Assessment-More than Numbers

Assessment – More than Numbers From my first forays into assessment work, I heard colleagues assert that assessing student learning is the responsibility of faculty with the goal of improving student outcomes.  I agree wholeheartedly with the statement, but then encountered examples of assessment processes that seemed to be driven more by the need to satisfy accreditors, state agencies, or other external bodies, all of which seemed ill-suited to foster faculty interest and involvement in assessment.  While I believe that Institutional Research or Assessment offices are colleagues that partner with faculty to assist, the actual work of assessment belongs to faculty and processes of assessment within institutions should be constructed in a way to ensure faculty ownership and use of assessment results. At Johnson County Community College we have found that using the cycle of assessment provides a theoretical and practical framework to engage faculty in authentic assessment activities. What was the Question? The cycle of assessment begins with a Continue reading Assessment-More than Numbers

Assessment: A Primer for the Novice

Assessment: A Primer for the Novice Valerie Mann, Adjunct Associate Professor of Learning Strategies Assessment is a critical part of our culture at JCCC, in fact, in all of higher education.  But, have you ever wondered about the “Why?” “How?” and “What?” of assessing your students’ learning?  I started out the 2013-14 academic year by beginning my three-year term on the college-wide Assessment Council.  As a new addition to the assessment council I asked the director of outcomes assessment, Dr. Sheri Barrett, to recommend some reading for me to bring me “up-to-speed” on assessment.  This article is a result of my readings. Faculty assess student learning frequently.  Whether it is an electronically scored exam, evaluative essay question, research paper, project or group activity, performance, etc., faculty are expected and prepared to measure the comprehension of their course content or departmental curriculum.  So what is the difference in providing my students grades for assignments and assessment activities at JCCC?  In answering Continue reading Assessment: A Primer for the Novice