|
Frequently Asked Questions about Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
Frequently-Asked Questions Common Misconceptions
What do we mean by Assessment?
Assessment refers to identifying what you want your students to learn (Student Learning Outcomes) and measuring to what degree they have learned it. Data obtained from this assessment will drive the development of courses and programs. What are Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)?
Student Learning Outcomes are what you want your students to learn. These SLOs are articulated at the course level, the program level, and the college level. Will this involve a lot of paperwork?
No! Just as in the past, faculty will fill out a form documenting their use of classroom assessment techniques. The college will provide a standard form, or the discipline areas can create their own form within basic guidelines. The College is investigating a computer-based process to replace many of the paper forms required. Why are we doing this now?
The College has been “doing” assessment in a variety of ways since its inception. Leading the College’s efforts with assessment, the Student Learning Outcomes Committee has developed a College-wide plan. This is the first step in bringing all academic, occupational, and student service areas into a single College Assessment Plan. Do I have to do an assessment?
Everyone uses assessments to assess teaching and learning, and assessment works when it is faculty driven. As faculty, parts of our contracts relate to commitment to student learning; participating in the assessment process is one way to demonstrate this aspect of our contracts. The Provost has indicated that faculty will be able to use participation in the assessment process as a demonstration of that part of the faculty member’s PPP. Although it is each individual faculty member’s choice of whether to participate or not, it is important for all faculty to understand that the College is moving toward curriculum decisions made by CDACs to be at least in part grounded in information discovered through the assessment process. Does this mean I will have to administer a standardized test?
No! Assessment works best when it is faculty driven. So, faculty will decide on what assessment methodology they will use. There will be many opportunities sponsored by the college for learning about assessments. If a discipline area agrees that their discipline area-developed assessment method will be used, those faculty who wish to participate may do so. Other faculty may choose to develop their own assessment methods. What techniques can we use to assess our student’s learning?
There are a variety of ways to assess student learning, including: | * Classroom Assessment Techniques | * Quizzes | * Capstone Experiences | | * Simulations | * Group Work | * Interviews | | * Skill Tests | * Tests | * Oral Reports | | * Assignments | * Portfolios | * Lab Work |
How will this information be used?
Information gathered through assessments will be used in a variety of ways. Faculty will use the information to make adjustments in their particular classes if needed. Departments will use the information faculty generate to have conversations about teaching and learning. Discipline areas will use the information to make program and curricular decisions and budgetary requests through the Program Review process. The College will share this information with the community and accrediting agencies demonstrating how well PCC students Learn, Communicate, Innovate, Participate, and Aspire.
When will I have to start doing assessment?
Many faculty have been doing assessment for a long time. We encourage faculty to get involved at the discipline level as soon as possible. Each discipline area will have a Discipline Leader for Student Learning Outcomes in place by Spring, 2008. How is the College supporting this effort?
The college has made Student Learning Outcomes part of the College Plan as Initiative 1, Strategy 1.3: Create Student Outcome measures. Some of the steps it has already taken include: - Creating the Student Learning Outcomes Standing Committee to lend structure and guidance to the process
- Forming a team of five SLO Facilitators were given release time to train faculty and continue to develop the process
- Compensating 57 faculty to act as Discipline Leaders within the discipline areas
- Offering workshops for faculty and administrators in order to embed SLO’s into the culture of Pima Community College
How do Student Learning Outcomes relate to what I do in the classroom?
Assessing SLO and interpreting the results will give direction to improving student learning. Course and program objectives relate to the Student Learning Outcomes. In every class students take, they should be Learning. In most classes, they are Communicating and Participating. In many classes, students are Innovating and developing Aspirations. So, course and program objectives already relate to Student Learning Outcomes. How does this relate to the assessment for placement?
Assessment for placement provides a marker for where students begin their journey at Pima. By the end of their journeys, they will have grown. This growth will be assessed in many ways over their cumulative learning experiences. What is a Rubric?
Rubrics are guidelines that are authentic assessment tools to facilitate assessing complex and often subjective criteria. How will Rubrics be developed?
There are many ways for faculty to develop rubrics, and much research has been done on designing useful rubrics. CDACs, Departments, and Faculty may want to work together to develop rubrics. Generally, rubrics are developed around program, course, and assignment objectives. What is a typical assessment process?
At each level, an area to be assessed is determined, an assessment is made, results are discussed and changes based on those results are made. Then the process begins again. Faculty will do an assessment in their classroom, analyze the data, utilize the information and insights generated, and write a short report. Department members will have conversations about the data generated and use the findings as they continue to assess from semester to semester. These findings will be reported to CDACs and Deans. CDACs will discuss findings from Campuses and use findings to make decisions about curriculum and programs and make budgetary requests. CDACs will report findings to the college through the Program Review Process. The College will use findings to understand student learning in academic, occupational, and student service areas and to report to the community and accrediting agencies. Do we have to do that same thing every year?
No! Hopefully, faculty will use their findings to continually learn and grow. Common Misconceptions about AssessmentThe results of assessment will be used to evaluate faculty performance.
Assessment is generally anonymous unless it is used as a longitudinal study. Our students are learning well, we don't need to bother with assessment.
Education is a process that we need to continually refine. New processes, technologies and goals are continually forming the way we do things. We need to know what is working and how we need to adjust. These decisions should be based on objectively assessing the current situation. A few administrators will conduct the assessment.
The Student Learning Outcomes Plan outlines a procedure which is faculty driven: faculty decide the program outcomes, faculty choose the assessment techniques, faculty conduct the assessment, and faculty discuss the results and determine the necessary adjustments. The administration might use the results to eliminate some programs.
Student Learning Outcomes provide a tool for faculty to take more control of their own program. Assessment helps programs determine adjustments needed to improve. Assessment is a waste of time and does not benefit the students.
Student Learning Outcomes are student centered. Improving the learning process is as direct a benefit as the college could possibly provide. We will come up with an assessment plan for this year and use it every year thereafter.
Assessments are a work in progress. It is a cyclical procedure. When changes are made due to assessment of student learning outcomes, reevaluation can create additional changes. Also new learning outcomes can always be created or replace current learning outcomes. Program assessment sounds like a good idea, but it is time-consuming and complex.
Program assessment should not take a lot of time. Assessment, discussion and decisions are already taking place in programs. Program assessment should essentially be merely lending structure and documentation to what we are already doing.
|
