1. Water Cooler Workshops
Starting conversations about teaching and learning at CSM

2. A Culture of Assessment
evokes….
ACCJC
Compliance
Data
Tracdat
Mapping and alignment

3. A Culture of Assessment Enquiry
“What are other instructors doing about _________?”
“Do students follow up on the advice they get?”
“What do students really remember or value from CSM, down the line?”
“Does ___________ strategy really work?”
“How do my students do in their other classes?”

4. A Culture of Assessment Experiment
“What new strategy can I try to deal with _________?”
“Why don’t I get together with another teacher to try _____________?”

5. A Culture of Assessment…
… is really about enquiry and experimentation.
Regular, thoughtful self-reflection (“How are we doing? How are our students doing?”)
Conversations about trends, concerns, and strategies for teaching and learning on our campus
Experiments, research and other initiatives, addressing teaching and learning

6. A Culture of Assessment
A “culture of assessment” needs -
To make ROOM and TIME for ongoing, productive, conversations, across disciplines and service areas, that address our work of teaching and learning here at CSM.
To provide SUPPORT for ongoing conversations, experimentation and research that address our work of teaching and learning here at CSM.

7. Today’s goal: Find some themes (concerns, ideas, issues)
Start discussions (ideally, cross-disciplinary)
Leave with an idea for a small-scale project (team-teaching an assignment, trying a new strategy, finding something out on campus, researching an issue, etc.)

8. For example – concerns:
EXAMPLES OF CONCERNS
“I’d like to start a campus-wide conversation about reading.”
“The influx of international students is a big challenge, but also a real opportunity for developing diversity.”
“Students just don’t give themselves enough time for homework.”
“We aren’t making enough headway on equity and diversity.”
“How do our transfer students feel about how well we prepared them for their upper division work, I wonder?”
“Do my English composition students really learn what they need to succeed in their other classes?”

9. For example – projects:
EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS
Create or team-teach an assignment jointly with an instructor in another discipline
Experiment with some new activity, some teaching or grading strategy this semester, and report how well it works
Find creative ways to reach out to former students, asking them what they think of their time at CSM
PRIE research: Does ENGL 100 really help students write college essays? See if PRIE can track down grades of a group of students who have, and who haven’t, taken ENGL 100, and compare them.
Reading research: Read some articles addressing an issue you’re interested in. Report back on what you find out.

10. Part ONE: What’s on our minds?
THINK / PAIR / SHARE (15 minutes)
What’s on your mind? Think of your work with students, and brainstorm a list of concerns, questions, or trends you’d like to think about this year.
Discuss your list with a colleague. Prioritize the one you’re most interested in.

11. Part ONE: What’s on our minds?
FINDING COMMON CONCERNS (15 minutes)
Find emerging themes
Form groups

12. Part TWO: Work Groups WORK GROUPS (25 minutes)
Pick a theme that most interests you.
In a group, discuss the issue. What are your concerns? What would you like to find out? What would you like to know?
Brainstorm
Small shared projects
Research
Assignment strategies
Interdisciplinary initiatives

13. Part THREE: Report back
Let’s make a list of projects!