On the right track. Headed down the right road. Off on the right foot. Picking up steam. Headed in the right direction. I’m sure there are a few more idioms that could be thrown into the mix above. But I think you get the general drift – Johnson County Community College has made great strides in its assessment processes and we have a great deal to be proud.
The AEIO office and the Assessment Council co-chair recently had the opportunity to spend 4-half day sessions with the assessment scholars and mentors of the Higher Learning Commission discussing general education assessment good and best practices. There were roughly 70 plus faculty and staff in the webinars. Our team had the opportunity to hear what some other schools were doing, discuss what efforts we want to pursue in our assessment journey, and meet with an assessment mentor to make sure we were on track.
Our team was delighted to hear during the plenary sessions and during the coaching sessions how well JCCC’s general education assessment plan aligns with good practices. I was proud of our team’s ability to tell others that our assessment practices are driven by the faculty. Many participants expressed their institution’s assessment culture to be driven primarily by top-down mandates and even referred to their assessment teams as “Assessment Cops”. It was exciting to share how different our faculty-driven assessment culture is at JCCC – from ensuring each discipline makes decisions on what needs to be assessed all the way to empowering faculty to decide what steps need to be taken to improve student learning.
It was also a rewarding experience to share the unique perspective of a two-year transfer institution with our four-year university colleagues. I think the challenges we face in General Education assessment – from working with a diverse and fluid student body to coordinating with a large set of faculty from diverse disciplines – were appreciated, which says so much about how well we are doing overall.
After attending this enlightening HLC event, I want to give kudos to all of the JCCC faculty and disciplines that embrace assessment and realize the benefit to their students and the curriculum. So don’t let your assessment practices “drift” – you set a great example – keep doing it! You are on the right track and I can’t wait to see where the road takes us next.
Dr. Sheri H. Barrett, Director, Assessment, Evaluation and Institutional Outcomes and Ashley Vasquez, Associate Professor, Communications Studies
