Academic assessment cycles are created with a statement of the specific mission, goals and anticipated outcomes. Clear goals that state how they are related to student learning help the teacher to see what she is working towards. Instructors can use multiple possible learning outcomes for each goal. Outcomes are statements that relate how students will master these goals. Teachers can focus on one or two goals for the initial assessment and add more goals in future cycles. Assessment cycles are intended as tools that help teachers to focus on improvements, to this end, instructors can compare the goals with the assessment outcomes and see what is working and what areas need improvement.
The process of an academic assessment cycle includes deciding what methods to use to achieve the desired outcome and gather evidence. Using the established curriculum, teachers can look at what is already being done to help students meet these outcomes. Evidence can be collected to determine whether these outcomes are being met. This can be done in multiple ways, including use of grades, surveys and student interviews. The process of the academic assessment cycle can be used to engage students in a discussion about learning. Teachers can ask students what their beliefs and expectations are and if these are being met. Teachers can organize evidence via a graph, table or chart. These are good visual tools for determining the successes or failures evident in the data.
The results of an academic assessment cycle are put into action by changing the curriculum. Teachers can make positive changes aimed at fulfilling the learning needs of their students. Although implementing these changes marks the end of the cycle, it is also the beginning -- the advantage of using the academic assessment cycle is that after making the needed changes, teachers can then start the process again and continue to hone their methods. Creating a written record of these changes can help teachers to track improvements over time.