Navigating a culture of evidence: The lived experiences of college of agriculture faculty regarding the academic assessment of students

Abstract

The accountability movement has created tensions among key actors at institutions of higher education in the U.S. in recent years. As such, a need existed to examine the lived experiences that influenced faculty (n =6) in the College of Agriculture (COA) at [State] University as they engaged in various forms of assessment to evaluate student learning. As a result of our phenomenological analysis, three themes emerged. The themes combined to form the phenomenon’s essence, which was that assessment of student learning outcomes was a product of (a) presage, (b) process, and (c) context variables that shaped faculty’s lived experiences. In particular, presage variables represented the individual traits that influenced the assessment process such as faculty’s beliefs, personal traits, professional backgrounds, and previous teaching experiences. Meanwhile, contextual variables were the unique factors and conditions that affected assessment such as course goals and objectives as well as university policies. Finally, process variables represented the specific activities that affected student learning and instructional practices. Going forward, we recommend that COA’s create faculty development opportunities that encourage faculty to reflect and explore alternative strategies that may enhance learning and promote greater equity in the academic assessment of students.