Getting Ready for the Higher Learning Commission (NCA) July 2011 Dr. Linda Johnson HLC/Assessment Coordinator/AQIP Liaison Southeast Technical Institute

Goals for today What HLC expects of program & general education faculty Everyone has a role in accreditation (unlike the “old days”). Benefit to classroom teacher: improvement & potential answers to what matters most Opportunities to complete/improve program/course binder Ask questions any time!!

Higher Learning Commission visit Verifies that the college meets HLC criteria Verifies that college is in Federal compliance (standard credit, loan default rate, etc.) Offers consulting advice to help the college improve Is not supposed to be a “gotcha” situation

I. Mission & integrity Clear mission that publicly states college’s commitments. Mission recognizes diversity of learners and the greater society the college serves. Governance & administrative structures support collaborative processes that enable STI to fulfill mission. STI “upholds and protects its integrity.”

II. Preparing for the future Ongoing evaluation & assessment processes provide reliable evidence of effectiveness that informs planning.  Decisions about curriculum, coursework, planning are based on evidence

III. Student learning & effective teaching Goals for student learning outcomes are clearly stated for each program & make effective assessment possible. STI creates effective learning environments. STI values & supports effective teaching. Resources support student learning and effective teaching.

IV. Acquisition, discovery, & application of knowledge Integrate into educational programs “acquisition of a breadth of knowledge and skills...” General education is integral to programs. Measure the “usefulness of curricula to students who will live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society.”

V. Engagement & Service STI learns from the constituencies it serves and analyzes its capacity to serve their needs (surveys).

Engagement & Service STI demonstrates a responsiveness to its constituencies. Internal & external constituencies value the services STI provides (programs, experiences).

STI must provide evidence that it meets those 5 criteria What is the bottom line? What are the minimum expectations?

The Commission Expects a sincere, serious attempt to address all of the 5 criteria and core components ▫Faculty primarily responsible for C. 3 & 4 ▫Faculty understand their role & have learning outcomes, measurement, & annual reports. Will respond in 1 of 4 ways: ▫Core components are met. ▫One or more area needs institutional attention. ▫Follow-up by HLC: Monitoring Report, Focus Visit ▫Commission follow-up sanction

The good news You are experts in your fields. You know what you want your students to learn (outcomes). You know how to measure that (exams, projects, etc.) Assessment is mini-research on student work, (analyze results, & report on that).

You already do informal “research” on learning Share one example from your class about when you looked at student results on a test, project, etc. and changed something to improve the learning. What was your process?

Does it look a little like this? Took a set of student work. Looked at results. ▫Grades. ▫Answers to particular questions. ▫Quality of the assignment. Mentally problem solved on how you could improve. Designed a new way to present the material, revised the exam or project. Tried the new approach and then analyzed that…

Assessment is the systematic collection, review, and use of information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development.” (Marchese as cited in Banta, 1987, p. 4)

Assessment is collecting, reviewing, using information about students to improve the learning.

Two key questions What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes? In what ways do you analyze and use evidence of student learning?

Mini-research Sampling student work to prove student performance

Chart the results and analyze……..what does your data tell you? e

Analyze: What do the results tell you about student learning? Are they missing particular questions on the test? Did the internship supervisor indicate team skills were weak?

Have conversations—what does this mean?

A look at Program binders Mission, learning outcomes Crosswalk of where core values are taught Assessment tools Reports Indirect measures like employer surveys or transfer success a measured by course grades at the transfer institution

HLC Assessment Expectations Student learning outcomes are identified for each program Learning outcomes are measured directly Must lead to improvement and impact the coursework and curriculum. The results are linked with planning and budget decisions. General education outcomes are defined, measured, and analyzed.

Program checklist I have appropriate learning outcomes for my program. ____Students know the learning outcomes they must master. ____I have “cross-walked” how I measure each learning outcome (test, project & rubric, performance check, etc.). ____I am analyzing the results of measuring the outcomes and reporting on my analysis annually. ____We are using my results in program planning and budget.

General Education outcomes ___ We publish the general learning outcomes which every student across the college must master. ___ We measure how well students are achieving those general outcomes. ___ We analyze and report on how well our students achieve these outcomes. ___ We have a timeline for measuring the various outcomes, measuring two in Year 1, two in Year 2, etc.

A closer look at measurement tools What tools are you using to check student learning? Are these the best tool for measuring your outcomes? How do you verify that is so? Who could validate? If the tool is not the best, what else would work?

Ideas for effective tools Capstone project which requires students to use skills learned throughout the program Project incorporating several learning outcomes. Portfolio of student work (select only a few items so the rating does not become a burden) Pre-post test. Exam. Internship or clinical report from supervisor. Lab performance check.

Include performance criteria “at least xx% of students will perform at or above x….” ▫Early Childhood Education program outcome  able to write appropriate plan for children in Daycare setting  At least 80% of students will earn an overall rating of 3 or higher on plans

Examples Writing Across the Curriculum ▫Communicate at an acceptable workplace standard ▫100% of students will earn at least 70% or 3 on writing rubric rating for writing artifacts

What are other faculty doing? Finding assessment tools for your field: ▫Search web & locate 3 examples of assessment tools for your field. ▫Are any useful to your program/course?

Reporting Telling the Story Annual Program Report documented results of what you found and what that means in terms of learning Look at your set of reports in your binder. ▫Do they work? Could someone reviewing these get a picture of how well your students are achieving the learning outcomes you have identified? ▫Are there gaps? What ideas do you have for filling those gaps?

Identifying issues your analysis reveals Jot down what you measured, what the analysis tells you. Form groups of 4 & share what you wrote Discuss ▫Are there common themes? ▫How can you develop ways to improve student learning? As an institution, what actions can you take?

Terms Direct measures of learning: how students perform on the exam, capstone, licensure, etc. Indirect measures: transfer rate, employment rate, retention, etc.)

Program working session—binders Program or course outcomes—any ???? Selecting measurement tools—any ??? Setting performance criteria.—any ??? Charting & analyzing data—any ????? Annual Report –any ?????

Assessment is…. Is systemic, involving the culture of an institution Uses multiple and varied measures to check the student learning. Should include direct and indirect measures of that learning. Is faculty-driven and “owned.” Is supported through leadership which understands and provides sufficient infrastructure and resources for assessment efforts to be successful. Must lead to improvement and impact the coursework and curriculum.