Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Student-Learning Assessment

Four professors from the Rangos and Bayer Schools were recognized for their achievements in learning outcomes and assessments at the annual assessment reception on Dec. 10.

Two $1,000-awards were presented in the academic affairs category to the following:

• Dr. Leesa DiBartola, assistant professor and director of clinical education in the Department of Physical Therapy in the Rangos School of Health Sciences, and Dr. Kenneth Havrilla, assistant professor and assistant director of clinical education in the physical therapy department, for Assessing Clinical Education. They evaluated curriculum to learn how to improve student documentation skills.
• Dr. Benedict Kolber, assistant professor of biological sciences, and Dr. Joseph McCormick, associate professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences in the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, for Assessment of Undergraduate Student Mentoring. Kolber and McCormick focused on how to engage freshmen in the faculty-mentoring program.

The award recognizes excellence in learning-outcome assessments at the program level and across programs, said Associate Provost Dr. Alexandra Gregory. “We want to acknowledge individuals who are doing outstanding work and using their results to make a difference in student learning,” said Gregory. “Assessment is at the heart of education. It supports the success of University students and programs through clear learning outcomes and the informed use of data.”

According to Kolber and McCormick, their findings have already strengthened the learning and behavioral goals of the biology major mentoring program. “After implementing our changes and assessments, we find that both students and faculty attend meetings regularly and have a mutual alignment of overall expectations for the mentoring relationship,” explained Kolber.

DiBartola and Havrilla found similar results. “We were pleased to find our assessment data reflected a success,” said DiBartola. “Our students not only started to meet clinical faculty’s expectations, but exceeded them in terms of their documentation skills. We now receive consistent feedback marking student progress.”

Criteria for the award includes evidence of benchmarking, confirmation that the data was applied to improving curriculum, courses and/or student learning, and represents a new area for student-learning assessment.