Connecting Faculty Development to Assessment: A Case Study on Improving Student Reflections on Applied Learning

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the relationship between assessment and faculty development through campus-wide adoption and implementation of applied learning practices at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW). Reflection was a critical component of both pedagogy and assessment of applied learning at UNCW, and our assessment results indicated positive changes in multiple student learning outcomes associated with their engagement in applied learning experiences. We utilized assessment results to develop faculty development efforts aimed at improving reflection prompts and reflective practice as both pedagogy and assessment. Our development of a faculty learning community led by fellows from across campus helped our efforts to connect assessment and faculty development and contributed to a culture across campus that values the integration of this work even beyond the initial time period in which we focused these efforts.