Category Archives: General Assessment Info

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)→

Although the summer season is not officially over until September, it might as well be for anyone working in education. Children everywhere will be getting on buses or parents will brave the drop off lanes in the coming days and weeks, while also preparing to return to syllabi, lesson plans, and more. The Kansas summer was hot, windy, wet, and busy. While we, the office formerly known as Outcomes Assessment, have gone through an official name change; it will not hinder our drive to provide exceptional service to the faculty of JCCC. We have a plethora of sessions being offered during Professional Development Days starting August 14, 2017: Assessment by Design Administrative and Service Area Review Process Assessment By the Book (Club) Program Review Reports Updates Ask a Peer Reviewer – Preparing for the HLC Site Visit From Good Grades to Good Learning World Café Look for times, locations, and session descriptions in your PDD calendar. If you are just Continue reading Welcome Back, Welcome Back→

Ah June. The first month of the summer season: outdoor concerts, swimming pools, the smell of sunscreen and bug spray, frozen treats, epic road trips, and summer camps. As adults, we have replaced summer camps with summer workshops. It’s a fabulous way to get together with colleagues from other institutions to network and get ideas for the upcoming fall term. Assessment by Design, a one day workshop, offers our colleagues an opportunity to learn about the Cycle of Assessment with the goal of developing an assessment plan for the upcoming academic year. Build your assessment toolbox with formative, summative, direct, and indirect assessments. Learn how to design a rubric and more. There are still a few openings for Friday, June 16th. The cost is $135 for the day and includes lunch, refreshments, a workbook, and lots of hands-on activities. Say “Hello” to June with us.

As April quickly draws to an end, let us reminisce: it was Autism Awareness month, it rained, it was National Poetry month, and it rained some more, the professional baseball season started, and now only 10 days until the Assessment Matters Conference. I’m so excited! Just think, you can enjoy presentations like Assessing Course Assignments to Allow for Quantitative Evidence-Based Decisions about Teaching Methods presented by Dr. Jamie Dyer of Rockhurst University during the day and a Kansas City Royals baseball game at night. In order to make informed, evidence-based decisions about pedagogical methods that increase learning and retention in a General Biology I course, quantitative assessment analyses were performed to determine the effectiveness of using creative 3-dimensional simulation assignments to improve understanding and learning of specific basic biological topics. Comparisons of student learning and retention with and without the simulation assignments were performed for same student populations to control for differences among student populations and across semesters. Overall, this Continue reading I’m So Excited and I Just Can’t Hide It→

In Kansas its more likely April thunderstorms bring May mosquitoes flowers. Although April in Johnson County is historically wet and windy with unpredictable temperatures; May is sunny with mild temperatures and is all-around a beautiful month. May 5 is anticipated to be sunny with temps in the mid to upper 70s. An excellent day for the Assessment Matters conference. Come enjoy the day with colleagues from around the Midwest and beyond in the Regnier Center located on the campus of Johnson County Community College. Have a cup of coffee and a pastry while you browse through and choose your morning breakout sessions to attend. Please consider Assessment and Campus-Wide Engagement: Incorporating a Center for Teacher and Learning presented by Dr. Jelena Ozegovic, Dr. Tiffany Bohm, Tom Grady, and Julian Gonzalez from Kansas City Kansas Community College. Creating a culture of assessment is often a significant challenge at many community colleges. Institutions are increasing recognition and awareness that assessment should inform Continue reading April Showers Bring May Flowers→