Assessing student outcomes of a values-based education: The effectiveness of the Defining Issues Test

With recognition of the importance of higher education for the future well being of individuals and societies have come calls for increased accountability and the ability to demonstrate effectiveness in achieving stated goals. This study was designed to examine if an instrument used in research studies to measure changes in moral reasoning would be viewed by faculty as a useful tool to measure student outcomes toward the goal of moral reasoning articulated in the mission statement at one institution of higher education in the Northeast region of the U.S.; Using a cooperative responsive action research design, faculty from nine academic areas participated in focus group discussions to review Defining Issues Test (DIT-2) data collected from 503 undergraduate students. The DIT-2 data showed that there were significant differences on indices of higher moral reasoning and of lower moral reasoning between senior and freshmen level students, and there were differences on indices of higher moral reasoning between academic areas at the senior level that were not present at the freshmen level.; All of the faculty groups endorsed the DIT-2 as a student outcomes measure for the College. Four of the faculty groups endorsed the use of the DIT-2 as a student outcomes measure for their academic areas; three faculty groups endorsed it for informational purposes; and two groups rejected adding the DIT-2 to their existing program assessment activities.