STRATA: A Spreadsheet Tool for Multidimensional Analysis of Operations Research/Management Science Assessment Test Data

Abstract

Accrediting organizations in higher education have shifted emphasis from indirect measures such as student course evaluations, focus-group interviews, and employer surveys to direct measurement of student performance using appropriate assessment instruments. In response, we developed a spreadsheet tool for reports and analysis of test assessments (STRATA) to document and evaluate quantitative data from test questions linked to learning objectives in an introductory undergraduate management science (MS) course. STRATA automatically generates a variety of tables and charts that allow us to examine our students’ achievement at three different levels: individual question item, MS topic (subsets of items), and total score. It also tracks test results over time and produces summary reports. In this paper, we discuss STRATA’s features, its usefulness in meeting accreditation requirements, and how it can provide faculty with valuable feedback in ways that encourage meaningful conversations about course content and pedagogy. The workbooks are available at https://www.informs.org/Publications/Subscribe/Access-Restricted-Materials .