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Guide · Step 8 of 10

Assessment

Measure it. Understand it. Improve it.

Assessment provides evidence against an agreed standard; evaluation interprets that evidence and decides what to change.

Types of evidence

Direct and indirect evidence

Direct

What learners produce

Exams, projects, lab reports, presentations and portfolios, scored against criteria tied to specific outcomes. Direct evidence carries most of the weight in attainment.

Indirect

What people report

Course exit surveys, alumni and employer feedback. Useful for context and triangulation; in many methods it is blended in with a smaller weight.

Rubrics

Make the standard visible before the task

A rubric states the criteria and what each level of performance looks like. Shared in advance, it tells learners what quality means; applied consistently, it makes results comparable.

Illustrative rubric: decision brief for the sales-data task

  • Accurate analysis

    Developing
    Errors affect conclusions
    Proficient
    Minor errors, conclusions hold
    Exemplary
    Accurate and appropriately checked

  • Reasoned recommendation

    Developing
    Recommendation not linked to data
    Proficient
    Linked to some evidence
    Exemplary
    Justified with clear, relevant evidence

  • Responsible data handling

    Developing
    Personal data exposed or misused
    Proficient
    Mostly de-identified
    Exemplary
    De-identified and limitations stated

  • Clear explanation

    Developing
    Hard for the owner to follow
    Proficient
    Understandable with effort
    Exemplary
    Clear for a non-specialist reader

Criteria from the workshop case study in the supplied presentation; level descriptors are illustrative.

Attainment methods

Threshold, target and level

Threshold: the score a student needs on a course outcome to count as having attained it. Target: the share of students you aim to reach that threshold.

The share of students who reach the threshold becomes the CO’s attainment percentage. A scale then converts the percentage into a level (for example 0 to 3), which can be compared across courses and rolled up to program outcomes.

OBE Studio attainment scale settings: a standard 3-point scale mapping 0–39.99% to level 0, 40–54.99% to level 1, 55–69.99% to level 2 and 70–100% to level 3.
A standard 3-point attainment scale in OBE Studio. Bands never share a value: Low ends at 54.99% and Medium starts at 55%.

Interactive example

Work through a course outcome’s attainment

Change the inputs to see how direct and indirect evidence combine into a level. This follows the method in OBE Studio’s sample course file and is illustrative; use your institution’s approved policy for real decisions.

Direct evidence for one course outcome

Assumes a 50% threshold: a student attains the CO with 50% or more of the marks tagged to it.

Share of students expected to attain

Indirect evidence

Indirect: 20%

Result

57.20%

Final attainment

Level 2 · MediumBelow target
Direct
21 ÷ 40 × 100 = 52.50%
Indirect
3.8 ÷ 5 × 100 = 76.00%
Final
80% × 52.50 + 20% × 76.00
Gap to target
2.80 points short

Scale used

  • L0 0–39.99%
  • L1 40–54.99%
  • L2 55–69.99%
  • L3 70–100%

Reviewing results

Locate the gap before choosing the fix

Compare each outcome with its target, then look across courses and cohorts for patterns.

In the workshop case, learners calculate accurately but struggle to justify the decision. A sensible response is an annotated exemplar and a feedback clinic, followed by a comparable task to see whether the change helped.

Reviewing outcome insights. Comparing course outcome attainment with targets and checking items that need attention. 31 seconds, no audio.

Closing the loop

Evidence is useful when it leads to a documented response

The improvement cycle in CMO 46’s quality assurance approach, with suggested ownership at each level.
  1. 01 Map outcomesConnect outcomes with tasks and rubrics.
  2. 02 Measure attainmentReview assessed work against criteria.
  3. 03 Identify gapsLocate the skill and learners needing support.
  4. 04 Guide improvementChange teaching, then reassess.
  5. Closed loop: back to 01

A closed loop records the action, the owner and the evidence of its effect.

Adapted from the OBE workshop deck. Reference: CMO No. 46, s. 2012, QA cycle.

Who reviews what

Clear ownership keeps the loop working at every level.

Course file report, section 6: a table of students assessed, attained, threshold, target, direct, indirect and final percentage, level and gap for five course outcomes, with bars of final attainment against target.
What reviewers see: a course file’s CO attainment against target, generated by OBE Studio.
Suggested review ownership
OwnerEvidence to reviewDecision
FacultyTask results and rubric patternsFeedback and teaching adjustment
Chair / deanOutcome gaps across coursesCurriculum or faculty support
VPAA / QAImprovement actions and trendsStandards and resource priorities
President / governing bodyInstitutional learning prioritiesSustained capacity and oversight

Suggested rhythm: during the course, each term, and at scheduled institutional QA reviews. These roles are recommendations, not a CHED-mandated reporting table. Adapt them to local governance.

See the evidence record in OBE Studio

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