Be Like MyCC ! Assessing the First Year Experience

1. Be Like MyCC!Assessing the First Year Experience Trudy Bers Donna Younger November 5, 2012 Oakton Community College Des Plaines, IL Younger Directions Palatine, IL

2. Assessment? Evaluation? For our purposes… • Assessment is any effort to gather, analyze, and interpret evidence that describes institutional…effectiveness. • Evaluation is any effort to use assessment evidence to improve institutional…effectivenss. • Upcraft and Schuh, 1996

3. Questions that Drive Assessment • Did they like it? • Did they learn it? • Can they do it? • Does it make a difference? Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006

4. The Four Questions Applied:Assessing Orientation • Did they like it ? • Gather student reactions at the end of the event • Follow up during the first term to gather perceptions of the relevance of orientation - Gather reactions of faculty and staff who participated in orientation

5. The Four Questions Applied:Assessing Orientation Did they learn it? During orientation students learn to navigate the website and use the student information system. As an assignment in the First Year Seminar, students complete a website scavenger hunt and print their transcripts. Results are used within the seminar and shared with orientation staff.

6. The Four Questions Applied:Assessing Orientation Can they do it? Track the number of new students who participated in orientation who use the online registration system

7. The Four Questions Applied:Assessing Orientation • Does it make a difference? • - Track the number of first term students • who enroll for the following term; • compare those who completed orientation to those who didn’t

8. National Surveys

9. Model Institution: MyCC Attributes Supporting Assessment: • Infrastructure • Support for assessment from The Top • Technology capacity and use • Assessment initiatives in the strategic plan • Budget process relies on assessment data • Assessment results disseminated and used

10. Model Institution: MyCC Attributes Supporting Assessment: • Structure and Processes • Collaboration among Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Information Technology • Regular assessment of learning outcomes -- course, program, co-curricular • Program review includes all units of the institution • Assessment embedded in delivery of services – evaluation plan part of implementation

11. Model Institution: MyCC Attributes Supporting Assessment: • Design of Assessment Initiatives • Begins with a clearly articulated purpose • Uses variety of assessment approaches • Avoids data-overload

12. What is MyCC Doing? Assessment Initiative: Examine Impact of FYE Multiple measures

13. 1. CCSSE Follow Up: Compare 2009 and 2012 results

14. 2. Determine students’ perceptions of orientation, advising, first year seminar; use institutional surveys to augment CCSSE/SENSE

15. 3. Photo elicitation; determine students’ interpretations of the College’s culture regarding student success

16. 4. Success Across the Curriculum; assess student learning outcomes using an e-portfolio

17. Critique of MyCC What do you think about MyCC’s assessment of the FYE?

18. Your Turn What lessons can you learn from MyCC that would advance assessment at your institution?