PROCESS ASSESSMENT AT A MARYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ASSESSMENT PROCESS AT A MARYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
2006 Undergraduate Assessment Symposium North Carolina State University April 7, 2006 ________________________________ Shree Iyengar, PhD Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, Maryland
Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, Maryland
ASSESSMENT IS
Intended Outcomes of the Session
Review examples of assessment information in the session handouts
Guoh dong
Gather some practical tips for collecting assessment data in every day teaching and learning process
FOCUS OF PRESENTATION Context & background Assessment at three levels Development of course and program outcomes Special assessment projects Dissemination to students Using assessment results Challenges faced Lessons learned
CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND
Administrative support Organizational structure for assessment Faculty control of curriculum Reporting mechanisms
1
Administrative Support
An office dedicated to LOA Mini-grants to faculty Training/workshop opportunities Travel money Advisory Team to assist the office of LOA Assessment literature
Organizational structure for Assessment
The Office of LOA creates annual assessment objectives Instructional deans decide annual objectives The deans relay the plan to departments Dept. chairs relay the plan to faculty Departments report to the Office of LOA
Faculty control of curriculum
Faculty members propose new courses and programs Educational Policies & Curriculum Committee reviews and acts on new initiatives The college governance structure endorses new initiatives The college presents them to Maryland Higher Education Commission for approval
Reporting Mechanisms
Department chairs report to the Office of LOA The office of LOA
collates, analyzes and reports to the instructional deans and the Associate VP for Learning prepares annual report for the VP for Learning uploads information on the college Intranet prepares reports for external agencies (MHEC, Middle States, etc.)
Assessment at three levels
AACC - COLLEGE WIDE CORE COMPETENCIES
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Communication Scientific, Mathematical and Technological Proficiency Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Information Literacy and Research Social and Civic Responsibility Holistic Nature of Human Knowledge Global Perspective Self Management and Wellness
2
Assessment of college-wide competencies
1. Communication 2. 3. Written skills Speaking skills
Programs and Courses
Degree and Certificate Program that have stated outcomes
Twenty-five out of 35 associate degree programs Two out of 34 certificate programs
Information Literacy and Research Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Workshops/training currently under way A dozen courses across the disciplines targeted for CT assessment in fall 2006
Courses that have stated outcomes
Seventy four out of 197 gen. ed. courses Seventy five other courses
PROCESS: Involvement of Faculty Assessment Teams Development and use of rubrics for each type of assessment
Starting fall 2004 all new course and program proposals included learning outcomes documents
Use of Instructional Design Tool
Worldwide Instructional Design Systems (WIDS)
http://www.wids.org
Grant-funded Assessment Projects
AALE Pilot Project: online gen. ed. courses Maryland Online Quality Matters Research Project: Student learning in blended courses Lumina Foundation Grant Project Innovation and Inquiry for Student Learning
An online course
http://webct.aacc.edu:8900
AALE Project Details
Number of targeted courses: online 16
Number of faculty teaching these courses: 26 Number of students in these courses: 423
Number faculty completing the survey: 19 (73%) Number of students completing the survey: 188 (44%)
Growth of online courses at AACC: Fall 96 one course 12 students Spring 06 136 courses/3900 students
AALE Pilot Project
3
Applying QM Rubric to Blended Courses
Quality Matters Research Project Objective: To evaluate the impact of the selected elements of the QM Rubric on student learning in targeted blended courses at AACC. Quality Matters Web site: http://www.qualitymatters.org/
AALE Pilot Project
Applying QM Rubric to Blended Courses Fall 2005: 17 blended courses in nine different disciplines Four blended courses targeted for this study:
BIO 136 Nutrition (A lab science course) BPA 232 Business Statistics EDU 133 Growth and Development MAT 131 College Algebra
Applying QM Rubric to Blended Courses
QM Rubric Elements reflected in the survey questions: II. Learning Objectives (Competencies) III. Assessment and Measurement V. Learner Interaction
Design and conduct student surveys on learning outcomes
Applying QM Rubric to Blended Courses Number of completed student surveys Fall 2005 Mid-term BIO 136 11 BPA 232 6 MAT 131 7 Total 24
EDU 133
Applying QM Rubric to Blended Courses
After participating in the assessment project I would anticipate
End of Term BIO 136 5 BPA 232 3 MAT 131 5 Total
16 (8-week term)
making the following changes in the future BPA hybrid classes: 1. 2. 3. Outcomes would be more clearly stated Online component vs. in-class component requirements and expectations would be more clearly stated Groups would be formed in-class and then transferred to the online environment for homework/study groups
13
The rationale for the above changes are based in part on own experience and in part on the pre and post survey responses.
4
Lumina Foundation Grant Project Innovation and Inquiry for Student Learning
Alverno College coordinates the 3-year project funded by the Lumina Foundation AACC is one of 24 comm. colleges/tech. Colleges consortium Exchange of best practices on student learning assessment and retention strategies Summer 2006 workshop for consortium members Summer 07 and 08 workshops for other interested two year institutions
CHALLENGES
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Getting the organizational structure to function effectively Clarifying the assessment vocabulary to faculty Overcoming faculty reluctance (or resistance?) Collecting student work for assessment Getting past the compliance mode Making assessment an ongoing process Communicating to students 1. 2. 3. 4.
APPROACHES
Better communication Better communication Less on accountability and more on teaching and learning Announcing a policy statement in upcoming college catalog to ease the process Better communication Better communication Brochures, information on the college Web site and in Student Handbook in fall 2006
5. 6. 7.
Lessons Learned
Be patient Communicate the goals and objectives of learning outcomes assessment as often as needed Include ample implementation time Provide best practices, examples, templates and literature Initiate meaningful pilot projects, keeping good record of details Ask faculty to share results with colleagues Avoid re-inventing the wheel, letting faculty adapt a lot of what assessments they already use
THANK YOU!
Contact Information: Shree Iyengar, PhD
Director of Learning Outcomes Assessment Anne Arundel Comm. College Arnold, MD 21012
[e-mail] 410-777-2266
5