Student Services Assessment Workshop

1. Student Services Assessment Workshop College of the Redwoods Angelina Hill & Cheryl Tucker Nov 28th & 30th, 2011

2. The Assessment Movement • To become learner centered • Learners, faculty, and institutions all need feedback in order to improve • Institutions demonstrate accountability by evaluating student learning. • Ideally, the institution benefits, and accreditors are satisfied as well.

3. Assessment Cycle

4. Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) • Structured events that occur outside of the classroom, complement the academic programs, & enhance the overall educational experience by: • Encouraging involvement in the campus community and society • Encouraging exploration of activities that provide opportunities for growth in individual and group settings • Exposing students to various cultures and experiences, ideas and issues, art and musical forms, and styles of life • Informing students regarding college policies and procedures and how these relate to their lives and activities • Aiding in the awareness and utilization of college facilities and resources • Assisting with developing leadership, decision-making and related skills Source: Student Life/Leadership, Maricopa Community Colleges, Arizona (www.maricopa.edu, 7/23/07)

5. SLOs • ACCJC definition: the knowledge, skills, abilities or attitudes that students have attained by the end of any set of college experiences – classes, programs, degrees and certificates or encounters with college services.

6. Objectives vs. SLOs • Objective – students will be self-directed learners by exploring career options • SLOs – students will demonstrate the ability to access basic career information (job description, salary, and occupation outlook) on the website • Objective – Assist self-directed learners by enhancing the one-stop shop operations • SLOs – Students will demonstrate the ability to navigate registration process in subsequent semesters

7. Developing Objectives & SLOs • Develop objectives for your area • Objectives are general statements about aims of education that are broad. • Students will effectively use technology. • Students will have an awareness of support services.

8. Developing Objectives & SLOs • Developing SLOs for your area • Look back at one of your objectives • What, specifically, do you want students to know or be able to do? • Essential and enduring abilities (skills) and attitudes (values, dispositions)

9. Developing SLOs • Keep it simple. More is not better (3 max). • How will we know if students have attained the outcome? • Must be measureable • Use active, measurable words. • Avoid words such as understand, learn, know. These reflect mental processes that can’t be directly measured.

10. Example SLO • Students will be able to calculatehis/her 32-hour weekly requirement of education, supervised study time, and work-study activities as a result of participating in a CalWORKs counseling session.

11. New Blooms Taxonomy Taxonomy circle based on: Clark, B. (2002). Growing up gifted:Developing the potential of children at home and at school.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

12. Learning Outcome? • Students will be able to submit an application for admissions on line with or without staff assistance. • Students will be self-directed learners. • Students will develop an education plan outlining steps necessary to reach goals. • Students will demonstrate information literacy. • Students will collect information for research assignments using library internet search tool. • Students will be provided with multiple opportunities to engage with a diverse student body.

13. SLO Group Activity

14. Assessment Cycle

15. Developing Assessment Instruments • Common tools to measure your outcomes • Surveys • Focus groups • Pre and post measurements • Frequency of specific student activities/behaviors

16. Assessment Instruments/Tools • Evidence can be quantitative: • Numeric data is collected • Several individuals are measured • Provides descriptive or inferential information • Better describes a group • Compare groups to each other • Explore trends over time

17. Assessment Instruments/Tools • Evidence can be qualitative • Open-ended questions, observations, interviews, document analysis, audiovisual materials • Involves fewer students • Used to explore themes and search for larger meaning

18. Assessment Instruments/Tools • Evidence can be Direct • Students are required to display their knowledge and skills • Quiz, analysis of student work (rubric), observation • Example: Students asked where they would go on campus to ask a question about registering for courses next semester.

19. Assessment Instruments/Tools • Evidence can be Indirect • Student or faculty/staff provide a perception (reflect on) student learning, behavior, attitudes. • Survey, focus group, interviews • Example: To what extent do you agree with the following: I know where to go on campus if I have a question about registering for courses next semester.

20. Other Examples • Time to complete a task • Number and type of student requests • Frequency of using particular program, process, etc. • Students or staff • Job placement statistics

21. Available from IR • Retention rates • Completions and transfers • Enrollment trends • Diversity of student body • Course statistics • Success, withdrawals, GPA

22. Examples • SLO– students will demonstrate knowledge of general education requirements. • Can be measured by: • Survey item: “I understand what courses are required for general education” • Quiz question: Which of the following courses meet a general education requirement?

23. Example • SLO – Students will pay their registration fees in a timely manner. • Can be measured by number of deregistered students over time

24. Sharing your Findings • Important considerations • Audience • Timeline • How to keep it consistent

25. Closing the Loop • Taking actions based on your results