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Using Outcomes Assessment Data to Change and Improve. Introduction An example from Highline College Reflective practice using data Break Using data to direct and amplify change Connecting assessment data and your action plans. Outcomes assessment: Why it matters.
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Using Outcomes Assessment Data to Change and Improve • Introduction • An example from Highline College • Reflective practice using data • Break • Using data to direct and amplify change • Connecting assessment data and your action plans
Outcomes assessment: Why it matters • Connection to project goals – improve instruction, broaden participation, and enhance pathways • What we do as scientists: Research, hypothesis testing, and your action plan • Value to institutions and to geoscience community • Value to YOU
Questions to consider • Considering the outcomes measures we used, what did you (do you) expect to see? • What surprised you in your data? Did you have an “aha” moment? • Write • Share • Short report-outs
An Example from Highline College What I thought I knew… • Geoscience has less ethnic diversity than the College as a whole • African American students have lower success rates than other groups • We have more women in our classes than the College as a whole • International students struggle in our classes
Completion (C or Higher) by EthnicityCourses with Changes Made
Evening/Weekend vs. Daytime Classes Enrollment Completion (C or Higher)
Reflective Practice Using Data Debra Bragg & Heather McCambly
Reflective Practice Gibbs’ (1998) Reflective Cycle
Equity-Minded Practice Equity- Mindedness
What is Your Data Story? • What do your data tell you about your geoscience program, courses and students? • What data points are most compelling and most challenging? • What type of story is emerging? • Growth or decline • Universal or singular • Inclusive or exclusive • Equity or inequity • What story do you want to tell?
Discussion Questions • What story do your data tell? What else would you like to know? • What have you done to reflect on your data? • What will you do to engage others in equity-minded reflection in the future?
Outcomes Assessment: Using Data to Direct and Amplify Change
Step 1: What are we changing? Step 2: What could these changes… change? Reiterating a change hypothesis: Based on the past and future strategies, described above, we could expect to see a change in X measure over time in Y classes/groups.
Gallery walk • Walk the room and review other change agent’s posters • Use post-its to note where you see strong alignments between hypotheses and actions, or where you have questions • Note if you think a different type of data would be needed to align with the change work
Debrief Are your actions or plans, your hypothesis, and the data you’re collecting in alignment? If not, what needs rethinking?: • The data collection to capture meaningful outcomes? • The action plan to amplify potential strategies for impact?
Connecting assessment data and your action plansIf-then statements • If I change the introductory course to make it more relevant, then I will see more students, including more women, taking a second environmental science course • If I change the experience in oceanography so that it is more supportive of students, then I will see more students, including more students of color, asking about oceanography careers and 4YCU oceanography programs • If I include more exposure to career possibilities, workplaces, and professionals, then more of our students, including first-generation students, will transfer to geoscience programs at our neighboring 4YCU.
Possible approaches • Practices • Events • Programs • Policies
Observations • Students of color are underrepresented in geoscience courses, across the board • While 20% of the students in my courses identify as Hispanic or Latino, only 50% of those students earn a C or higher • Of the students who take more than one geoscience course, 80% are male
What might you choose to do in each case? • Students of color are underrepresented in geoscience courses, across the board • Think about what you could do to attract more students of color into geoscience courses. • Survey current geoscience students about the departmental climate? • Add science spotlights to your courses, to try to improve the experience of students of color who do take geoscience courses? • Organize and promote participate in a career fair? • Work with your institution’s advising staff for incoming students? • While 20% of the students in my courses identify as Hispanic or Latino, only 50% of those students earn a C or higher • Think about how you can support Hispanic/Latino students in geoscience courses. • Add societally-relevant course content? • Teach metacognitive strategies? • Add academic support for all students? • Ask your institution’s Multi-Cultural Affairs office for advice? • Add a values-affirming writing assignment to all of your courses? • Of the students who take more than one geoscience course, 80% are male • Think about what you could do to interest more women in the geosciences. • Survey current geoscience students about the departmental climate? • Actively recruit all female students who earn a grade of C or higher in any geoscience course to take additional geoscience courses? (What percentage of female students earn a grade of C or higher in their first geoscience courses?) • Add science spotlights that focus on female geoscientists?
Connecting assessment data and your action plans: How will you know if you are successful? Now that you’ve reflected on your data and your work in this session, what are some ideas for what you might do differently in the next year in your teaching? In your program? And how will you know the impact? What would you consider to be a measure of success? Your task: Generate some ideas for your action plan based on your outcomes assessment data, including the data related to equity. Make a direct link between each strategy and the outcomes. • Write for 10 minutes • Share • Report out
