Assessment Day 2017

1. Assessment Day 2017 Welcome!

2. First and foremost, May is National Photograph Month! Be brave, and show that cherished family photo, such as this one.

3. Purposes and Goals • To review selected Gordon Rule Assessment data • To review selected at-risk student data • To select an action plan to serve as the basis of the Communications Assessment Plan for the 2017-2018 academic year • To discuss the proposal to have an English Learning Outcome Leader for East, Osceola, and West campuses and to have those leaders serve 2-year terms

4. Gordon Rule Assessment Data • There exist some scoring differences between the disciplines (Communications, Humanities, and Social Science) with logic and organization and with purpose. • For example, Communications has a score of 61% for logic and organization, whereas Humanities has a score of 85% and Social Science has a score of 70%. • There is greater consistency with accuracy.

5. Some Questions to Consider • Why are there such differences? • Are they related to the process by which the essays were selected by each discipline? • Are they related to the course outcomes? • Are they related to the fact that plagiarism was detected in some of the essays? • Are they related to different expectations that Communications, Humanities, and Social Science faculty have for logic and organization and for purpose? • What discussions can Communications, Humanities, and Social Science faculty have regarding both logic and organization and purpose?

6. Scoring by Communications Faculty • There is scoring consistency of the Communications essays on each campus. (Incidentally, faculty from Lake Nona and Winter Park joined East faculty for the scoring of the 12 essays on April 7, 2017.) • In some instances, there is not scoring consistency of the essays between the three campuses. For example, whereas 68.4% of East faculty scored the 12 essays “yes” for logic and organization, only 48.8% of Osceola faculty gave the essays the same score, and 57.6% of West faculty gave them the same score.

7. Some Questions to Consider • Why are there such differences? • What discussions can college-wide Communications faculty have regarding these differences? • What impact do these differences have on Valencia students, such as students who enroll in a Composition I course on one campus and then in a Composition II course on another campus?

8. Student Feedback on Instruction (SFI) • This survey was administered to students enrolled in courses at Valencia between Fall 2015 and Fall 2016. • Valencia received 10,131 responses from students on all campuses. • Composition faculty can use the SFI to garner information about at-risk student populations and to guide work on the action plan.

9. SFI Reflections • Students more frequently succeed in ENC 1102 when they enroll in it a semester or two after ENC 1101 rather than wait at least one year. • There are almost identical success rates for students who take prep reading or writing and then ENC 1101. • Many students do not succeed because, quite simply, they do not complete all of the work. • Even though Composition faculty are asked about the way that they teach reading in their classes, there has never really been a focus on reading skills in ENC 1101.

10. Top 4 Challenges Facing At-Risk Students • Lack of critical reading ability (29 respondents ranking it in the top 4) • Lower attendance (22 respondents ranking it in the top 4) • Fewer completed assignments (25 respondents ranking it in the top 4) • Lack of participation in coursework (22 respondents ranking it in the top 4)

11. At-Risk Student Populations • For the 2017-2018 academic year, at-risk students represent the focus of each division’s assessment work. • Valencia has identified four at-risk student populations. • Students who are not successful in any of their first five courses • New students who are attending college for the first time • Students taking mathematics who have been identified as being in need of support • Students who are among those that have shown declining rates of persistence

12. Group Activities • Form groups of 4-5. • We have examined what we as English faculty members consider to be the top four challenges to our at-risk students. Building upon the four categories of at-risk student populations identified by Valencia, identify some other at-risk student populations who exhibit these challenges.

13. Changes to Selection of Learning Outcome Leaders (LOL) • The proposed plan involves the selection of a team of LOLs—one from East, one from Osceola, and one from West, with one of the three serving as the lead LOL. • Each LOL serves a two-year term. • Each LOL serves as a member of a team so that there is a division of the work, feedback, and diverse representation. • What are your thoughts regarding the proposed plan? • Are you prepared to vote on this plan this afternoon, or would you prefer to mull over it, and vote electronically next week? • For information about the role of an LOL, click: http://valenciacollege.edu/academic-affairs/institutional-effectiveness-planning/institutional-assessment/loa/documents/WorkPlanLOLssenttodeans9-2014--edited1-2015v3KBLB.pdf

14. Concluding Remarks • Next steps • The focus of the assessment plan for the next academic year (Information Literacy) • Much thanks for your participation in assessment at Valencia!