student learning outcomes assessment montgomery college fall 2009 orientation workshop

Student Learning Outcomes AssessmentMontgomery CollegeFall 2009 Orientation Workshop

Outcomes for today’s Session

At the end of today’s session, participants will be able to

Explain what outcomes assessment is and why we do it

Identify the requirements and expectations for the MC OA process

Inform disciplines about student learning outcomes assessment at MC

Develop a meaningful assessment plan Involve disciplines in the development of

an OA plan

OA- Overview and Goals

What is outcomes assessment? Why do we do it? What do we assess? What do we do with the assessment information?

What is Outcomes Assessment? Outcomes Assessment is an ongoing,

systematic process of

identifying student learning outcomes, assessing student achievement of those

outcomes,and using the results to improve

student learning.

The Ultimate Goal

Develop a series of recommendations that lead to the improved student learning.

Recommendations should be:Action orientatedRelated to student learningBased on data and OA process

Reaching Meaningful Recommendations

Ask important, meaningful questions Create an authentic, realistic

assessment Have meaningful, honest discussions

among faculty to analyze instructional practices, performance expectations, student preparation and grading practices.

Use OA to make positive changes happen for students.

Outcomes Assessment at Montgomery College - What We Want to Achieve? Improve Student Learning Use college-wide assessment to help set

academic standards Use assessment to stimulate faculty

discussion on: Course content Course design Instructional methodology Standards General Education

Outcomes Assessment at Montgomery College - What We Want to Achieve (Cont.) Assessment of General Education

competencies Written & oral communication Information literacy Critical thinking Quantitative & scientific reasoning Technological competency

Assessment of course content in our most highly enrolled courses

Create a community of practitioners rather than independent agents

An OA Process Designed toAchieve Our Goals Course based and course embedded assessment

of three outcomes selected by discipline faculty Faculty work groups lead disciplines to choose

outcomes to assess and develop assessment tools A two-year assessment cycle with 4 phases:

Planning & piloting Full-scale assessment Data analysis Recommendation & follow-up

Active participation of all faculty Common assessments & scoring within each

course, every section Gen Ed courses select and assess at least one

outcome that aligns/embeds with a Gen Ed competency

What do we do with the assessment information? We don’t do anything with the

information. Your disciplines should use the

information to improve student learning by aligning

instructional activities with student performance.

the information to celebrate the success of our courses and programs by identifying strong practices.

the information to demonstrate accountability for student learning.

What don’t we do with the assessment information?

We don’t use information obtained through this process to evaluate faculty performance. Outcomes assessment is about evaluating the effectiveness of programs, not individuals.

OA at MC- Process and Expectations

2-year Time Frame

Semester 1- Planning OA Plan

Semester 2- Pilot and Feedback Discipline Pilots OA Plan

Semester 3- Full Implementation Full Discipline participates in the OA Plan

Semester 4 –Recommendations and Observations Data Analysis conducted by OA Data Resource

Team Discipline reviews results/data and makes

observations about strengths and weaknesses, and makes recommendations.

What is MC’s OA process? College-wide

all sections and instructors teaching the course participate.

Course embedded Assessment instrument is developed as part of

the course, not separate or additional Common task

All instructors use the same discipline developed assessment instrument and scoring tools.

Faculty driven Disciplines determine outcomes to assess,

develop assessment tools and come up with observations and recommendations.

Who is involved?

Leading CoursesSelected based on number of

sections(10 or more in a fall or spring semester) and included in a 5 year rotating cycle

OtherDisciplines or course groups can elect

to create an assessment plan for various purposes.

OA Responsibilities

Workgroup Responsibilities

Develop and implement an OA plan for the course. OA Plan consists of: Identified Student Learning Outcomes that are meaningful for

the discipline and aligned with General Education Competencies where appropriate

Supporting Student Activities Worksheet Assessment Instrument Scoring Tools Data Collection Information

Facilitate discipline discussion about OA Plan and incorporate discipline feedback

Coordinate the implementation of the OA plan in the discipline

Discipline Faculty Responsibilities Participate in the development of the

OA Plan Communicate collegewide, common,

core, course outcomes to students Communicate assessment

expectations (detailed instructions, scoring rubrics, etc.) to students

Participate in the assessment

College-wide Outcomes Assessment Team Responsibilities

Supporting the development of the OA Plan

Giving feedback on the plan Facilitating the collection of data Reporting results Providing training and leadership about

OA

General Education

How do the Gen Ed Competencies fit in?

What are the Gen Ed assessment expectations? Review the primary Gen Ed

competencies selected for the course.

Develop an assessment instrument that gives student the opportunity to demonstrate those competencies.

Collect student performance information on the selected competencies.

Embedding Gen Ed. Competencies SLO- Students will be able to discuss

the extent and impact of crime in America today (CJ 110)

Gen Ed Competency- Effective Written and Oral communication

Assessment- Oral presentation or written report that is scored on both the content and elements of either oral or written communication.

Common Concerns/Questions

Developing an Outcomes Assessment Plan

Part One: Asking a Meaningful Question

OA is not hard science as we are doing it- it is more closely aligned to action research.

Data that you collect is only as meaningful as you make it.

Exercise #1- Part A

Imagine you are at a discipline conference and you meet a colleague teaching your course at a similar institution.How would you describe this course to

your colleague?What are the most important

skills/knowledge/attitude that students take away from the course?

Exercise #1- Part B

Consider how your students perform in your course.Complete the following statements

relating to course content: I wish my students would/could : I am impressed that many of my students

can: How does the performance of students in

your classroom reflect the performance in your colleagues classrooms? National trends?

Exercise #1- Part C

As a group, using your course outcomes and your thoughts about student performance, decide on one area of student performance that would useful for your discipline to examine and document.

Align that area to a course outcome if it is not already clear.

For General Education courses, consider whether the selected outcome aligns with a general education competency that is core to the course

Part Two: Developing a Meaningful Assessment

Designing Assessment Instruments Imagine you are meeting a student

who took your course several years ago, if they successfully mastered the outcome you have selected, how would it be reflected in this student’s life?

Consider what has changed in a student who has mastered this outcome- what can they do now that they couldn’t do before?

Supporting Student Activities Consider what you and your colleagues do

in your courses now to give students the opportunity to learn this outcome. What activities or experiences are good strategies to give students opportunities to practice and master this outcome.

How do you currently know whether students achieve this outcome? What do you currently use to measure this outcome?

For Gen Ed- how do you currently help students become more proficient in the competency?

Assessment Instrument Exercise In your groups, share the lists you

have made that reflect your current instructional activities and your views on how these outcomes are reflected in students who have mastered the course.

As a group, select an activity/assignment that can be used to measure the outcome and that reflects what you expect students to be able to do as a result of this outcome.

Assessment Instrument tips Alignment-

Assessment should measure the outcome it is designed to measure. The assessment tool aligns with the course and SLO.

Communication/Clarity- The instructions for students and instructors

are easily understood and lead to consistent use of the assessment tool. Students are informed of the assessment, the expectations and the way the assessment will be scored in advance.

Course Embedded- The assessment tool can easily be given in all

classrooms. The assessment can be graded as well as scored as the individual instructor/department sees fit.

Assessment Instrument Tips (con.) Accommodation/Fairness-

The assessment tool allows for student accommodations as appropriate. Difficulty- The assessment should reflect the level of the course.

Reliability- The assessment tool provides for reasonable

reliability. The assessment will provide information which is useful.

Feasibility- The assessment is relatively easy to implement

and doesn’t require excessive time for faculty to score, report or implement. Assessments should be rolled into one assessment when practical

Assessment Instrument Tip (con.) Avoid

Assessments that are developed for ease of delivery.

Avoid making students think the assessment is unimportant.

Assessments that are overly complicated or burdensome.

Assessments that will not provide useful information

Part Three: Developing a Scoring Tool and Data Collection information

Scoring vs Grading

ScoringDetermining student achievement of

certain outcomes Grading

Looking at the whole product and assigning it a grade in the -context of the class.

Alignment/Task Analysis

To develop a scoring tool, first think about all the things a student must do in order to successfully complete this assessment. If you were completing this assignment,

what would you do to complete it? Think about how the outcome is

reflected in the assessment instrument.

How will you know that students have completed each step or element?

Scoring Tool Exercise Make a list of all the steps/activities

that a student must complete or that you would be looking for in a successful completion of the assignment.

Determine how you will collect that information- will you use a rubric? Will you identify specific questions or parts of answer to score?

Scoring Tool Advice- Rubric

Identify the areas you want to collect information about- (Create dimensions)

Develop descriptions that characterize student performance on that dimension (Develop Criteria)

Assign values to various levels of performance (Scale)

Data Collection

Once you have your scoring tool developed and aligned with the SLO, you will need to determine what headings should be used for each score the instructor will enter.

See examples and work with your cadre person on this.

Determine what is considered satisfactory on each scoring element and holistically.

Final Thoughts

Make sure to involve the discipline in the selection of outcomes and development of the assessment instrument.

Work with your Cadre person and meet deadlines so we can give you good feedback.

Use the handbook as a resource. Ask for help!

Questions?