SLO’s/SAO’s, Assessment and Beyond!

1. SLO’s/SAO’s, Assessment and Beyond! An Interactive Flex Day Presentation January 25, 2013

2. Purpose of this Workshop • To provide faculty with the tools in applying Course Level SLO’s or SAO’s to Institutional Level Learning Outcomes • To provide faculty with the tools to document evidence of assessment result implementation • To HAVE FUN!

3. Why did you choose the field of Education? • Money? • Fame? • Popularity? or….. STUDENTS?

4. Philosophy of Assessment As a student-centered Staff or Faculty Member • When you hear the word assessment, what does that mean to you? • What is the difference between being teacher-centered and learning-centered?

5. Philosophy of Assessment Assessment is a technique for institutions to: • Improve services • Achieve shared vision • Identify areas of accountability

6. Roles of Assessment “We assess to assist, assess to advance, assess to adjust” • Assist • Advance • Adjust Ruth Steihl (2007), The Assessment Primer: Creating a Flow of Learning Evidence.

7. Goal of Assessment • Formative • Summative

8. Purpose of Assessment “Scholars and assessment professionals have argued that student assessment should not be an end in itself but should be used for educational and institutional improvement” (Banta, 2002, p. 26).

9. Mapping the Assessment Process • Mission of Institution, Student Services and/or Instructional Program • Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)/Student Area Outcomes (SAO) • Measurement/Assessment • Results • Use of Results (Formative or Summative)

10. Develop, modify, or review a curriculum, course, program, or service. Develop Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) or Student Area Outcomes (SAO). Determine refinements based on outcomes data.   Closing the Assessment Loop Design & Measure Student Outcomes as a result of the Curriculum, Course, Program or Service. Collect, discuss, and analyze data. What are You Already Doing? Skyline College SLOAC, 2007

11. Step 4: Results • What did you observe? • How did the students perform on the measurement?

12. Step 5: Use of Results • How will you use your results to improve your program? • How will you document your use of results?

13. Evaluating Assessment Plans • Contains a balance of direct and indirect assessment methods overall. • Contains a mix of quantitative and qualitative measures overall. • Contains mostly formative assessments for mid-course corrective action. • Contains links between major assignments/activities and assessments. • Contains three different ways to assess each SLO. • Contains criteria that are based on realistic and meaningful benchmarks. • Contains a variety of assessment methods both tried and true and new. • Contains suggested approaches for sampling or systematically evaluating the student learning outcome.

14. Final Thought “Assessment involves “the systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and use of information to understand and improve teaching and learning…Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning” (Skyline College SLOAC Committee, 2005, p. 6).

15. Breakout Groups • Business & Technology Division: Room • Liberal Studies Division: Room • Applied Science Division: Room • Language Arts Division: Room • Math & Science Division: Room • Student Support Services Division: Room

16. Breakout Group Activities • Review/revise current SLO’s (with use of SLO Toolkit) • Review/revise current identified Assessments (with use of Backwards Design Model) • Record Assessment Result implementation and outcomes • Connect course/program SLO’s to Institutional SLO’s

17. References Banta, T. W. (2002). Building a scholarship of assessment. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass. Banta, T. W., Black, K. E., Kahn, S., and Jackson, J. E. (2004). A perspective on good \practice in community college assessment. In New Directions for Community Colleges. 126, 5 – 16. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Periodicals. California Assessment Institute (n.d.). Resources. Retrieved November 24, 2007, from California Assessment Institute Web site: http://cai.cc.ca.us/Resources/index.htm Chickering, A. W. and Gamson, Z. F. (1997). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. Retrieved November 23, 2007 from http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/fall1987.pdf Cuseo, J. B. (2003). Assessment of the first-year experience: Six significant questions. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from http://www.sc.edu/fye/resources/assessment/pdf/Cuseos6Qs-web.pdf Cushman, K. (1999). The cycle of inquiry and action: Essential learning communities. Retrieved November 10, 2007 from http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/resources/view/ces_res/ Friedlander, J. and Serban, A. M. (2004). Meeting the challenges of assessing student learning outcomes. In New Directions for Community Colleges. 126, 101 – 109. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Periodicals. Hendriksen, S. I., Yang, L., Love, B., and Hall, M. C. (2005). Assessing academic support: The effects of tutoring on student learning outcomes. Journal of College Reading and Learning. 35, 56-65. Huba, M. E. and Freed, J. E. (2000). Learner-Centered assessment on college campuses. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

18. References Joint Task Force for Student Learning, (1998, June, 2). Powerful partnerships: A shared responsibility for learning. Retrieved October 31, 2007, from ACPA College Student Educators International Web site: http://www.myacpa.org/pub/documents/taskforce.pdf','700','450' League for Innovation in the Community College. (n.d.) An assessment framework for the community college: Measuring student learning and achievement as a means of demonstrating institutional effectiveness. Retrieved May 15, 2006, from http://www.league.org/publication/whitepapers/0804.html Pasadena College SLO (2005). Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). Retrieved November 24, 2007 from Pasadena City College Web site: http://www.pasadena.edu/SLO/resources/ Maki, P. (2002).Developing an assessment plan to learn about student learning. Journal of Academic Leadership. 28, 1-2. Moorpark Community College. (2007) Program Improvement Toolkit 2007. Moorpark, CA: Moorpark College Assessment Committee. Stiehl, R. and Lewchuk, L. (2007). Assessment Primer. Blaine, WA: The Learning Organization. Stiehl, R. and Lewchuk L. (2007). Outcomes Primer. Blaine, WA: The Learning Organization. Skyline College SLOAC Committee (2005). The Skyline College SLOAC framework: An implementation guide for the student learning outcomes and assessment cycle. Retrieved November 18, 2007, from Skyline College Web site: http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/skysloa