Author Archives: sbarre13

The bases were loaded…everyone’s favorite hitter was up to bat as the keynote….two-year colleges were on first and second and third base was covered by a four-year school.  Jeremy stepped into the batter’s box and drove a screamer over the back fence.  The crowds were chanting Assessment, Assessment, Assessment! My apologies to the baseball aficionados in the group, but that’s how it felt this past week when we participated in the Assessment Matters 2019 conference hosted here at Johnson County Community College.  This year’s conference brought teams from 10 states and 41 colleges and universities.  Over the two days of the conference we had 162 participants in sessions on assessment in both academic and student affairs settings.  Dr. Jeremy Penn was our keynote provided a wonderful session on the past, present and future of assessment.  Our breakout sessions included projects from two-year and four-year schools, public and private. What was most exciting about the conference was the level of participation by Continue reading A Baseball Analogy for Assessment→

I recently led an assessment workshop that included both 2-year and 4-year faculty participants.  As part of the workshop, we discuss the assessment toolbox.  We discussed common tools like pre/posttests, embedded assessments, portfolios, standardized tests, and rubrics.   While all the tools can assist faculty in assessment activities, rubrics are a popular tool for both grading and assessment. One faculty member raised a question concerning whether or not to share rubrics with the students?  There was some lively discussion among the faculty on their practices and it was fairly evenly split between those who always shared their rubrics and those that didn’t.  I don’t have a strong stake in the decision to share rubrics, with one caveat – if the faculty members decides not to share a rubric, is there another document or description of the project that shares the requirements with the students?  Whether in the form of a rubric or a description within the syllabus, the most important task Continue reading Full Disclosure→

Assessment: the action or an instance of making a judgment about something. (Merriam-Webster) I teach a course for adjuncts at the college once each semester.  It is a three hour session that is part of an overall certification program for adjunct faculty.  I taught the class this week and found that most of my class had never taught before.  That was a bit surprising!  Usually I have a mix of faculty with experience at multiple schools or even years of experience at JCCC, but in this class I was introducing new faculty to the concept of assessment when they were still trying to figure out the basics of teaching! Because of the new faculty in the class, we went a little more in depth with some of the basics of evaluation, testing, and how to use assessment to improve teaching.  Actually, I used the word pedagogy to talk about teaching styles but that term was new to some of them Continue reading Assessment as Action→

I must confess – I am a book-a-holic.  Of course in the field of higher education, I am surrounded by others with the same problem.  Were it not for the invention of the e-reader, I am confident my home would now be completely overrun with my book collection and I would be fine with that! I am a firm believer the answer to many of life’s issues are housed in books, so this year we are trying a new experiment: a joint effort of the Assessment Office and the Faculty/Staff Development Office, we are hosting a faculty assessment book club. The book we are using for this inaugural offering is Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education, by Mary J. Allen.  Always a staple in our office, this book is a slim offering (8 chapters) packed with lots of great information on the basics of assessment.  Everything from defining learning objectives, direct assessment techniques, to making sense of assessment data.  This Continue reading Assessment by the Book (Club)→

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Flowers, candy, and stuffed animals of many varieties will be given to sweethearts and potential sweethearts all over the country. This day the Office of Outcomes Assessment would like to return to the days of yore and present you with a poem to show you we do have a heart and care about you; not just your data. Assessment Cyclical, measurable, innovative Friend of all educators Lover of cumulative data, research questions, and student learning outcomes Feels elation when student learning is improved Feels frustration when others don’t understand me Wants to see educators from all over the mid-west at the May 5th conference Lives at Johnson County Community College Matters How about showing your faculty and staff you care and send/bring them to the Assessment Matters conference on Friday, May 5, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This assessment bouquet includes keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and a preconference the afternoon before. Topics being Continue reading Assessment Matters! A Valentine’s Day Poem→