Making Assessment Meaningful: Tips for Assessment Professionals

1. 17th Annual Assessment Fair, Elgin Community College Making Assessment Meaningful:Tips for Assessment Professionals Heather Snider, Institutional Research & Effectiveness Specialist Sharon Cooper, Business Faculty Lisa Mehlig, Executive Director of Institutional Research

2. Challenge 1:A Dirty Word ASSESSMENT

3. Lessons Learned: A Dirty Word Careful communication • Avoid assessment • Focus on rigor and quality • Focus on professional conversation Integrate into professional development • Why? What? How Do You Know? • Beginning with the End in Mind • Something to Talk About

4. Challenge 2:All Talk, No Action

5. Lessons Learned: All Talk, No Action Create a structure of accountability • At multiple levels • Across disciplines and programs • Beyond the expectations for accreditation Example: Assessment Timeline Example: Status Update Report Develop a culture of documentation Example: Course Assessment Report Add assessment responsibilities to contract language

6. Challenge 3:Just Get ‘Er Done

7. Lessons Learned:Just Get ‘Er Done Get more involved in quality assurance No more credit for participation. Common Message “If you aren’t using it to inform instruction or curriculum, don’t do it.” Create tools to ensure quality. Example: Objectives Checklist Example: MCS Review/Mapping Template Example: Course Assessment Progress Checklist Example: Program Review Template

8. Challenge 4:Communication Barriers

9. Lessons Learned:Communication Barriers Increase meaningful conversation about assessment: • Brown Bag and Coffee Talk Sessions • Development Day Presentations • Individual Consultations • Presentations to Deans and Chairs • Reading Days • By Special Invitation Developing/adapting tools to build common understanding Example: Program Review templates Example: SLO Checklist Example: Course Assessment Checklist Example: AAC&U VALUE Rubrics Example: Assessment webpage/handbook redesign

10. Challenge 5:It’s Too Hard!

11. Lessons Learned:It’s Too Hard! Build capacity. • Hire experts • Train knowledgeable others • Expand Assessment Committee Work smarter not harder. • Connect assessment efforts across levels of assessment • Assess multiple objectives with single measure • Make assessment a standard operating procedure

12. Discussion

13. AssessmentTimeline

14. Course AssessmentStatus Update

15. Course Assessment Report

16. Objectives Checklist

17. MCS Review/Mapping Template

18. Course Assessment Progress Checklist

19. Program Review Templates (sample)

20. Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Mapping Guidelines