The Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS): differentiating faculty knowledge and experience in assessment

Area of Science:

• STEM Education Research
• Educational Measurement
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education reform emphasizes evidence-based teaching and assessment.
• Understanding faculty's assessment knowledge and practices is crucial for effective implementation.
• Existing instruments may not fully capture the nuances of faculty assessment expertise.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the Faculty Self-Reported Assessment Survey (FRAS).
• To evaluate the psychometric properties and reliability of the FRAS.
• To assess the FRAS's ability to differentiate assessment expertise among STEM faculty.

Main Methods:

• Instrument validation involved empirical evaluation of psychometric properties.
• A known-groups validation compared faculty with differing levels of assessment experience.
• Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.96).

Main Results:

• The FRAS demonstrated high reliability (α = 0.96).
• Instrument dimensionality identified assessment knowledge in program design, instrumentation, and validation.
• The FRAS successfully distinguished between novice and experienced faculty in assessment.

Conclusions:

• The FRAS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing STEM faculty's assessment knowledge and experience.
• Faculty with formal assessment experience report greater familiarity, confidence, and positive attitudes toward assessment.
• The FRAS can differentiate levels of expertise in faculty assessment knowledge.