Conference – Page 4 – Assessment by Design

It’s Complicated

Posted on February 3, 2015 by mmcmull5 — No Comments ↓

General Education curriculum: Who owns it? Who assesses it? And, importantly, who decides on changes based on the assessment data? Big questions, even bigger answers. These are just a few of the complications that swirl around higher education assessment. At this year’s conference, we have two sessions that not only bring these broad questions into tight focus but also offer specific strategies for making gen ed assessment happen. In an afternoon breakout titled “Structuring and Scaling Up Embedded Assessment of General Education Outcomes at St. Louis Community College,” presenters will share their redesigned system-wide general education assessment, including best practices, early findings, obstacles, and future directions. In the final breakout session of the day, Johnson County Community College will share an AQIP action project to develop a comprehensive assessment plan which encouraged broad faculty participation, early implementation, and analysis of first results. These presenters will also address the difficulties of aggregating different kinds of data, hence the session title, “Apples Continue reading It’s Complicated→

Feeling Good About Assessment

Posted on January 23, 2015 by mmcmull5 — No Comments ↓

I am a big fan of big-band jazz and I love the song “Feeling Good” – the lyrics include the phrase “It’s a new dawn, it’s new day, it’s a new life for me. And I’m feeling good!” Well it’s a new year, 2015, a new semester, a new conference, and I’m feeling good about the line-up that we have set-up for the 5th Regional Assessment Conference hosted this year by Johnson County Community College on April 20, 2015. Let’s start with this year’s keynote. Dr. Tom Angelo’s keynote for the conference is “Seven Levers for Higher and Deeper Learning: Research-Based Guidelines and Strategies for Improving Teaching, Assessment and Learning.” Just the opportunity to hear more from Dr. Angelo breathes new life into my teaching and assessment strategies. I had the opportunity this past summer to attend one of his workshops and was impressed to find a great blend of theoretical and practical advice that I immediately put to use. Continue reading Feeling Good About Assessment→

Professional Development – A Plethora of Opportunities

Posted on November 4, 2014 by sbarre13 — No Comments ↓

Definition of Professional Development – “the process of obtaining the skills, qualifications, and experience that allow you to make progress in your career.” (Macmillan Dictionary, 2014) Looking ahead over the next several months at JCCC, I find the opportunities for faculty development in the assessment of student learning remarkable in both breadth and depth. Leading off the new academic semester in January, the Office of Outcomes Assessment (OOA) will host a workshop that was piloted last summer. Assessment by Design – Comprehensive Overview, is a day-long, hands-on workshop which provides participants with an interactive and theoretical framework for addressing the assessment needs of their courses or programs. Come to this workshop as an individual faculty member working on assessing student learning in your courses, or bring your colleagues to address assessment initiatives for your program. During Professional Development Days, find your development opportunity in sessions such as: “Hits and Misses” in Launching Assessment Strategies, a faculty panel discussion Taming Continue reading Professional Development – A Plethora of Opportunities→