Explore the advantages and disadvantages of surveys in terms of cost, ease, and impact on students. Explore the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups in terms of cost, ease, and impact on students. Explore the advantages and disadvantages of interviews in terms of cost, ease, and impact on students.

/in /by

Indirect Assessment Methods

Supporting Lecture:

Review the following lecture:

  • Indirect Measures

Before beginning work on this discussion forum, please review the link Doing Discussion Questions Right, the expanded grading rubric for the forum, and any specific instructions for this topic.

Indirect assessment explores how individuals feel or perceive a particular situation. While many faculty and administrators in higher education employ a combination of indirect assessment methods, common choices are surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

From the bullet point list below, select one topic for which you will lead the discussion in the forum this week. Early in the week, reserve your selected topic by posting your response (reservation post) to the Discussion Area, identifying your topic in the subject line. Be specific about your topic so that someone else could select the same bullet point but focus their post differently. By the due date assigned, research your topic and start a scholarly conversation as you respond with your initial or primary post to your own reservation post in the Discussion Area. Make sure your response does not duplicate your colleagues’ responses.

  • Explore the advantages and disadvantages of surveys in terms of cost, ease, and impact on students.
  • Explore the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups in terms of cost, ease, and impact on students.
  • Explore the advantages and disadvantages of interviews in terms of cost, ease, and impact on students.

Additionally, provide a brief paragraph describing a personal or professional experience where you participated in an indirect assessment—survey, focus group, or individual interview—and explain how that experience impacted your understanding of the material this week.

As the beginning of a scholarly conversation, your initial post should be:

  • Succinct—no more than 500 words.
  • Provocative—use concepts and combinations of concepts from the readings to propose relationships, causes, and/or consequences that inspire others to engage (inquire, learn). In other words, take a scholarly stand.
  • Supported—scholarly conversations are more than opinions. Ideas, statements, and conclusions are supported by clear research and citations from course materials as well as other credible, peer-reviewed resources.

******* Please include citations to justify your premises. The general rule is one citation per paragraph.

******Cite from your course text in addition to outside/relevant scholarly resources.