Abstract
If the assessment of student outcomes is to be successful in improving the quality and effectiveness of American higher education, measures of student achievement must be linked to the characteristics of academic programs. The Differential Coursework Patterns Project (DCPP), directed by Dr. James Ratcliff at Iowa State University, appears to offer a method of linking outcomes measures to program data. However, questions must be raised about the generalizability of this method. The results of this study suggest that the differential coursework methodology may be used effectively with at least two different measures of educational outcomes. Moreover, this methodology can be used with coursework data gathered either through transcript analysis or students' self-reports. The results of this study also indicate that the choice of statistical techniques may not be generalizable. The techniques selected should be determined by the nature of the institution, the types of outcomes measures used, and the configuration of the data.
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Pike, G.R., Phillippi, R.H. Generalizability of the Differential Coursework methodology: Relationships between self-reported Coursework and performance on the ACT-COMP exam. Res High Educ 30, 245–260 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992603
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992603