Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
Clicking on the following "shortcuts" will take you to the corresponding sections that appear further down this page
Templates for Assessment Reporting
Help Guides for Assessment Plans and Reports
Assessment Process
Assessment Resources
Funds for Part-Time Faculty
Assessment Coaching
Professional Development Opportunities
Upcoming Conferences
Other Assessment Resources
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Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
Templates for Assessment Reporting
See special message at Assessment Process & Due Dates for more information on which ones to complete in 2018-2019
CTE
- NEW! CTE Customized Multi-Year Plan and Summary Data Report (sent to all CTE SAC chairs September 21, 2018) Didn't get yours, or can't find it? Contact Susan Wilson, swilson@pcc.edu
- Yet-to-be-Developed Form for Reporting Degree & Certificate Focal Outcome
- Summer 2019 Peer Reviewer's Critique Form (still under construction–check back later this year)
LDC
- LDC-DE Assessment Plan (and Report) Form for a first-round assessment
- LDC-DE Reassessment Plan (and Report) Form for a "closing the loop" assessment – traditional or "All-In"
- Year 1 "All-In" Participation Template 2018-2019
- Year 2 "All-In" Report 2018-2019 (under development) - a spring report required of LDC-DE SACs that did "All-In" last year but are not closing the loop on that project in 2018-19
- LDC Multi-Year Plan (optional due to ongoing Outcomes/Gen Ed inquiry)
- Summer 2019 Peer Reviewer's Critique Form (still under construction–check back later this year)
Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
Help Guides
LDC Multi-Year Plan Help Guide (created in 2014, but generally still relevant)
LDC-DE Assessment Plan and Report Help Document (revised fall 2018)
- LDC-DE Reassessment Plan and Report Help Document (revised fall 2018)
Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
Assessment Process & Due Dates
What forms does your SAC need to complete this year?
Please read through all of the options, as some SACs will need to complete more than one form:
1) Did your SAC participate in "All-In" last year and are you planning to analyze the scores this year? If yes, you will need to report your findings in Spring 2019 on the Year 2 "All-In Report" (template will be available by late winter). This is required in addition to any new assessment conducted this year, whether All-In or traditional.
and/or
2) Did your SAC participate in "All-In" last year or the MSC before that, and are you ready to close the loop with a reassessment this year? If yes, you may use the newly-revised LDC-DE Reassessment Plan and Report Form) to describe your plan of attack.
Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
2018-2019 CTE Expectations
CTE SACs will assess a portion of their degree and certificate outcomes as outlined on their newly-customized Multi-Year Plan, and report summary data for those. Then, each SAC will select one of those 2018-19 outcomes and provide a more detailed report of their process and findings on a soon-to-be-developed Focal Outcome assessment form. In addition, Perkins-funded programs will continue to submit Technical Skill Attainment (TSA) results at year's end. For more information on TSAs, go to: https://www.pcc.edu/resources/academic/TSA-TechnicalSkillAssessments.html
2017-2018 LDC-DE Expectations
In General
LDC-DE assessment planning and reporting happens in two phases. For new assessments, each SAC will complete the planning portion of the Assessment template in the fall and the end-of-year report (the latter portion of the template) in the spring. When conducting a follow-up assessment (assessing for improvement), SACs will fill out the Reassessment template--with the planning portion still due in the fall and the results portion due in the spring.
Traditional
LDC-DE SACs conduct and report on one assessment project. SACs may assess/reassess an exploratory outcome or assess/reassess one of the existing Core Outcomes.
Or,
"All-In DSAC"
DSAC faculty assess one of the 'pilot' General Education Discipline Area outcomes using the corresponding rubric, or assess (or reassess) Cultural Literacy using its associated rubric. SACs planning to do a large-scale assessment of 12 or more sections may participate in PCC's 2018-19 "All-In" internal assessment project. "All-In" ideally involves one course with 10 or more winter sections participating plus at least 2 sections of at least one additional course in the discipline (high-enrolling courses tend to offer more representative student demographics), OR 12 sections of different courses are acceptable for SACs that do not have that many sections of the same course. Student artifacts will be collected winter term only this year. All-in SACs may assess using any of:
- the new 'pilot' rubric for
- the new 'pilot' rubric for
- the new 'pilot' rubric for
- the Cultural Awareness/Literacy rubric (PCC's own)
Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
CTE Process
General
CTE SACs directly assess their Degree and Certificate Outcomes. And, because those same program outcomes have been mapped to PCC's institutional outcomes, aka Core Outcomes, the Core Outcomes are assessed indirectly.
Summative Assessments and TSAs
CTE SACs are responsible for conducting summative assessments of all degrees and certificates within a two-year cycle (according to their Multi-Year Plan). Programs receiving federal Perkins funds must file state-mandated annual summary data reports, called Technical Skills Attainments (TSAs), every June. The TSA reports must be filed with PCC's Institutional Effectiveness Office with a copy provided to Dr. Kendra Cawley in Academic Affairs. SACs whose programs are not fully assessed via TSAs must complete the LAC's Summary Data Report (SDR) along with their Assessment or Reassessment report, explained below.
Focal Assessments
Additionally each year, every CTE SAC conducts an assessment aimed at improvement--called "focal" assessment. A focal assessment has two parts, which can be performed in separate calendar years:
- The assessment phase: An initial assessment from which the SAC decides on appropriate responses to the findings; followed by...
- The reassessment phase: A follow-up assessment that explores the effectiveness of the SAC's response to the initial assessment.
SACs with several degree(s) and/or certificate(s) with unique or unrelated outcomes should contact their LAC coach to discuss the possibility of a longer cycle.
Due Dates for CTE
November 26, 2018:
- Complete the 'green' portion of the SAC's own Multi-Year Plan (starting on Row 5 and filling in Column E forward)
June 17, 2019:
- Complete the summary data portion of SAC's own Multi-Year Plan
- Complete the separate "Yet to be named" form highlighting the process and results of one of the year's assessed degree and certificate outcomes
Submit the above plans and reports to: learningassessment@pcc.edu
July 31, 2019:
- Report required TSA data to Institutional Effectiveness as per usual
Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
LDC Process
General
Assessment is an ongoing activity where SACs submit yearly reports. LDC and DE SACs have a collective responsibility to ensure students are attaining the outcomes of the transfer and general education degrees (AS, ASOT/B, AAOT, and AGS). The institutional outcomes, aka Core Outcomes, are the basis of these degrees.LDC-DE SACs are required to conduct a Traditional or All-In assessment (see above for details). Templates for a first-round Assessment or a follow-up Reassessment will be available in October.
Due Dates for LDC_DE
November 26, 2018: Planning sections of the LAC Assessment/Reassessment Reports - Sections 1 through 3E only – or the All-In Proposal Form, if applicable. What follows are instructions only; links to the templates are provided in the Templates and Process section.
- Use the LAC Assessment Report Form for an initial assessment, or
- Use the LAC Reassessment Report Form for a "closing the loop" assessment (traditional or MSC), and/or
- Use the All-In Participation Template if your SAC is participating in this project in 2017-18
- Help Guide for LDC/DE Assessment & Reassessment Report Forms (created in 2014, but still relevant)
June 17, 2018: Assessment findings (Traditional) and/or All-In Year 1 and/or MSC Year 2 Report-Out
- For Traditional: Complete the second half of the ARF or RRF (sections 4 through 8D) and make corrections, if any, to the planning sections (1 through 3E) submitted in November. This may include changes in process and/or completing information that wasn't decided or available when the planning section of the report was due.
- For All-In Year 1: Complete the second half of the All-In Proposal Form submitted last fall
- For MSC Year 2: Complete the report out form (yet to be developed) to report on instructional changes informed by 2016-17's MSC and internal assessments
Submit ALL completed plans and reports to: learningassessment@pcc.edu
Proceed with Caution! Important Updates in Progress as of 9/24/2018!
Most of the links, templates, and information are expected to change.
Peer Review
At the end of each academic year, all completed assessment reports are reviewed by expert faculty peer reviewers. Peer reviewers are recruited by PCC's Learning Assessment Council and undergo training before being assigned to teams. Over the summer the peer reviewers look at the plans, reports, summary data (where appropriate), and other documents submitted by their assigned SACs and critique them using a standard rubric. When the feedback forms have been completed, they are saved as PDFs and made available in September to the respective SACs. This feedback is available to SAC members in a different section of PCC's Spaces. Questions about peer review feedback? Read former-LAC-chair Wayne Hooke's "Making Sense of Your Peer Review Feedback/CTE [pdf]."
Assessment Resources
Funds for Part-Time Faculty
Each SAC is entitled to up to 10 hours per academic year of paid compensation, at the College's special projects rate, for assessment work carried out by part-time faculty. The funds can be paid to a single person or divided between multiple people working to support their SAC's assessment efforts.
To secure compensation, SAC chairs must contact their SAC's administrative liaison with the G number of the faculty member(s) carrying out the work. SAC chairs are responsible for designating the number of hours to be compensated. If a SAC chair is unsure of who their dean liaison is, please contact Susan Wilson in Academic Affairs: swilson@pcc.edu or 971-722-4555.
Assessment Coaching
The PCC Learning Assessment Council (LAC) provides free year-round assessment coaching to all SACs. Coaching assignments usually are finalized early each fall.
The Chart of 2018-2019 Coaches is not yet available. If you have any questions, please contact one of the following individuals:
- Susan Wilson, Academic Support Coordinator and LAC coach, swilson@pcc.edu, 971-722-4555
- Chris Brooks, LAC Vice-Chair 2018-2019, christopher.brooks3@pcc.edu
Professional Development Opportunities
LAC Core Outcome Assessment Class (for PCC Faculty)
Meets most Fridays, starting Week 2 of fall term, 10:00 to 11:50 a.m. Registration is first-come, first-served. 2018 course and registration details: TBA.
This class is ideal for faculty involved in program/discipline assessment through their SAC or for those who want to explore the heart of the biggest mystery in higher ed today. It is intended for PCC full-time and adjunct faculty members.
Here are a few of the topics:
- How does grading in my class differ from assessing at the program/discipline level?
- What are the pressures on higher education that are driving changes in accreditation regarding assessment and accountability? How are PCC and other institutions responding? What is happening internationally?
- What does a quality assessment process at the program/discipline-level look like at PCC (i.e., sample size, norming, direct/indirect, full-time and part-time faculty participation, signature assignments, exam, portfolio, rubrics, checklists, trending, LDC and CTE concerns, etc.)?
Expectations of participants:
- Attendance at all or most of the classes
- Presentation of an assessment activity at the end of the course that could be used in your SAC, or in your class, that addresses one or more of the core outcomes
- (Optional): Directed readings outside of class--one to two hours per week.
Courses offered through PCC's Center for Careers in Education
Upcoming Conferences
- American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) holds its annual General Education and Assessment conference February 14-16, 2019, in San Francisco. Link to conference: https://www.aacu.org/conferences/gened/2019 Note: PCC is an AAC&U member.
- Association for Assessment of Learning in Higher Education's (AALHE) 3-day conference occurs in St. Paul, MN, June 10-13, 2019. Learn more at: http://www.aalhe.org/
- Additional assessment conferences are found at this link: http://www.assessmentconferences.com/
Other Assessment Resources
Assessment Listserve: Subscribe to ASSESS at http://www.coe.uky.edu/lists/helists.php
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Resources and Rubrics:
- Excellent Critical Thinking Rubric from AAC&U [pdf] This was put together by a national committee of faculty and we have permission to reprint with attribution.
- Excellent Problem Solving Rubric from AAC&U [pdf] This was put together by a national committee of faculty and we have permission to reprint with attribution.
- Holistic Critical Thinking Rubric [pdf] A fine, basic tool for evaluating critical thinking from Insight Assessment.
- Guide to Rating Integrative and Critical Thinking This rubric from Washington State is often cited as a helpful pattern. We have permission to reprint part or all of it - as long as we attribute it to them. That's fair.
- Holistic Critical Thinking [pdf] PSU has used this rubric for assessing Freshman Inquiry portfolios.
- Foundation for Critical ThinkingIf you’re looking for a definition of Critical Thinking and you haven’t found one that suits your discipline, please feel free to use the work done by the Foundation for Critical Thinking.
Assessment Resources and Rubrics:
- The VALUE rubrics developed by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) are a great resource. Go to the AAC&U web page for detailed information about the rubrics, and click on this link to view the rubrics in a single PDF: VALUE Rubrics [pdf]. Please note, these rubrics may or may not be the latest versions available from AAC&U directly.
- Resource Page on Rubrics for Institutional Assessment University of Virginia has great instructions on how to design rubrics for institutional assessment and includes many good examples of rubrics.
- Lots of Good Rubrics here! Miami State offers a resource page with many ready-made rubrics, along with instructions and free software for designing your own.
- Designing Rubrics for Assessing Higher Order Thinking Various rubrics for aspects of critical thinking.
- Holistic Critical Thinking Rubric [pdf] A fine, basic tool for evaluating critical thinking from Insight Assessment.
- Washington State’s Guide to Rating Integrative and Critical Thinking One possible rubric on critical thinking.
- Principles of Good Practice in Assessing Student Learning American Association for Higher Education's article on assessing student learning.
- Comprehensive Collection of all Learning Assessment Resources The North Carolina State University Planning and Analysis site keeps a resource list of articles, sites, and forums covering many elements of learning assessment.
- PSU Portfolio Rubrics. Each year PSU uses rubrics to assess portfolios made by students enrolled in Freshman Inquiry courses. We don't know if all of these are used currently, but they have been used in the past:
- Holistic Critical Thinking [pdf]
- Ethical Issues [pdf]
- Quantitative Literacy [pdf]
- Diversity [pdf]
- Writing Rubric [pdf]