Evolution from Assessment Aversion to Assessment Acceptance

One Community College’s Story

Dr. Lorna E. Forster, Clinton CC

General Education Assessment as part of a College-wide process SUNY’s General Education Assessment

initiative coincided with our Middle States periodic accreditation review.

Our Assessment Committee developed and our Faculty Council approved an overall policies and procedures statement on academic assessment, of which general education assessment was a part.

Faculty were unenthusiastic about Gen. Ed. Assessment “Why isn’t the kind of

assessment we already do good enough?”

“I don’t have time for this!”

“I don’t know what we’re being asked to do.”

“How are the results going to be used?”

Creating a climate conducive to assessment required: Administrative efforts

in terms of setting institutional priorities and dedication of financial resources

Faculty efforts in terms of leadership, trust, and courage

Administration Efforts: Making Assessment an Institutional Priority Institutional goals were shifted from

program development to assessment. Assessment became an integral part of our

institutional Strategic Plan. The Vice President for Academic Affairs

devoted much time and energy to attending faculty meetings and promoting assessment and faculty development in assessment.

Administration Efforts: Making Assessment an Institutional Priority Senior faculty were asked to chair both the

General Education and Assessment committees.

Administration Efforts: Dedication of Financial Resources A half-time Academic Assessment

Coordinator position was created (15 credit load reduction for a full-time faculty and 9 credit overload payment for work between semesters). Duties are described in the College Assessment Policy.

Key faculty members were sent to assessment conferences.

Administration Efforts: Dedication of Financial Resources The College purchased materials

concerning how to conduct student learning outcomes assessment.

We hosted a Saturday assessment workshop for faculty facing assessment of courses in the first year silos of our plan, complete with an outside “expert” in our chosen methodology and a catered lunch.

Administration Efforts: Dedication of Financial Resources We hosted multiple luncheon meetings with our

“First-Year” faculty, both full-time and part-time, to explain the assessment process, answer their questions, and address their concerns.

Prior to the start of the Year 1 assessments, FT faculty met with PT faculty who taught sections of targeted courses to explain the plan and assessment procedures. This was a dinner meeting.

Administration Efforts: Dedication of Financial Resources For courses taught only by adjuncts, we

paid adjuncts a one-time stipend of $200 to develop assessment plans.

Faculty Efforts: Leadership in Creating the Plan Responsibility began and remained with the

General Education Committee, which represents faculty from each academic division.

The Academic Assessment Coordinator, also a faculty member, worked closely with the General Education Committee as they drafted the plan.

Faculty Efforts: Open, Honest Communication Each representative on the General

Education Committee discussed plan drafts with their divisional colleagues in a process that was very open.

The Academic Assessment Coordinator and members of the Gen Ed Committee spent much time “selling” the value of assessment to individual faculty members, some of whom were less receptive than others.

Faculty Efforts: Open, Honest Communication Prior to reporting First-Year results, the

Gen Ed Committee and the Academic Assessment Coordinator met with Year 1 assessors to view and discuss the results and to elicit feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of the process.

First-Year results were shared during a Faculty Council meeting so that everyone could see our good work and how the reporting process works.

Faculty Efforts: Time and Energy

Faculty (FT & PT) involved the the first year assessments spent many hours meeting and working to create assessment plans and instruments for their courses.

The General Education Committee and the Academic Assessment Coordinator also worked with faculty (FT & PT) involved in Year 2 assessments to help them prepare pilot assessments.

Members of the Gen Ed Committee served as liaisons to faculty as they developed their assessment plans and instruments.

Faculty Efforts: Courage to Trust

The consistent message from the Academic Assessment Coordinator and General Education Committee was that student learning outcomes assessment will enhance classroom teaching and learning.

Faculty gradually began to accept this message and trust that our plan was truly ours and something by which we could all stand.

Faculty Efforts: Wisdom

Knowing that we had limited resources, a tight timetable, and a majority of faculty for whom the word “assessment” was a four-letter word, we kept the plan simple and realistic.

We promoted the plan as a pilot. We knew we would make mistakes along the way, and that we would learn from those mistakes. We said this up front!

We amended the plan based on feedback from faculty. Our flexibility paid off in gratitude and more ease among the faculty with the process.

The Result An approved 3 year plan

of Gen Ed assessment by SUNY’s deadline

A prepared, albeit apprehensive, group of faculty who conducted 1st year assessments

Faculty working on 2nd year assessments

A college climate more assessment-friendly

What’s Next? We are still learning,

which means we expect that we will have more challenges.

A major challenge will be the issue of assessing courses taught only by adjuncts to which I alluded earlier.

But we are over the major hurdle we faced: faculty resistance …

… or are we?

The SUNY Board of Trustees’ Resolution

Much of our hard work in building trust and cooperation among the faculty was threatened.

Rather than digging into our Year 2 assessments, we have had to spend our energies dealing with questions and concerns about campus autonomy, academic freedom and the inferred doubt of the quality of our assessment plan.

Sticking with the Plan We made our

collective disapproval of the Trustees’ resolution known through the FCCC.

We made a decision to stick with our plan of assessment, believing that the plan was a sound one that fit us well.

Words of wisdom from those more wise than me! Learning is not attained by chance, it must be

sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. Abigail Adams (1744 - 1818), 1780

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970), Conquest of Happiness (1930) ch. 5

Evolution from Assessment Aversion to Assessment Acceptance

Thank you for your kind attention!

I wish you the best on your assessment journeys!