The Innovative Classroom Driven Assessment Model (ICDAM): A Framework for Designing Inclusive Assessment Processes Using Faculty Insight

Significant work has been published showcasing established best practices in student learning assessment in higher education, yet less is known about how educators perceive these practices or how these perceptions can be used to guide institutional assessment processes. Motivated by changing student demographics and recent work on culturally responsive teaching and learning, this research explored educator perceptions of how colleges systematically incorporate best practices in their institutional assessment processes. Results from a survey of higher education professionals’ experience with assessment practices at their institution were used to develop a simple assessment model, the Innovative Classroom Driven Assessment Model (ICDAM), that institutions may employ to guide the development (or redevelopment) of their own processes for student learning outcomes assessment. Using exploratory factor analysis, the model identified innovative classroom practices and individual educator efficacy as two factors that influenced institutional assessment infrastructure, suggesting that a “bubble-up” process may serve colleges well when developing assessment protocols.