This space is the repository for student learning assessment reports submitted by the instructional departments of Portland Community College (PCC). This is a public space accessible to the internal and external communities of PCC. If you have questions about this space or find something that looks amiss, please contact the Academic Support Coordinator at 971.722.4555 or academicaffairs@pcc.edu.

The assessment reports are filed alphabetically by subject area (see left). Click the ">" symbol to view the various disciplines and programs in each cluster. 


A little history...

From fall 2009 through spring 2018, Lower-Division Collegiate (LDC) and Developmental Education (DE) disciplines at PCC focused assessment efforts on the Institutional Core Outcomes, starting with Critical Thinking and Problem Solving as the focal point for 2009-2010. Career-Technical Education (CTE) programs assessed Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in 2009 only. Clarification from our accreditation authority, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), led us to refocus CTE assessments to their own degree and certificate outcomes. Starting in fall 2010, CTE departments were asked to show the alignment of their program outcomes with the Institutional Core. Reports submitted in 2011 and later examine each program's degree and/or certificate outcomes.

PCC began a General Education inquiry in fall 2015. As faculty groups and instructional administrators debated General Education outcomes and how to assess them, the LDC-DE Subject Area Committees (SACs) were given more latitude to assess the Core or exploratory outcomes from fall 2015 through spring 2018. In fall 2018 and beyond, the LDC-DE SACs would have the liberty of abandoning the Core Outcomes altogether and assessing an outcome of choice and reporting on that project at the end of the year. CTE SACs would continue assessing degree and certificate outcomes to meet state requirements, but the Learning Assessment Council reduced its reporting expectations in 2018-2019 to one Summary Data Report and one Focal Outcome Assessment Report per CTE SAC.

In 2018-19, the Disciplinary Studies Subject Areas (DSACs) of Cultural Literacy, Arts & Letters; Science, Math & Computer Science; and Social Science piloted assessments for the outcomes each DSAC had adopted the previous year, using signature assignments that aligned with custom rubrics for their proprietary outcomes:

  • Cultural Literacy courses - Social Justice outcome
  • Arts & Letters - Integrative Learning outcome
  • Science, Math & Computer Science - Quantitative Reasoning outcome
  • Social Science - Social Analysis and Inquiry outcome

All SACs wishing to keep courses on (or add courses to) the General Education and Cultural Literacy lists will be asked to submit formal requests and updated Course Outcome Guides, in a staggered fashion, starting November 2019 and continuing through January 2021. PCC's new General Education and Cultural Literacy course lists will be published in the 2021-2022 catalog. At that point, all General Education faculty will be expected to include an embedded assignment in every class in every term. Student achievement of the institutional General Education Outcomes will be internally assessed and no longer assessed by the SACs. 


Learning Assessment Exemplary Report Winners

This section is dedicated to recent and past winners of the LAC's awards for exemplary reporting. 

2021-2022 Exemplary Reports

This year the LAC is honoring SACs that "closed the loop" in their learning assessment process. Several of these SACs took advantage of the Integration Year Pilot to take time from assessing to dig deeply into adjusting their teaching to support student learning.

Traditional Assessment ProjectsIntegration Year Pilot
CommunicationPsychology
Business AdministrationDental Hygiene
Architectural Design and Drafting
2020-2021 Exemplary Reports
The awards this year honored SACs that demonstrated how their assessment project highlighted opportunities for improvement. This type of self-reflection and dedication to on-going quality improvement is one of the major goals of the learning assessment process.
CTE
LDC/DE


2017-2018 Exemplary Reports
CTELDC/DE
  • Auto Collision Repair - Excellent evaluation of Critical Thinking, well-coordinated with outside evaluators at job sites. Continual changes as needed for 8 years.
  • Dental Laboratory Technology - While sample was tiny, SAC learned a lot about rater calibration and its value. Good plans for changes to teaching.
  • Welding - Excellent example of reassessment useful to SAC: showed that increasing courses from 3- to 4-credits gave students sufficient extra time to master needed skills (2x the improvement!).

Note: We've linked only the winning reports (no appendices).

Both ART and CG SACs conducted robust and well-designed assessment projects that were tied directly to student achievement. In both cases, the assessment projects informed changes to instruction aimed at improving outcome attainment by students. In addition, both projects were methodically sound and demonstrated an advanced understanding of how and why assessment can benefit students.

2016-2017 Exemplary Reports


CTE         LDC/DE      

2015-2016 Exemplary Reports

CTELDC/DE
  • Mathematics                                            
  • Sociology                                                                                                    

2014-2015 Exemplary Reports 

CTE

LDC/DE

  • Art, for faculty collaboration and coordination, and focus on impact of assessment on student learning over time
  • Chemistry, for redesign of assessment from the ground up that produced meaningful, usable information for the improvement of teaching and learning                
  • Communication Studies, for improved approach and shift to embedded assignments with real-world relevance
  • Engineering, for commendable effort to make curricular changes in response to assessment data
  • Geology and General Science, for rigorous assessment methodology that produced a large amount of compelling data
  • History, for high level of SAC participation and streamlined, effective assessment methodology
  • Political Science, for coordinating teaching methodology and approach to address learning outcomes, and for a high level of SAC collaboration

2012-2013 Exemplary Reports - CTE and LDC/DE

Categories from

2012-2013 Report Template

CTELDC/DE

For Changes Implemented Based on Prior Assessment

Microelectronics TechArt
For Assessment Design

(Tie) Dental Hygiene and Diesel Service

Mathematics

For Presentation of Assessment Results

(Tie) Bioscience Tech and Microelectronics Tech

(Tie) Art and Women's Studies         

For Planned Improvements to Increase Student Attainment of Outcomes  

Civil/Mechanical Engineering Tech

Mathematics

For Planned Improvements to Assessment Methods and Tools

(Tie) Bioscience Tech and Paraeducator

Psychology

2011-2012 Exemplary Reports - CTE and LDC/DE

Categories from 2011-2012 Report Template
CTE
LDC/DE
 

For Changes Implemented Based on Prior Assessment

Aviation Science [pdf]

(Tie) History [pdf] and Psychology [pdf]

For Assessment Design

Landscape Technology [pdf]English for Speakers of Other Languages [pdf]

For Presentation of Assessment Results

Graphic Design [pdf]Communication Studies [pdf]

For Improvements for Outcomes Attainment Based on Assessment Results

Medical Assisting [pdf]World Languages [pdf]

For Planned Improvements to Assessment Methods and Tools

Fitness Technology [pdf]

(Tie) Developmental Education [pdf]and Sociology [pdf]

2010-2011 Exemplary Reports - CTE and LDC/DE

Categories from 2010-2011 Report Template
CTE
LDC/DE
 
Improvements to teaching/learning from prior assessment                           Architecture [pdf]Physics [pdf]
DesignCivil & Mechanical Technology [pdf]Career Guidance [pdf] / Religion [pdf]       
ResultsMedical Lab Technology [pdf]Biology [pdf] / Chemistry [pdf]
Path ForwardAuto Collision Repair Technology [pdf]     Skill Center [pdf]

Legend

AP = Annual Plan

ARF = Assessment Report Form (first used in 2014-2015, the first half lays out the year’s plans for a first-time assessment and the second half of the form is filed at the end of the year to explain how the assessment went

C = Communication (Core Outcome)

CA = Cultural Awareness (Core Outcome)

CER = Community and Environmental Responsibility (Core Outcome)

CTPS = Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (Core Outcome)

EOY = End-of-Year Report

MYP = Multi-Year Plan (first created in 2013-2014, this form provides a two-year assessment plan for Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, and a six-year assessment plan for Lower-Division Collegiate  (LDC) and Developmental Education (DE) disciplines

PC = Professional Competence (Core Outcome)

RRF = Reassessment Report Form (first used in 2014-2015, the RRF is similar to the ARF, but is used when a department has conducted a reassessment; i.e., assessing for improvement)

SDR = Summary Data Report (first used in 2014-2015, the SDR provides disaggregated results of student assessment)

SR = Self-Reflection (Core Outcome)


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2 Comments

  1. typo on 2018/19 and 2019/20 reports, it should be LDC not LCD (albeit  LCD Soundsystem does rock hard!)