Using Student Self Assessment to Reinforce and Refine Student Learning Outcomes

This presentation will discuss the philosophy and fundamentals of self assessment as practiced by Alverno College’s History Department. We will examine a self assessment framework that faculty may use to inform the creation of their own self assessment prompts. Examples of student self assessment of history course work will also be shared.

At Alverno College, students are taught how to self assess their performance of individual course work and across their area of study. First semester students are introduced to the process in all their courses and are expected to assess their learning and share with their instructor before receiving feedback. The Alverno faculty argue that self assessment is a learned skill that not only improves over time, but becomes more sophisticated as the student matures academically. Benefits to self assessment for the student include a better work product, an applied understanding of learning outcomes and assessment criteria, and an improved sense of accomplishment. For faculty, self assessment provides information about student thinking that cannot be observed from a test or assessment, offers an opportunity to connect with a student beyond a score, and provides feedback on instructional coherence and value. Over time, Alverno College students discover that self assessment isn’t an “add-on” to their assessment, or a trap set by instructors to reveal their weaknesses, but an integral part of the learning process that yields benefits for improving their academic performance, their careers, and their life in general.