Tag Archives: assessment

An Accreditation Viewpoint

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If you know me very well, then you know that I am an accreditation geek.  What that means in my everyday life is that when I start talking about something in the world of accreditation, people’s eyes glaze over and they look at their watches frequently until I stop.  For me, accreditation work is a wonderful opportunity to see what other colleges and universities are doing at a greater depth and breadth than can be observed looking from the outside. I recently had the opportunity to participate in a site visit (no names here) at a community college in the Higher Learning Commission universe.  I was excited to see some of the wonderful work the faculty were doing in several areas, innovative programming, increases in student success, and probably the most highly engaged faculty and staff I have ever had the opportunity to meet.  But, like all schools, I also observed the areas where the campus was struggling.  In accreditation Continue reading An Accreditation Viewpoint→

On the road again…and again…and again

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On the road again…I started this blog post with my first trip to Louisville at the end of September.  Since then I have been to California on a site visit and to Indianapolis for the Assessment Institute.  I have two more trips to make before Thanksgiving so I am definitely getting my reward miles in this Fall. There were some great sessions at the 2016 Assessment Institute.  I participated in the poster session and dragged a giant tube with my poster in it on the plane from Kansas City.  The overhead bins are not fond of large cardboard tubes. There are always tough choices to make in determining which sessions to go to, invariably the two sessions that look the best are stacked against each other in the schedule and decisions must be made.  One session that I enjoyed and learned a lot in was a plenary and feature Sylvia M. Jenkins, President of Moraine Valley Community College.  Her story Continue reading On the road again…and again…and again→

A New Kind of Grade Inflation

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I spent my summer vacation like many assessment professionals – steeped in data!  Summer is when we have the time in our office to review assessment data from both the general education curriculum and the career and technical programs on campus.  I will admit to being a little bit disappointed as I reviewed some of the data sets. What emerged from the results was a form of grade inflation in student learning outcomes. The College has been very deliberate in its message about the use of assessment data for improving student learning in the classroom – NOT faculty evaluation.  However, I believe faculty still harbor concerns that the data on assessment will be used as an evaluation tool, and this is causing a new type of inflation not of grades, but of data.  I’m not sure what to call this trend.  Data-gate, data-inflation, or learning-inflation? All in all it does not benefit the students or the faculty.  I am still grappling with Continue reading A New Kind of Grade Inflation→

Endings and Beginnings

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We often think of December as the time when a year “wraps up” and things come to a close as we prepare to start a new year, but in the realm of academics, the month of May rivals or exceeds December as a time of closure.  We are wrapping up the academic year, colleagues and friends are retiring, we are posting final grades, and looking forward to a little rest and relaxation during summer.  So, in other words, this is a perfect time to think about assessment! Even as the academic year ends, another semester is already on the horizon, which means another academic year is fast approaching.  Summertime is a great time to take stock of where you are with your assessment initiatives.  Do you need to spend some time analyzing data?  Reevaluating your assessment question?  Tweaking or changing your assessment instrument?  Working with colleagues to develop new assessment strategies? The Office of Outcomes Assessment is the bridge to Continue reading Endings and Beginnings→

Conference Debrief

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Another year, another great conference!  It was wonderful to get to visit with so many colleagues at the Regional Assessment Conference on April 22.  I heard a range of presentations on campus assessment initiatives and strategies, enjoyed a dynamic keynote address (Dr. Jillian Kinzie rocks!), and ultimately came away invigorated— with a host of ideas for moving forward on my own campus. As we’ve taken time to catch up this past week, I’ve been working on my “to-do” list.  After digging my conference room and office out from under all of RCCAC 2016 materials, I pulled together some takeaways from this year’s conference: Assessment works! Kinzie shared some excellent stories and examples of colleagues and institutions that are closing the loop on assessment and making strides in student learning. (Be sure to revisit her presentation under the “RCCAC Keynote 2016” tab above.) There are multiple assessment roads. My colleagues and I shared lots of assessment strategies that have worked well Continue reading Conference Debrief→

Levels

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“Level” (noun) a device used for determining or adjusting something to a horizontal surface. (Dictionary.com) The building trades use levels extensively to make sure that the foundation upon which a building rests is completely square and on the level.  Building upon an uneven or out-of-square foundation can cause long-term problems with cracks to the foundation and shifting of walls within the structure over time.  So being level is of critical importance in all phases of the construction of any structure. Starting an assessment process on the level can be equally important.  Metropolitan Community College has been endeavoring to build a foundation of assessment over the last five years that has improved outcomes, the discipline review process, and accountability for assessment. The college is now ready to “level up” with their general education outcomes.  In the next round of building their assessment structure, the college will evaluate assessment through meta-analysis by combining discipline assessment with CCSSEE results. Come to the Regional Continue reading Levels→

Good Ideas

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I love a good idea.  They often lead to great adventures, interesting people, or wonderful discoveries.  Sometimes a good idea just causes me to reexamine my own perceptions – which can also lead to an interesting discovery.   Institutions could sometimes benefit similarly from a good idea. Two sessions offered at the Regional Assessment Conference focus on ideas – or, in both of these cases, IDEA – Individual Development and Educational Assessment, which is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve learning in higher education through research, assessment and professional development. One service of IDEA is a Student Ratings of Instruction System that is designed to provide useful formative feedback. Both Park University’s Dean of the Business School, Dr. Brad Kleindl, and Independence Community College’s Director of Institutional Research, Debbie Phelps, will share how their institutions have integrated IDEA into their culture of assessment. The session by Park University features the use of programmatic competencies within a Total Quality Management Continue reading Good Ideas→