AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Adjunct Faculty and the PVCC Assessment Initiative: What will you do?

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, minute index card assessment 1-minute index card assessment Before class, on the front: What is one compelling question you would like answered today?

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, minute index card assessment 1-minute index card assessment Before class, on the back: What is the difference between assessment and the traditional practice of evaluation of student work?

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Today’s Learning Outcomes Participants will: 1. distinguish between assessment and evaluation; 2. relate PVCC’s Gen. Ed. Learning Outcomes to one course that they teach;

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Today’s Learning Outcomes Participants will: 3. write at least one measurable learning outcome statement to measure in that course; and 4. begin to plan an assessment activity.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, What is Assessment? “Assessment is a systematic process for gathering information about student learning; it answers the question, ‘How do we know what students are learning, and how well they are learning it?’ ” “Assessment is a systematic process for gathering information about student learning; it answers the question, ‘How do we know what students are learning, and how well they are learning it?’ ” --Califormia State Long Beach

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, What is Assessment? “The systematic collection, examination, and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data about student learning and the use of that information to document and to improve student learning.” --North Central Association

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Evaluation vs. Assessment Evaluation vs. Assessment Purpose: primarily Formative.Purpose: primarily Formative. Focus on group performance.Focus on group performance. Helps instructors/ dept/ school know how they and students performed.Helps instructors/ dept/ school know how they and students performed. Results in a plan for improvement.Results in a plan for improvement. Always used for improvement of instruction/ learning.Always used for improvement of instruction/ learning. Purpose: primarily Summative.Purpose: primarily Summative. Focus on individual performance.Focus on individual performance. Helps individuals know how they performed.Helps individuals know how they performed. Results in a grade for the activity or course.Results in a grade for the activity or course. May or may not be used for improvement of instruction/ learning.May or may not be used for improvement of instruction/ learning.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Why do Assessment? Because good classroom and college-wide assessment improves student learning. Because good classroom and college-wide assessment improves student learning. …Is any other reason necessary? …Is any other reason necessary?

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, More specifically, Continuous assessment fosters the continuous improvement of students, departments, divisions, and the college as a whole. Continuous assessment fosters the continuous improvement of students, departments, divisions, and the college as a whole. It is NOT just for accreditation. It is NOT just for accreditation. Assessment is a process that documents success, makes good things better, and improves upon weaknesses. Assessment is a process that documents success, makes good things better, and improves upon weaknesses.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Underlying Assumptions: Assessment of student learning is a cornerstone of PVCC’s mission to become a more learning centered college. Assessment of student learning is a cornerstone of PVCC’s mission to become a more learning centered college. It is a shared responsibility of the faculty, staff and administration. It is a shared responsibility of the faculty, staff and administration. The purpose of assessment is to improve teaching and learning; it is not evaluative of faculty. The purpose of assessment is to improve teaching and learning; it is not evaluative of faculty.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, MCCCD Gen. Ed. Statement: Students completing the General Education Curriculum should be able to: Students completing the General Education Curriculum should be able to:  Access, evaluate, analyze, synthesize, and use information wisely.  Communicate effectively personally, socially, and professionally.  Think critically, make informed decisions, solve problems, and implement decisions.  Use technological resources appropriately, and productively.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, PVCC Gen. Ed. Learning Outcomes (blue handout): 1. Communication:  Listening  Reading  Speaking  Writing The details are at: 2.Information Literacy 3.Problem Solving 4.Technology (Core Outcome: Critical Thinking)

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, How are learning outcomes different from course competencies ? 1. Learning outcomes have three distinguishing characteristics: the specified action by the learner must be »observable, »measurable, and » done by the learner.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, How are learning outcomes different from course competencies? 2. MCCCD Course competencies are a starting point, but they are not usually specific enough to serve as learning outcomes for purposes of assessment. At PVCC we need to find a deeper level of specificity for measuring learning outcomes in courses, programs and majors.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, How do you write a measurable learning outcome statement? 1. Use an action verb to specify what the student will have to do to demonstrate the competency. 2. State the conditions under which s/he will demonstrate competency. 3. State the criteria for competency. Two websites that can offer help:

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Measuring Outcomes: “The student will be able to…” 1. General PVCC Critical Thinking Outcome : “…evaluate information, materials, and numerical and/or graphical data by drawing inferences…” 2. Math Department L.O.: “...analyze information and solve problems in complex, real-world situations.” 3. Related Course Competency for MAT 102: “...summarize, interpret, and use graphs to display statistical data.” 4. Specific measurable activity: “…describe a trend indicated in a chart or graph and make predictions based on that trend.”

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, General PVCC Writing Outcome: “The student will be able to communicate in writing his / her ideas in an organized manner using an appropriate rhetorical strategy.” 2. Related Course Competency for ENG 061: “Generate writing that demonstrates one main focus with specific details by following the steps in the writing process.” 3. Specific measurable activity: “When provided with a general topic, the student will be able to write an introductory paragraph with a clearly focused specific topic sentence and three supporting detail sentences.” Measuring Outcomes: “The student will be able to…”

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, How do you do assessment? See yellow handout: See yellow handout: –“Recommended Process for an Individual Assessment Project” See green handout: See green handout: –“Tom’s FEP: An example of how to do an Individual Assessment Project”

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Let’s Get Started! (20 minutes) 1. Review the course competencies for a course you teach ( white handout provided). 2. See which ones match the PVCC Learning Outcomes ( blue handout provided). 3. Write one or two related learning outcomes that are specific and measurable. (Discuss with neighbor) 4. Discuss/plan how you will measure this outcome.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, minute index card assessment 1-minute index card assessment After class, on the front: List three important differences between Assessment and Evaluation:

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, minute index card assessment 1-minute index card assessment On the back: If you can’t answer this question, what would have helped you learn it more effectively today?

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, The PVCC Assessment Initiative: What can you do? 1. Contact your division chair/academic supervisor to find out what assessment initiatives are occurring in your content area/course. 2. Determine if you can/should participate, or if you should initiate your own assessment activity.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, The PVCC Assessment Initiative: What can you do? 3. Browse the PVCC Assessment website ( and become familiar with 1. PVCC Learning Outcomes 2.Methods and resources for assessment projects 3.Writing Good Outcome Statements. 4.“Recommended Process for an Individual Assessment Project.” “Recommended Process for an Individual Assessment Project.”“Recommended Process for an Individual Assessment Project.”

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, The PVCC Assessment Initiative: What can you do? 4. Develop an assessment initiative plan in consultation with your Division chair and a member of the AAT or the AAT chair. 5. If the plan requires time outside your normal duties, consult with the AAT chair on how to request a stipend to support your assessment initiative. 6. Implement the strategy. 7. Evaluate the results. 8. Change something you do.

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, The PVCC Assessment Initiative: What can you do? 9. Plan, Measure, Learn 10. Plan, Measure…. …well, you get the picture!

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Academic Assessment Team, : Bob Bendotti: Dean of Learning Bob Bendotti: Dean of Learning Larry Burgess: Faculty, Math Div. Chair Larry Burgess: Faculty, Math Div. Chair Tom Butler: Faculty, English/Reading, AAT chair Tom Butler: Faculty, English/Reading, AAT chair Marilyn Cristiano: Com/Hum Div. Chair Marilyn Cristiano: Com/Hum Div. Chair Dan Donahue: Faculty, Health and Wellness Dan Donahue: Faculty, Health and Wellness Jane Marks, Faculty: Science Jane Marks, Faculty: Science Paul Marsh: Director of Institutional Research Paul Marsh: Director of Institutional Research Patri Mays: Faculty, Business & IT Patri Mays: Faculty, Business & IT Beth Newman: Faculty, Business & IT Beth Newman: Faculty, Business & IT Rick Vaughn: Faculty, Math Rick Vaughn: Faculty, Math Fred Wieck, Counseling & PD Fred Wieck, Counseling & PD Shelle Witten: Library Div. Chair Shelle Witten: Library Div. Chair

AAT: Adjunct Faculty and Assessment: January 12, Assessment increases student learning! The Academic Assessment Team Visit us at