Higher Education Assessment Workshop B: Robust Results NEASC Annual Meeting NATASHA JANKOWSKI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT CHRISTOPHER HOURIGAN, DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND PLANNING, RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE RACHAEL DIPIETRO, RESEARCH SPECIALIST, NORWALK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NILOA NILOA’s mission is to discover and disseminate effective use of assessment data to strengthen undergraduate education and support institutions in their assessment efforts. ● S URVEYS ● W EB S CANS ● C ASE S TUDIES ● F OCUS G ROUPS ● O CCASIONAL P APERS ● W EBSITE ● R ESOURCES ● N EWSLETTER ● P RESENTATIONS ● T RANSPARENCY F RAMEWORK ● F EATURED W EBSITES ● A CCREDITATION R ESOURCES ● A SSESSMENT E VENT C ALENDAR ● A SSESSMENT N EWS ● M EASURING Q UALITY I NVENTORY ● P OLICY A NALYSIS ● E NVIRONMENTAL S CAN ● D EGREE Q UALIFICATIONS P ROFILE ● T UNING ● L EARNING SYSTEM www.learningoutcomesassessment.org
Live Polling At which levels do you use assessment results most often? 1. Institution-level 2. Department/Program-level 3. Course-level
Use of Assessment Results 4 3.5 3 2.5 1.98 1.97 2 1.63 1.6 1.5 1.17 1 0.5 0 Curricular Department/program School/college Institution Co-curriculum requirements/courses Very Much, Quite a Bit, Some, Not at all
Submit Write Outcomes Reports ACCREDITATION/ PROGRAM REVIEW Package Identify Assessments Results Gather Results
Principles of Local Practice Develop specific, actionable learning outcomes statements. Connect learning outcomes with actual student demonstrations of their learning. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders, beginning with the faculty. Design assessment approaches that generate actionable evidence about student learning that key stakeholders can understand and use to improve student and institutional performance. Focus on improvement and compliance will take care of itself.
But… What are we really trying to do???
Institutional or Program Improvement
Learning Improvement
Strategize New Student Name Expectations Success for Learning Plans IMPROVEMENT Determine Communicate Expectations Extent of to Learners Learning Collect Student Work
What does good assessment look like for us? Why do we think that what we are doing, for these students, will lead to enhanced learning, at this time? What processes and structures would we need in place to achieve learning improvement? What type of data would we need to collect that we aren’t right now?
Standard 8: Educational Effectiveness The institution demonstrates its effectiveness by ensuring satisfactory levels of student achievement on mission-appropriate student outcomes. Based on verifiable information, the institution understands what its students have of their education and has useful evidence about the success of its recent graduates. This information gained as a result is used for planning and improvement, resource allocation, and to inform the public about the institution. Student achievement is at a level appropriate for the degree awarded. 8.8 The results of assessment and quantitative measures of student success are a demonstrable factor in the institution’s efforts to improve the learning opportunities and results for students.
Group Discussion At your tables, please share with the group your program-level assessment efforts and one challenge related to using results that you are currently experiencing.
NEASC ANNUAL MEETING December 12-15, 2017 Boston, MA Higher Education Assessment Workshop B: Robust Results Christopher Hourigan, Director of Institutional Research & Planning
R HODE I SLAND C OLLEGE – Rhode Island’s only Public Master’s level 4-yr institution ; part of a three-institution system that includes the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and the University of Rhode Island (URI) – Located in Providence , state capital and main urban center – Serves approximately 8,200 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels – 45% of undergraduates are first-generation students , and 35% identify as non-White – Programs in Arts & Sciences , Business , Education , Nursing , and Social Work – Major changes in college leadership over past two years: new President , Provost , and VP for Finance & Administration . New divisions of Student Success (with a VP) and Community, Diversity, and Equity (with an Associate VP) – Major upgrades to Physical Plant , including new academic spaces – Last five-year report submitted in 2016 ; last 10-year reaccreditation received in 2012 – Next review: Fall 2020
A SSESSMENT A T RIC 1. Academic Assessment Program/Majors Outcomes • General Education Outcomes • 2. Institution-level Assessment Student Engagement • Student Satisfaction • Student Success: Retention, Persistence, Graduation •
I NFRASTRUCTURE FOR A SSESSMENT 1. Committee on Assessment of Student Outcomes (CASO) Led by faculty member and consists of faculty, Provost, and Director of Institutional • Research and Planning Coordinates program-level assessment • Works jointly with Committee on General Education (COGE) to assess general • education Supports institutional-level assessment • Sponsors a semiannual Assessment Colloquium to share assessment projects on • campus 2. Institutional Research & Planning (IRP) Conducts surveys used for institution-wide assessment • Prepares reports on retention, graduation, and other measures of institutional • effectiveness Shares results with campus community • 3. Enrollment Management Team New group developed and led by VP for Student Success • Charged with increasing enrollment, persistence, and graduation • Developing metrics of success and using real-time data for interventions •
U SE OF A SSESSMENT R ESULTS —A CADEMIC A SSESSMENT IN P ROGRAMS Accredited/Licensed and Non-Accredited/Licensed Programs at RIC • Programs are asked to prepare reports on their assessment • activities each academic year For most programs, assessment results are used to add courses , • change the emphasis of courses , or alter assessment process
A CADEMIC A SSESSMENT E XAMPLES —B IOLOGY AND ENGLISH Biology English Outcomes Measured Knowledge in Field of Biology Writing Competency Assessment Tool ETS Major Field Test (MFT) in Biology (given to Final paper in senior seminar every senior in Biology Capstone Course) Findings 1. In 50th percentile nationally on Organismal 1. Students taking English as the content major in Biology , compared to 80-90th percentile on Elementary Education did not perform as well as other test subscores. other English majors on: 2. Grades in introductory biology courses • Use of MLA citation format and covering topics (111 and 112) do not correlate incorporation of secondary sources well with MFT subscore on Organismal Biology Analysis of literature in historical and • 3. Content of those introductory courses has cultural contexts grown, allowing less time to focus on 2. Findings attributed to fact that ELED students organismal biology took fewer courses emphasizing these competencies than other majors Interventions 1. Introductory biology course sequence 1. Changed requirements for Elementary Education expanded with an additional course to ensure track, adding two courses that better aligned adequate coverage of organismal biology in curriculum with state requirements for teacher two introductory courses. certification and dropped requirement for senior seminar. Results 1. Results not yet available, as change was 1. Rating of final papers in new courses recently implemented. demonstrated improvement in second 2. Will determine effectiveness via MFT scores competency, in particular. when students are seniors.
U SE OF A SSESSMENT R ESULTS —GENERAL EDUCATION Current general education program began in 2012 and was • designed to meet eleven learning outcomes Assessment has begun with three of these outcomes: • Written communication – Research fluency – Critical/creative thinking – Team of faculty members from across the college evaluated • course artifacts to determine whether students are meeting outcomes At present, results of assessment efforts have been used mostly • to adjust the assessment process itself , rather than to make changes to the curriculum
U SE OF A SSESSMENT R ESULTS —I NSTITUTIONAL A SSESSMENT , S TUDENT E NGAGEMENT & S ATISFACTION 1. Participated in NSSE for multiple years and used results to: Modify the advisement process – Create professional development opportunities for faculty to – promote greater interdisciplinary learning Items related to High-Impact practices support president’s “learning – innovation” initiatives 2. Homegrown Student Census survey administered every other year Captures student satisfaction with various aspects of their education – at RIC Results shared with groups of academic and student life leaders – Led to efforts to improve campus environment and customer service – in various offices Improvements noted in some offices/services and campus issues, – such as Records & Registration, Safety & Security, and Classrooms
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