From Nuts and Bolts to Drywall and Paint: Building an Assessment Culture Office of Outcomes Assessment

The campus… Spring 2016 Over 16,000 students in credit courses 150 degrees and certificates Associate of Arts Associate of Applied Science Associate of General Studies

History of Assessment at JCCC First there was GELO Administered through Institutional Research Involved student artifacts late in the student’s academic career Scored by teams of faculty Problems Low faculty engagement Slow turn around with results Often not enough data to impact what you were teaching

Next came… Assessment CommitteeAssessment Think Tank Formed through the Strategic Planning Council Provided a foundation for faculty –driven model of assessment Received feedback from HLC Second Phase – Teaching, Learning and Engagement Committee Instrumental in identifying appropriate resources needed Organized the first World Café Led to the current version of the Assessment Council

Establishing resources… Office of Outcomes Assessment established 2010 with two faculty members receiving release time Assessment Council – with faculty elected by each Division was established to give guidance and to promote assessment Early Assessment Council work included establishing the “Guiding Principles” of assessment at JCCC Full-time Director was hired and began work in 2011

Early Endeavors –Continuing the Conversation Engaging the Faculty Brown Bag Brownie Breaks 5-6 sessions a year Coffee Breaks 3 per semester Professional Development Days Presentations 5-8 breakout sessions World Café Twice a year Newsletter 6-8 Times a year Tapping into Resources Mini-grant Fund Established Resources for a new Assessment Conference Establishment of a Permanent Assessment Office Full-time Director Part-time Administrative Assistant Budget Developed Excellence in Outcomes Assessment Award

Early Successes Mini-grants Used for a variety of assessment activities: Retreats, pilots, software, hardware, travel World Café Provided time and space for faculty to talk about assessment and analyze results Assessment Tracks within Professional Development Days Multiple topics across the Assessment spectrum so faculty could come to the one that most interested them

Mid-Term Developments Focus on developing a General Education Assessment Plan Engaging Departments with focused offerings Developed more print resources and library holdings in OOA Expanded funding amount offered through the Mini-grant Program Increased the role of the Assessment Office in Program Review Hired a Research Coordinator

Currently into the Second Year of Data Collection on GE Curriculum

Current Trends Expanded into social media Content-rich blog site with bi-weekly blog postsblog site Twitter-tweeting during events, publicize blog posts and events Asynchronous materials on blog Launched Assessment by Design curriculum Internal audience External audience Meeting directly with programs to meet their needs Enhanced role of Assessment Council in project-driven agenda

THE FUTURE: Keeping the Focus on What Matters Most – Student Learning Reports and data analysis that don’t focus on student learning are a waste of paper and screen time. Faculty must be engaged in making sense of and interpreting assessment results – administration can’t do it for you. Share Successes: Share assessment results from other departments/disciplines. Tell your success stories – these carry more weight with your peers.

Questions? Sheri H. Barrett, EdD Director, Office of Outcomes Assessment Mary McMullen-Light Research Coordinator, Office of Outcomes Assessment Valerie Mann Professor, Learning Strategies Co-Chair, Assessment Council