Criterion

Explanation

A faculty driven, learning centered, course and program assessment training plan for community college faculty should:

 
1. Describe the faculty role, rationale, and motivation for course and program assessment.
bulletdescribe the benefit for faculty and students in the classroom, such as the potential to improve student learning, student metacognition, grading practices, pedagogy, curriculum, and student engagement.
bulletenhance faculty knowledge, discussion, and practice of active learning centered techniques associated with deep learning.
bulletaddress the role of assessment and issues related to faculty evaluation.
bullet provide details concerning external expectations and requirements

 

2. Inform faculty concerning guidelines for good assessment.
bullettrain faculty concerning assessment guidelines for reliability, validity, and privacy issues related to the student and faculty information.
bulletencourage development of meaningful assessment, using common language and practices appropriate to the local institutional culture.
bulletcompare and contrast assessment options such as standardized and commercial assessments for class, program and student support areas.
bullet incorporate time-tested assessment and scholarship of teaching philosophies exemplified by the Seven Principles of Good Undergraduate Education.
bulletdiscuss the implications of AAHE’s  Nine Principles of Good Practice in Assessing Student Learning.

 

3. Address faculty needs and constraints regarding time and workload.
bulletshow the benefit for faculty and students in the classroom, such as the potential to improve student learning, student metacognition, grading practices, pedagogy, and curriculum (faculty can teach smarter not harder).
bulletencourage manageable practices by faculty integrated into professional practice (classroom preparation, curriculum development and review, program review) and collegial work (such as faculty development and flex time).
bullet emphasize the importance of realistic goals (such as timelines – this is a process involving years not months – and sampling populations rather than attempting to get data on entire populations.
bullet employ assessment as a learning strategy.

 

4. Train faculty to implement, document, and communicate assessment results in a manner that closes the loop.
bulletteach basic vocabulary and introduce faculty to literature, links, and tools for doing assessment.
bulletdescribe various types of assessment data (indirect and direct, quantitative and qualitative)
bulletemphasize the importance of clearly articulated, substantive student learning outcomes that are measurable.
bulletcreate an opportunity to write and receive feedback on SLOs.
bulletteach faculty methods to improve classroom assessment e.g. Primary Trait Analysis, Rubric development, Classroom Assessment Techniques, and practice assessing learning.
bulletprovide easily accessible and modifiable material for faculty to use in their own settings and review standardized and commercially available tools.
bulletcreate an experience where faculty select and implement an appropriate assessment tool for one of the SLOs they have developed.
bulletvisualize the non-linearity of the assessment cycle during the training process by demonstrating the dynamic feedback and modification essential at each phase of the feedback loop.

 

5. Encourage dialogue with other faculty about assessment and learning outcomes to create cooperation, creativity, and coherency campus-wide.
bulletmodel techniques for a sustainable forum which fosters honest, safe, yet robust dialogue concerning SLOs and assessment.
bulletemphasize the value of cross disciplinary conversations balanced with discipline expertise and standards as rich ingredients  to foster creativity.
bulletpromote dialogue as the means to operationalize  SLOs within programs and throughout the institution
bulletlink course SLOs and assessment to program SLOs and assessment and institutional effectiveness..
bullet emphasize the importance of coherent assessment throughout the institution in both instructional and support services areas (e.g. student services, learning support services).
bullet  highlight the important collegial role of faculty and administration in successful assessment.

 
6. Model good teaching and assessment techniques.
 
bulletmodel good pedagogy during the training by employing active learning and regular assessment and modifications.
bulletaddress deep learning, Bloom’s taxonomy, Gardner’s intelligences, and learning styles during the training.

 

7. Enhance the learning paradigm on a campus.
bullet characterize assessment as a conduit for faculty to learn about students and how to help students learn about their own learning, as well as an opportunity.
bulletuse assessment as a learning opportunity for faculty and administration to learn about the effectiveness of the curriculum and pedagogy.
bulletconstruct opportunities for stakeholders to become learners and use assessment as a vehicle to embrace the learning institution paradigm.
bulletassess the use of evidence for institutional decision-making, improvements and decision-making
bulletbuild an intrinsic evaluation within the training that will contribute to continual modifications and improvement in the effectiveness of the training process itself.