The University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu’s Michiko Joseph, Interim Library Director at the James & Abigail Campbell Library; Dr. Jessica Miranda, Executive Director of Strategic Directions, Assessment, and Accreditation; and Dr. Lisa Spencer, Associate Professor, Long-Term Care; recently co-authored an article in a national peer-reviewed online journal about their assessment work at UH West O‘ahu.
The article, “Collaborative Rubric Development: A Cross-Divisional Approach to Evaluating Critical Thinking,” was published on Oct. 9 in “Emerging Dialogues,” one of the publications of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE). The AALHE is a community of assessment professionals that aspires to be a leading voice and advocate for championing student learning and success in higher education, according to its website.
“It’s an honor to have our work published in ‘Emerging Dialogues’ … a publication dedicated to sharing thoughtful and innovative work in student learning assessment from institutions across the country,” Miranda said. … “Being published in this journal affirms the quality and relevance of the work happening at UH West O‘ahu and connects our campus to a broader national community committed to strengthening teaching and learning.”
The trio’s article describes a faculty-led initiative at UH West O‘ahu to develop a shared rubric for assessing the University’s Institutional Learning Outcome on Critical Thinking.
“Assessment Coordinators from Public Administration and Library Services led an iterative, campus-wide process that included multiple rounds of faculty feedback, review by the institutional Assessment Committee, and consultation with a national assessment expert,” Miranda said. “The resulting rubric, focused on argumentation, evidence-based conclusions, and source attribution, was piloted in Capstone courses to evaluate how well students demonstrate critical thinking at the point of graduation.”
The case study shows how thoughtful collaboration across divisions can build faculty ownership, strengthen assessment practices, and support consistent evaluation of student learning across programs, she said.
Miranda said one of her goals in publishing the piece was to spotlight the thoughtful, high-quality work led by Joseph and Spencer through their participation in the UH Mānoa Assessment Leadership Institute (ALI), a year-long professional development program that brings together participants from across the country to deepen their assessment expertise and develop an applied project. Joseph and Spencer developed and led the project from start to finish, demonstrating how faculty and staff can turn an idea into a meaningful assessment initiative and then into publishable scholarship.
“I hope that by highlighting their work, others on campus will see the value of engaging in assessment as a professional opportunity to explore questions about student learning, collaborate with colleagues, and contribute to the broader field,” Miranda said.
Assessment often happens behind the scenes, Miranda noted.
“But it plays an important role in helping us understand how well we’re supporting our students,” she said. “Projects like this show that when we work together across divisions, we can create tools and insights that benefit the entire campus. I’m grateful to work with colleagues who are committed to thoughtful, collaborative work that strengthens the learning experience at UH West O‘ahu.”