1. Defining General Education and Creating a Culture of General Education Assessment at Borough of Manhattan Community College Presenters: Erwin Wong – Dean of Academic Affairs Francisca Campos – Faculty, Business Management Chris Stein – Faculty, Computer Information Systems Segundo Pantoja – Faculty, Social Science/Center for Ethnic Studies Kimberly Gargiulo – Coordinator of Assessment

2. Defining General Education at BMCC Middle States Standard 12 General Education from Characteristics of Excellence “The institution’s curricula are designed so that students acquire and demonstrate college-level proficiency in general education and essential skills, including oral and written communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and reasoning, technological competency, and information literacy.”

3. Defining General Education at BMCC BMCC Mission Statement Students will be provided with a general education which “fosters personal development, intellectual curiosity, and critical thinking to enhance informed and effective participation in society” and points to the college’s commitment to both teaching and learning.

4. Defining General Education at BMCC BMCC Strategic Plan The strategic plan emphasizes that learning experiences will “cultivate critical, analytical and integrative thinking, effective communication, and proficiency in the use of technologies, which will enable students to be competitive in the workplace and valuable resources to society.”

5. Defining General Education at BMCC BMCC Catalog The College’s Liberal Arts program will provide students with a well-balanced background in the sciences, mathematics, humanities, and languages. Additionally all career programs will have a considerable general education element as part of their curricula.

6. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Resources Participants  Administration  Faculty  Students  Staff Funding  CUE (Coordinated Undergraduate Education)

7. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Assessment Conferences and Workshops  AAHE 2002 Assessment Conference (Boston)  Assessing Student Learning Workshop (Linda Suskie – Kingsborough C.C.)  Following A Road Map for Improvement of Student Learning & Support Services Through Assessment (15th Annual Institutional Effectiveness Workshop Series)

8. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Site Visits Benchmarking best practices  Nassau Community College  Queensborough Community College  Portland State University

9. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Guest Speakers Benchmarking best practices Lion Gardener Rutgers University Susan Hatfield Winona State University Karen Steele Queensborough Community College Susan Bello Nassau Community College Margie Hobbes University of Mississippi (IAE Associates) Francisco Soto College of Staten Island

10. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Faculty Involvement  Gen Ed liaisons for every academic department  Gave input on defining learning outcomes  Helped devise learning outcomes measurements and criteria

11. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Dissemination Newsletter

12. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Dissemination Web site

13. Activities and Initiatives for a Culture of Assessment Dissemination Faculty Brochure and Student Brochure

14. Consolidation of Learning Goals 9 Original Goals Communication Skills Quantitative Skills Critical Thinking Values Socio-historical and multicultural awareness Scientific Reasoning Arts and Humanities Information and Technology Literacy Collaborative Skills 7 Revised Goals Communication Skills Quantitative Reasoning Values Social and Behavioral Sciences Scientific Reasoning Arts and Humanities Information and Technology Literacy

15. Revising Learning Outcomes for Goals  Read and listen analytically, with recognition and understanding of content and openness to other points of view.  Write and speak clearly, accurately and fluently with logical progression of ideas, using the conventions of edited American English.  Organize, analyze, and evaluate material to develop and support a main idea, and use language to inform, persuade, and move an audience.  Recognize and critically evaluate assumptions in written, oral, and other media.  Students will project confidence and authority as speakers.  Students will incorporate ideas of others with appropriate attribution.  Express ideas clearly in written form.  Employ critical reading skills to analyze written material.  Exhibit active listening skills and participate in class discussion.  Give an effective oral presentation. Communication Skills Learning Outcomes ORIGINAL OUTCOMES REVISED OUTCOMES

16. Put Goals into Three Column Grid Communication Skills GoalOutcomes (Students will…) Components Students will write, read, listen and speak effectively 1. Express ideas clearly in written form  Develop a critical argument with a clear thesis and support it with evidence  Organize ideas appropriately 2. Employ critical reading skills to analyze written material  Identify a central problem or question  Identify implicit/explicit assumptions  Demonstrate awareness of values underlying opinion 3. Exhibit active listening skills in class discussion  Paraphrase accurately what is heard or discussed  Ask relevant and appropriate questions  Provide constructive feedback 4. Give an effective oral presentation  Speak clearly, correctly and confidently  Present evidence to support argument  Addresss Audience at appropriate level

17. Five Column Grid Structure Mission Statement Educational Outcomes Means of Assessment Assessment Data Use of Results Criteria for Success Column I Column IIColumn IIIColumn IVColumn V Institutional Goals and

18. Developing Means for Assessing Learning Outcomes /objectives  Departments rather than Gen Ed Committee or administration develop means of assessment  Outside consultants used to help departments through the process

19. Assessment Timeline Steps in Assessment Cycle SpringFallSpringFallSpringFallSpringFallSpringFallSpringFallSpringFall 2005 – 2006 2006 – 20072007 – 20082008 – 20092009 – 20102010 – 20112011 – 20122012 – 2013 1. Identify Outcomes Complete for first cycle Goals 1 & 2 (II) Goals 3 & 4 (II) Goals 5 & 6 (II) Goals 7 (II) 1 & 2 (III) 2. Design Assessment In process for all GoalsGoals 1 & 2 (II) Goals 3 & 4 (II) Goals 5 & 6 (II) Goals 7 (II) 1 & 2 (III) 3. Gather Evidence Goals 1 & 2 (I) Goals 3 & 4 (I) Goals 5 & 6 (I) Goals 7 (I) Goals 3 & 4 (II) Goals 5 & 6 (II) Goals 7 (II) 1 & 2 (II) 1 & 2 (III) 4. Interpret Evidence Goals 1 & 2 (I) Goals 3 & 4 (I) Goals 5 & 6 (I) Goals 7 (I) Goals 3 & 4 (II) Goals 5 & 6 (II) 1 & 2 (II) 5. Implement Change Goals 1 & 2 (I) Goals 3 & 4 (I) Goals 5 & 6 (I) Goals 7 (I) Goals 3 & 4 (II) Goals 5 & 6 (II) 1 & 2( II) (I) Round 1(II) Round 2(III) Round 3

20. Stumbling Blocks  Defining the Goals and Outcomes  Getting College buy-in  Faculty Concerns  Resources  Making Assessment process unobtrusive  Moving Gen Ed to an outcomes-based model