Definitions
Although the words assessment and evaluation are often used interchangeably, in our communication in CAPS, we try to differentiate between the two.
Assessment:
If the purpose of the meeting/form/website/resource/assignment is to inform faculty regarding the academic needs of their learners, the activity is assessment. Also, if the purpose is to inform students of their own knowledge or skill compared to a specified criteria or norm, then the activity is assessment.
Evaluation:
If the meeting/form/website/resource/data exists to inform someone charged with quality (quality of instruction, assessment, course materials, institutional structures, use of support resources etc.), then the activity is evaluation.
In this document, when assessment is used, we are assuming an instructor/student audience. When evaluation is used, we are assuming an administrative audience, acknowledging that many faculty play dual roles as both instructor and administrator.
When we wear our assessment hats, we are thinking about the measurement of student learning so that we can improve the learning experiences of the students who produced the evidence.
When we wear our evaluation hats, we are thinking about many students’ learning experiences in conjunction with many instructors’ teaching experiences, in connection to the needs of employers and the needs of the university. We are considering the bigger picture to make decisions about resourcing and improvement in general.
Evaluation includes the satisfaction of several stakeholder groups while assessment is focused on the achievement of outcomes (cognitive/knowledge, psychomotor/skills, and affective/dispositions/responsibilities) and includes primarily the students’ learning needs.