HLC Assessing General education Workshop

Heiman, Megan M

Vermilion community College Ely, MN

February 27-28, 2019Chicago, Illinois

Event Leaders: Susan Hatfield, Gloria Rogers“This team-based, hands-on workshop provides an opportunity for institutional representatives to develop action

plans to improve their general education assessment process.”

Vermilion Team: Sara Skelton, O’Niell Tedrow, Timothy Loney, Meg Heiman (Chair)

THE BASICS OF GENERAL EDUCATION 2

BEST PRACTICES 2

CHARACTERISTIC OF GEN ED PROGRAMS 2

VARIABLES IMPACTING GEN ED ASSESSMENT PLANNING 3

REASONS FOR ASSESSING GEN ED 4

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 5

ASSESSMENT METHODS 5

DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATION 6

TRANSFORMING DATA INTO INFORMATION 6

EVALUATION 6

COMMUNICATING RESULTS 7

ENGAGEMENT 8

ACTION PLAN: TOP THREE PRIORITIES 8

EXAMPLE INSTITUTIONAL CHART 9

ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR “GO” VS “SHOW” 10

CELEBRATE SUCCESS! 10

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The Basics of General EducationFocus of data collection in program/institutional assessment is on the cumulative effect of student learning:

Figure 1 Create a line graph like this to illustrate our students' achievement of Gen Ed learning outcomes

Best PracticesStudents learn best when

we build on what they already know; learning is an active process; their expectations for learning are clear; they get timely feedback on their performance; they understand the relevance of their learning.

Characteristic of Gen Ed programs Clear learning outcomes Assess student achievement of learning outcomes Has requirements linked to outcomes Ensures all develop ability to integrate/apply learning to complex questions Coherent sequence of courses and/or educational experiences Assessments/teaching: flexible, culturally responsive, attentive to learning styles Structured pathways that provide progressively develop proficiencies in key areas Partner with other institutions so Gen Ed learning is recognized/valued in transfer

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Variables Impacting Gen Ed Assessment Planning Program philosophy: Is Gen Ed a separate and self-contained program or is it integrated into the

academic programs? At Vermilion, it is a separate, self-contained program—although our Gen Ed courses are integrated into programs, including our co-curricular program. (Consider how our co-curricular program allows students a pathway to practice skills---maybe “more so than in the classroom.”) Q: Do we brand/market our Gen Ed as Liberal Arts?

Program structure: Ours is a distribution model: requires courses distributed across multiple goals and multiple disciplines are represented in each goal area.

Learning goals: Our MnTC goal areas are determined by the state; they are specific statements of what students will know or do (Note: We do not have overarching goals of the Gen Ed program—or institution-wide learning outcomes--specific statements of what students will do as the result of study in our Gen Ed program other than earn AA) All should align.

Figure 2 We might create a table like this that includes Dev Ed, Gen Ed, Programs, Co-curricular - all align with vision, mission, strategic plan. Also: Create overall goal of Gen Ed program.

Policies, processes, and procedures: What is our course approval process? Time to acceptance? Categories/Departments. (Map out our process at Vermilion. Ask Program leaders if they include Gen Ed data as part of their review.) Reporting expectations, frequency, feedback, pathways. [A curious comment made by Gloria: “Shift from persistence/completion to student success”]

Program perceptions: Is Gen Ed a program? Who “owns” Gen Ed? How do faculty, staff, students talk about Gen Ed?

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Figure 3 - Consider asking students to answer this question? One college (Triton College) asked students to respond during a “Learning Improvement Week”

Reasons for Assessing Gen EdAssessment OF Learning: Evaluating student’ achievement of the Gen Ed outcomes (REPORTING) (See page 108 for more.)Assessment AS Learning: Students use feedback on their performance to inform and clarify their future practice and goals (REFLECTING) metacognitive activity (See page 108 for more.)Assessment FOR Learning: Using students’ performance data to enhance the curriculum and teaching (IMPROVING)This is a faculty function--investing time and energy to make things better, to enhance, improve. (See page 109 for more.)

Be sure the cognition level of the learning outcome is appropriate. For most of our students, the Knowledge, Comprehensive, Application levels. Note: Many 4-year schools reach levels we may not. See page 106 for more.

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Performance IndicatorsPRIORITY Review the language of our outcomes and create “understandable” language. e.g. “Imagine and seek out a variety of possible goals, assumptions, interpretations, or perspectives which can give alternative meanings or solutions to given situations or problems” = “identify goals which may provide solution(s) to a given problem(s).”

Assessment Methods Indirect – students report, describe, or reflect on their learning (written surveys, questionnaires,

interviews, focus groups) Direct – students demonstrate their learning (standardized and locally developed exams, oral

exams, presentations, portfolios, assignments, etc.) Selected response – students select from a list of alternatives (multiple choice test, fill in the

blank with list of potential words, etc.) Constructed response – students create/construct their response to a prompt (essay, project,

open-ended questions)

Assessment measure should “match” outcome; different outcomes should have different assessment methods; assessment measures should be designed to score the performance indicator of the learning outcome—IMPORTANT: the language of the performance indicator indicated the “Blooms” level—these should match, i.e. Knowledge-level performance indicator should have a knowledge-level assessment method/measurement

Consider: Does the method tell us what we want to know about how students learn? When we get the results, do we know what they mean? (Different outcomes, different methods, different measure . . .)

Order: outcome -> performance indicator -> method -> measure (96)

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Figure 4 - Formative Assessment

Figure 5 - Summative Assessment

About rubrics: adapt, don’t adopt Different outcomes -> different methods -> different measures Pilot first, then review, then implement measures (123) “Anchor” papers/assignments illustrate what we expect in terms of mastery.

Data Collection and EvaluationConsider What data do we need? What is the question we’re answering? How do we get there?

At Vermilion, we tend to do Option #1 (125): Students complete assignment - > course instructors collect, assess, identify areas for improvement, implement improvement plan; this is called the “Pure Model of Assessment for Learning.”

For more options and advantages/disadvantages, see 125-127.

Implementation StrategyWe have an assessment cycle in place; consider adding other “stages”/columns: design, pilot, revise, train, assess, analyze, intervene, re-assessConsider:

When and where are we going to assess more broadly: beginning of program (formative)? End of Gen Ed program (summative)?

Which students? Which courses? NOT every student, every course, every outcome, every semester

Transforming Data into InformationBenchmark/Threshold = entry point, minimal level appropriate for continuous achievement

Threshold

Don’t set threshold until you have collected data When setting threshold, consider the complexity of the application, level at which you expect

students to achieve: Lower level = higher threshold; higher level = lower threshold; how many courses embed learning outcomes

Not all indicators should have the same threshold level: There may be/should be different thresholds for each of the performance indicators that make up one outcome.

Evaluation Evaluation should include one or more processes for interpreting the data and evidence Determine the extent to which student learning outcomes are being attained (NOTE: implies

learning is progressive . . .) Results in decisions and actions regarding improvement (at the course, department, program

levels) Evaluation is data plus wisdom (careful, thoughtful consideration of data, etc.) DATA tells you WHAT; WISDOM tells you WHY (See 143.)

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Communicating ResultsNeed a systematic process for communicating:

Engagement Engaging Students

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Figure 6 - Consider adding "next cycle results" to our 5-yr cycle table.

Figure 7 - Image of incomplete “RESULTS” table (146) See Trend Data chart, 148: Recreate with our data for HLC visit.

Students should know learning outcomes and level of performance expected of them; they should understand what they need to do to improve.

Give them a rubric? “By the time you complete this program, you should be [here]. This program will get you there.”

Move students from “get Gen Eds out of the way” or “here is a list of courses I have taken” to “here are the knowledge and skills I have gained/achieved”

Action Plan: Top Three Priorities1. Complete curriculum map.2. Review outcome language, including performance indicators.3. Create institutional chart -> align vision, mission, VCC Strategic Plan with Gen Ed, other

programs. (See example below.)

Example Institutional Chart

Mission: Vermilion Community College educates people from all walks of life to become well-rounded,

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Figure 8 - O'Niell sharing our action plan with an instructor from Oakland College.

ethical citizens prepared to work, live, and learn in a changing world, especially the natural world that surrounds us.

Vision: Vermilion Community College will be recognized as a vital two-year residential college that serves the changing needs of its communities by providing a quality comprehensive learning environment.

Institutional-Level Goals Dev Ed Gen Ed Programs Co-curricularDiversity (people from all walks of life)Well-rounded Citizens Imagine and seek out a variety

of possible goals, assumptions, interpretations, or perspectives which can give alternative meanings or solutions to given situations or problems.

Ethical CitizensLeadership (“contributors” prepared to live, work, and learn in a changing world, esp. the natural world)

Participate effectively in groups (G1)

Assessment Plan for “GO” vs “SHOW”Celebrate Success!

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