will provide an on-the-ground perspective, offering examples from his classroom experiences to illustrate practical applications of ethics education.

This session is designed for graduate program leaders, including:

• Graduate program heads, directors of graduate studies, professors-in-charge
• Department heads, associate deans for graduate studies
• Graduate Program Assessment Leaders
• Faculty teaching courses where ethics is a primary or secondary focus

Assessing Small Programs

Presented by Erin Hanses, Assistant Teaching Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS), Penn State University Park, and Betty Harper

This workshop focuses on addressing the unique assessment challenges that low-enrollment programs face. (1 hour)

Teaching and Assessing with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

José Antonio Bowen, Senior Scholar at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, explores how generative AI can enhance learning outcomes assessment and address academic integrity challenges. Bowen offers strategies for integrating AI into teaching and assessment, while discussing the skills, curriculum, and policies shaping the future of higher education. This event was co-sponsored by OPAIR and the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. (1 hour)

Assessing Shared Programs

Presented by Janelle Gruber, Lecturer of Corporate Communication, Penn State Schuylkill, and Northeast Corporate Communication Consortium Coordinator, and Kirsten Hochstedt, Assistant Director of Assessment.

This workshop focuses on assessment opportunities and challenges for programs that are shared across multiple campuses. The session covers tactics for collaborative assessment, joint assessment reporting approaches, and development of a multi-year strategy for assessment in shared programs. (33 minutes)

Centering Equity in Assessment (Spring 2025)

The Centering Equity in Assessment webinar, co-led by OPAIR and the Schreyer Institute for Learning Excellence, provided participants with valuable resources to standardize equity as a core component of higher education assessment. (19 minutes)

Centering Equity in Program Assessment (Fall 2023)

The Centering Equity in Program Assessment webinar, led by nationally recognized keynote speaker Dr. Natasha Jankowski, provided practical tools for developing and implementing program learning assessment practices that reduce bias while improving transparency. The event was co-sponsored by OPAIR, the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, and the Equity Pedagogy Network. (2 hours, 19 minutes)

Charting Your Course: Fundamentals of program assessment planning

Just like planning a trip, it is essential to plan your programs annual assessment.This training will cover choosing your assessment destination and how to get there. (53 minutes)

Closing the Loop in Program Assessment

So, you have a virtual mountain of assessment findings. Now what? We’ll show you how to put those findings to good use by “closing the loop.” (40 minutes)

Crafting High-Quality Program Learning Objectives (PLOs)

Presented by Glenna Malcolm, Associate Teaching Professor of Biology, Penn State University Park, and Christopher Barnes

Writing learning objectives is easy. Writing quality objectives is hard. Whether you’re new or experienced, come discover the secret to crafting high-quality objectives. (28 minutes)

From Design to Delivery: Optimizing Forced-Choice Exams for General Education Assessment

Presented by Cecil Shelton, Instructor of Statistics; Course Coordinator for STAT 200 University Park and World Campus, and Christopher Barnes

Are you a General Education instructor using forced-choice exams? Join us for a workshop designed to enhance your skills in using these measures to conduct effective General Education Assessment at Penn State. You’ll gain valuable insights into aligning online required-choice exams with general education criteria by exploring successful practices from STAT 200 faculty. Additionally, you’ll participate in a hands-on activity to apply these concepts by pairing one of your own course exams with a general education rubric, helping you refine your exam alignment and improve assessment effectiveness. (52 minutes)

Incorporating Penn State’s General Education Learning Objectives Rubrics into your Course Assessment

Teaching a general education course? Learn how to use the rubrics developed by Faculty Senate to ensure that your students are meeting the University’s general education learning objectives. (48 minutes)

Quick Start Guide to Program Assessment

Get started with program assessment at Penn State by learning the jargon and the basic requirements for reporting. (36 minutes)