Lessons From a Large-Scale Assessment Project at Texas Tech

Some results of a large-scale assessment project at Texas Tech University will be discussed. We will discuss (1) the use of both written pre- and post-tests and commonly used conceptual inventories as a measure of students' understanding in the introductory courses, (2) the efficacy of multiple choice assessment, based on research on the effect of problem format on students' answers and (3) the need for the development of a more comprehensive assessment instrument(s) that could be used to compare students' analytical, quantitative, computational, laboratory, and critical thinking skills, as well as their conceptual understanding, across courses and universities. We present results of the work done at Texas Tech University and discuss work being done nationally as part of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) to move towards a more comprehensive assessment of our introductory courses.