Collecting Data to Assess Capstone and Culminating Courses Student Learning in Capstone and Culminating Courses Fall 2011

Assignments/Assessments The culminating assignment in the capstone course has been identified as a direct measure for assessment of your program’s student learning outcomes. Undergraduate programs are also completing an assessment of writing and oral presentation competencies in the capstone courses. This will generate data that looks across the university programs – this is a source for institution-wide data that measures attainment of specific GE SLOs

Assess your SLOs within the assignment: The Basics How is a research paper in a discipline, for example, a measure the program’s student learning outcomes? The scoring tool for the research paper (i.e., rubric) needs to incorporate the expectations defined in the SLOs. Once all of the students’ assignments are scored, a look across the data can identify for faculty if students are meeting program expectations as defined in their SLOs.

Assess your SLOs within the assignment: Use of the GE Rubrics Programs that have a written assignment such as a research paper for the capstone direct measure of program SLOs can incorporate the criteria for the paper (that is based on your program SLOs) with the GE Writing Rubric. Programs that have as a direct measure of their program SLOs an oral presentation (such as Communication) can incorporate program criteria with the GE Oral Presentation rubric. Make sure to talk about the separate descriptors for the categories Reitsma

We’re here to help! -A few of your colleagues have done this work (i.e, Sociology, English). See Jo Hoffman for samples or to schedule time to help customize the GE rubrics to also assess for your program’s SLOs.

Composite Data Whatever you are using to score your students’ capstone final assignments, make sure that you record the findings of your scoring so that you have composite data from your capstone section BEFORE you return their work! Use your rubric or scoring tool and record your students’ scores so that the scores are represented for the whole class. -For example: N=20 Criteria #1 13/20 Exceeded 3/20 Acceptable 4/20 Unacceptable Criteria #2 18/20 Exceeded 2/20 Acceptable Etc. Reitsma

Collect student work samples: -The good, the bad, and the ugly: If possible, collecting scored student work samples will provide programs with valuable information to determine the effectiveness of the rubric in assessing the program’s student learning outcomes. Shared discussion around student work samples leads to a better understanding of assignments/assessments, outcomes, and improves inter-rater reliability. Hoffman

Follow-up Assessment Activities December/January At the end of the Fall ‘11 semester, all Capstone instructors will submit GE Summary Sheets for the oral and written presentation/rubrics to the GE Office In the beginning of January, program faculty in ALL programs will meet to review the program data from the Fall 2011semester There will be an Assessment Report template to fill out at the conclusion of your ‘closing the loop’ activities – PLEASE save your composite data and student work samples. (We’ll need some evidence/raw data for visiting team)

Follow-up Assessment Activities Early January, 2012 Programs will be reviewing the data for implications related to the assignment, the measure of attainment of SLOs, etc., and will make recommendations as needed for meaningful modifications or other decisions informed by the data. PLEASE submit the completed Assessment Report to your Dean by January 9th THANKS!!!!!!!

Going Forward with Program Assessment In May, programs will follow the same procedure for Spring capstones and data collection Each semester data will be collected in the capstone courses, reviewed in January, and then again in May. Following the official Academic Program Review Cycle, programs must do a formal program review every three years.

QUESTIONS? -Contact: Jo Hoffman jhoffman@kean.edu LaMont Rouse rousel@kean.edu OR John Dobosiewicz jdobosie@kean.edu