Assessment

Assessment Activities

AY 2021-2022 Activities

• On August 16, 2021, the annual assessment workshop was held. A discussion of how to shift our focus to the assessment of program-level outcomes was held.
• Departments and programs reviewed draft reports based on AY 2020-2021 faculty reporting and sent their conclusions and responses to the director of teaching and learning innovation. 
• During September and October 2021, the director of teaching and learning innovation met individually with program directors to ensure alignment of the campus assessment process and their programmatic accreditation requirements and other needs. These conversations resulted in establishing more flexible reporting mechanisms that can be used to drive decision-making at the program and institutional levels.
• A modified process for General Education assessment was also developed in response to the unique needs of Gen Ed departments and faculty. This model should prove more useful in assessing program-level outcomes, in this case, the Gen Ed Core and AA/AS.
• Program and department assessment plans and curriculum maps were reviewed and updated as appropriate.  
• Results of the AY21 assessment report were shared with the campus on January 7, 2022, as a presentation to CPBAC.

AY 2020-2021 Activities

• Due to shifting operational priorities caused by COVID-19, the institution continued using the same course reflection model that had been introduced in AY 2019-2020. Plans to move to an assessment model emphasizing program-level outcomes were postponed in favor of helping faculty develop skills to teach in multiple modalities.
• Campus-wide assessment training and workshops could not be held this academic year.
• The first institutional report on student learning outcomes assessment was presented in October 2020 to all campus stakeholder groups. 
• Faculty followed assessment reporting plans developed at the department/program level to report on student achievement in courses, with the intention of scaling assessment results to the program level. The majority of departments and programs on campus articulated assessment plans early in the fall semester. These plans included curriculum maps demonstrating alignment of program-level learning outcomes to courses, as well as alignment to the College Learning Outcomes.      
• The Student Learning Assessment Committee drafted and presented policy 216.1 Student Learning Outcomes Assessment and its related procedure to the campus. The policy and procedure became effective on May 27, 2021. 
• The director of teaching and learning innovation reviewed and aggregated course-level reflections to draft program/department assessment reports. After faculty review, these reports were used to develop the institutional report of student learning outcomes assessment. 

AY 2019-2020 Activities

• On August 19-20, 2019 faculty participated in campus workshops to discuss assessment, offer feedback and ideas regarding institutional learning outcomes, and create a foundation for a meaningful, faculty-driven programmatic and institutional assessment process.
• During the assessment workshops, an ad hoc committee of faculty from General Studies, Health Sciences, and Trades was formed to serve as an advisory group to the Director of Assessment. The group's charge was to review and suggest revisions to the College Learning Outcomes, as well as assist the director in creating and implementing an assessment process focused on program-level assessment. This work began in September 2019.   
• On October 1, 2019, the ad hoc assessment committee resolved to become a permanent standing committee. 
• From September 2019-November 2019, the Assessment Committee worked to revise the College Learning Outcomes, following a collaborative process. In addition to feedback received during the August assessment workshops, faculty input was solicited via survey, informing further revisions. 
• The revised College Learning Outcomes (CLOs) were accepted by the Curriculum Committee on November 15, 2019. 
• In November and December 2019, the Director of Assessment conducted one-on-one interviews with all department chairs and program directors regarding programmatic student learning assessment. These interviews were used to inform the establishment of a revised assessment process and support individualized program-level goal setting, supporting continuous improvement. 
• On February 28, 2020, a small focus group comprised of faculty from all academic divisions was conducted to pilot a draft assessment process. 
• In early March 2020, a group of five faculty piloted a revised reflection form and offered feedback. This feedback informed the further revision of the reflection document.
• Plans to implement a program-level outcomes assessment process were postponed due to COVID-19. The campus moved to remote operations in March 2020 and this shift in operations and priorities prevented the planned implementation of the program-level assessment model.  
• In April 2020, full-time faculty were asked to complete the revised reflection form for any course taught during AY 2019-2020. The results of the reports were used to inform future iterations of the assessment process, guide needed training, and help programs set goals for continuous improvement.  

AY 2018-2019 Activities

• The General Studies Division began piloting a new course-level assessment process. Included in this process were departmentally created assessment rotation plans. The first round of course-level assessment data was submitted at the end of the fall 2018 semester.
• Faculty in the General Studies Division replaced the LOAF (Phase IV) form with the faculty reflection and self-evaluation form. Submissions were due at the end of the fall 2018 semester.
• Revised processes and the need for training for all divisions postponed CLO assessment. 
• On January 7, 2019, training in the revised assessment process was held. This training was mandatory for full-time faculty and optional, but encouraged, for adjunct instructors.
• In March 2019, Dr. Natasha Jankowski, Director and Research Associate Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, visited the college as a NILOA coach. Dr. Jankowski spent the day offering guidance and feedback on institutional improvement and the revised assessment process.   
• CLO assessment was piloted in spring 2019. A small group of volunteer faculty from across campus tested VALUE rubrics to assess signature assignments in their courses. This pilot offered helpful findings regarding the assessment process and the need to review and possibly revise the College Learning Outcomes.
• Feedback from Dr. Jankowski, results of the CLO assessment pilot, and results from the piloted course-level assessment process provided evidence to support further review and revision to our institutional assessment process, including more targeted professional development on assessment-related topics.

2016-2017 Activities

• In 2015, the College Learning Outcomes Assessment Team (CLOAT) began to rewrite the 8 Abilities as the College Learning Outcomes (CLOs), reducing the number of institutional learning outcomes from eight to five. The CLOs were revised in spring 2016, rolled out in fall 2016, and fully implemented during fall 2017.
• In spring 2017, leadership for outcomes assessment became centralized with one person, the Director of Assessment. A faculty member was appointed to this position as part of their workload. CLOAT completed its work and is no longer an active campus group.
• Faculty listening sessions were conducted in February 2017 to learn more about faculty perceptions and needs regarding assessment. Recommendations were presented to executive leadership and the ALO in May 2017.