Implementing collaborative improvement, top-down, bottom-up, or both?

The research presented in this paper was aimed at increasing the current understanding of the process of developing collaborative improvement in Extended Manufacturing Enterprises (EME). Based on action research and action learning of three EMEs involving a total of thirteen companies from five European countries, the present study identifies three different approaches to collaborative improvement (CoI), that is, inter-organisational continuous improvement. One approach to CoI focuses on learning at a practical level, developing this knowledge into strategic and theoretical knowledge. We call this the bottom-up learning-bydoing approach. Another approach focuses on goal alignment and assessment to provide a foundation for improvement before actually improving. We call this the top-down directive approach. Yet another approach focuses on shared goals/vision and meeting on equal terms, and joint work in a non-directive matter. This is the laissez-faire approach. The different approaches influence the collaborative improvement results achieved, and how and why they do so is the question addressed this article

Closing the Loop: Development of a Dashboard for Quality Improvement of Business Education Programs

Business schools continuously improve their processes and program assessment activities, but fall short in achieving faculty\u27s awareness of process steps and disseminating results to inform and trigger continuous improvement actions. The assessment process of the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno had worked well. It evaluated student learning of core competencies of its Business Administration degree programs. The assessment process had a sound set of program goals and student learning outcomes and metrics. Learning outcomes were measured semiannually, and reports were written annually. Assessment results consistently surpassed benchmarks. Still, the assessment process did not effectively disseminate results and findings, which often led to a lack of process awareness and the inability to motivate and engage faculty in the overall assessment and improvement process. The Assessment Team launched an initiative to design and implement a dashboard that would track assessment scores as a means to address these shortcomings and ensure closing the loop with actual improvement results. This article presents the development process of the Assurance of Learning Dashboard and the effects of using the dashboard to facilitate the analysis and dissemination of assessment results. Findings suggest that the dashboard was successful. However, documentation for closing the loop activities continue to be a challenge. Implications for academic institutions and future research opportunities are presented

System-Wide Analysis of Assessment Practices (SWAAP): Concept note

This note is concerned with the development of a process to analyse how assessment practices are integrated into education systems in order for assessment outcomes to be useful for evidence based decision making throughout the system. It examines the quality of learning assessment and the extent to which it is embedded into an education system and acts as an effective contributor to the improvement of learning outcomes. The process is referred to as the System-Wide Analysis of Assessment Practices (SWAAP). The primary objective of SWAAP is to support education systems to develop national assessment strategies that generate meaningful data and assist the systems with the improvement of learning outcomes

Improving reading: a handbook for improving reading in key stages 3 and 4 (National Strategies: secondary)

"This handbook explores what it means to be a reader and some core challenges and skills that need to be addressed in the teaching of reading. The handbook outlines a route to improvement that can be followed to ensure that all pupils make expected levels of progress so that they can become skilled and independent readers. Detailed guidance is provided for each stage of the improvement process: gathering and analysing information; writing the improvement plan; evaluating planning, approaches to teaching and learning and the assessment of reading. Subject leaders can decide which stages of the process their department is confident with and which areas need to be developed further. Each section provides relevant resources and tools to guide and support this work." - National Strategies website

The added value of scaffolding the self and peer assessment process in a Wiki- based CSCL-environment in higher education

The present project focuses on how students’ learning can be enhanced in CSCL. A growing body of research emphasizes on the added value of assessment for learning in students’ learning process. Therefore, the central intervention under study incorporates structure or so-called scaffolds in the assessment process in CSCL. The aim is to study the added value of scaffolding the self and peer assessment process in a wiki-based CSCL-environment in first-year Higher Education by focusing on (1) students’ perception towards assessment, (2) feedback quality, and (3) product improvement during the assessment process

Making Institutional Academic Assessment Work for Faculty

Poster presented at the Assessment for Curricular Improvement Poster Exhibit 2023.Academic Assessment is required for institutional accreditation, yet may be challenging for individual departments, programs, and faculty to produce due to time constraints, lack of training, or lack of interest. Making academic assessment accessible to faculty with expertise in non-assessment fields can contribute to favorable outcomes for a university's accreditation reports and to a smoother process for programs. At Old Dominion University, we piloted a new Academic Assessment Report focusing on student learning outcomes, learning improvement pursuits, and the use of results upon implementation of these pursuits. Results of the pilot showed ease of use with constructive comments for improvement. Continued improvements include clarifying assessment language program faculty may find more practical. This presentation reports on the process of drafting the new report, piloting it to faculty, and reporting initial results to apply to an improved product

Learning-oriented Evaluation: A tool for promoting institutional learning and program improvement

Evaluation processes of all types, including monitoring, review and impact assessment, offer unique opportunities for learning and provide useful feedback on what works and what doesn’t, and the reasons for success or failure. Involving staff members, partners and beneficiaries in the evaluation process allows them to reflect on their work, revisit their understanding of the project’s goals and activities, assess their effectiveness and take ownership of the evaluation findings. The knowledge created and the lessons learned through evaluation subsequently provide a basis for better project planning and implementation. This Brief outlines an evaluation approach that promotes learning and program improvement; it contrasts this approach with accountability-focused evaluation and it provides an example of learning-oriented evaluation from within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).impact Assessment, monitoring, CGIAR, evaluation, learning, Agricultural and Food Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Implications of teacher educators’ practices in assessment for student learning in Tanzania

This study presents findings on teacher educators’ practices in assessment and their implications for student learning in Tanzania. Research on classroom assessment has been dichotomizing assessment and teaching-learning processes instead of viewing assessment as an integral part of the teachinglearning process. It is against this background that this study delved into teacher educators’ practices in assessment and their implications for student learning in Tanzania. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic coding. The findings show that teacher educators perceive assessment as a one-shot activity in terms of tests and examinations. Consequently, teaching, learning and assessment are performed disjointedly. Despite believing that learning is an active process, teachers predominantly use deductive teaching methods, which render students passive recipients of knowledge. It is concluded that although students need to see assessment as an essential measure of their learning and as an indication of opportunities for their improvement, teacher educators are still caught in a dilemma of either facilitating students’ meaningful learning or preparing students who can earn high grades.Keywords: Teacher education; Assessment for learning; Innovatio

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STUDENTS` LEARNING PROGRESS

The article highlights the topicality of assessment in the context of promoting learning achievements and students` self-efficacy. The aim of the article is to analyze the sources of literature and stimulate scientific discussion about strategies for assessing students' learning achievements and individual progress, which provide opportunities to develop each student's potential by improving cognitive activity and learning outcomes. The authors of the article analyse the perspectives of assessment of the learning process, systematize theoretical findings on the basic principles and methods of learning assessment improvement, identify and describe the pedagogical potential of diverse assessment strategies.

THE ROLE OF AN INTEGRATED E-LEARNING PLATFORM IN INCREASING THE PROCESSMANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY

This paper aims to present the steps taken and solutions implemented at the Cisco Networking Academy of the University of Bucharest in order to increase the process-management efficiency and the student satisfaction degree, mainly via the implementation of an own e-learning learning platform.The results are a significant improvement of work relationships, due to the fact that everyone's responsibilities are clearly defined together with the expectations for each employee. Furthermore, productivity tools enable us and our instructors to concentrate on increasing the quality of our students' learning experience in order to obtain even higher degrees of student satisfaction, retention, and promovability as a direct measure of teaching/learning success.Instructor Experience, User satisfaction, E-learning platform, Management Module, Student Assessment