Creating a Culture of Accountability and Assessment

at an Urban Community College

Diane B. Call, President

Paul Marchese, VP Academic Affairs,

Liza Larios, Dean of Human Resources & Labor Relations

Stuart M. Asser, Chairman of Engineering Technology

QCC College Demographics

A constituent campus of the City University of New York 391 Fulltime Faculty/Approx . 500 Teaching Faculty Enrollment of over 16,000 (Fall 2014) Over 40% of students speak a language other than English

Hispanic Black

Asian White

Native Amer

Foundational Truths Assessment has become an integral part of college

accreditation.

Assessment/Accountability will become even more important in the future.

Colleges and programs are at different places in the maturity of their assessment processes.

Colleges and programs have different resources available to them (e.g., number of faculty, availability of assessment expertise, time).

Colleges and programs have faculty who have different levels of expertise in their understanding of good assessment practice.

Division of Strategic Planning, Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness Vice President of Strategic Planning, Assessment and

Institutional Effectiveness

Dean for Accreditation, Assessment, and Institutional Effectiveness

Senior Director of Institutional Research

Assessment Manager

Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

Assessment

Assessment is one or more processes that identify, collect, and prepare data to evaluate the attainment of student outcomes and program educational objectives.

Effective assessment uses relevant direct, indirect, quantitative and qualitative measures as appropriate to the objective or outcome being measured.

Appropriate sampling methods should be used as part of an assessment process.

What

Evaluation

Evaluation is one or more processes for interpreting the data and evidence accumulated through assessment processes.

Evaluation determines the extent to which student outcomes and program educational objectives are being attained.

Evaluation results in decisions and actions regarding program improvement (closing the loop).

How

Continuous Improvement

The program must regularly use appropriate, documented processes for assessing and evaluating.

The results of these evaluations must be systematically utilized as input for implementing enhancements to the program.

When

Creating the Assessment Climate Discussion at Department Meetings Assessment Is Necessary

o Accreditationo Grants

Decouple from faculty evaluation Create Committee Keep all Faculty Informed Test the Assessment Process

Assessment ActivitiesForm committee to draft

Objectives Outcomes Performance Indicators Rubric Templates Curriculum Map

Faculty Review/Revise committee drafts Define Assignment, Exam, Project for Rubric Perform Evaluation

Committee summarizes data and reports to department Department evaluates for continuous improvement

Assessment Processes

Program Educational Objectives (should support Mission Statement)

General Education/Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Evaluation Continuous Improvement (Closing the Loop)

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates will be able to demonstrate ability to solve complex problems and participate in a team‐based environment

Student Learning Outcomes

Ability to functioneffectively on a team

Performance Indicators

Researches and gathers informationFulfills duties of team rolesShares in work of teamListens to other teammates

Assessment Relationships

Objectives Vs. Outcomes

Program educational objectives and student outcomes are similar but not the same.

What are some of the differences? Degree of specificity Role of constituents Types of measurements possible Cycles of data collection

Importance of Well-Stated Performance Indicators

Provides faculty with clear direction for implementation in the classroom

Makes expectations explicit to students (great pedagogy)

Focuses data collection

Close The Loop!The biggest mistake made by people trying to create a continuous improvement process is not closing the loop.

Take the measurements.

Compare measurements from year to year.

Share these with all of the faculty and the Industrial Advisory Board.

Make and document changes based on measurements!

Faculty Role is Critical to Success!

Outcomes assessment is a human process which must be owned by the faculty who must

Develop the student outcomes Develop the performance indicators Evaluate results of assessment Identify and design areas for improvement Implement changes Assess impact

Resistance to Engage in Assessment Motivation to participate is highly personal—

each individual sees it in terms of how it affects him/her and work

People always resist things that they perceive not to be in their best interests.

Resistance is an expression of power — the ability to not get what you don’t want.

Motivating/Supporting Faculty Participation Create understanding that assessment is necessary for

accreditation

Tenure/Promotion/Recruitment

New Faculty Institute

Create a Faculty Assessment Institute

Create an Assessment Committee in the Faculty Senate

Provide resources/grants for assessment projects

Encourage faculty to attend accreditation and assessment conferences

Assessment Method Truisms There will always be more than one way to measure any

student outcome No single method is good for measuring a wide variety of

student abilities There is generally an inverse relationship between the quality

of measurement methods and their expediency “Ideal” method means those that are best fit between

program needs, satisfactory validity, and affordability (time, effort, and money)

It is important to pilot test to see if a method is appropriate for your program

Crucial to use multi‐method/multi‐source approach to maximize validity and reduce bias of any one approach

Things I Wish I Had Known… Capitalize on what you are already doing

One size does not fit all

You don’t have to measure everything all the time

More data -- not always better

Pick your battles

Take advantage of local resources

Don’t wait for perfection

Go for the early win

Decouple from faculty evaluation

QuestionsWWW.QCC.CUNY.EDU/Assessment