The mission of Project LEARN at Santa Rosa Junior College is to support collaborative inquiry into and conversation about the learning process. Through outcomes assessment we demonstrate a common commitment to academic excellence and ongoing improvement in the way we provide education and services to our students.

II. Why Engage in Outcomes Assessment?

Throughout the nation, community college accrediting agencies have increasingly called for the use of broad-based assessment to more objectively measure student achievement of learning outcomes. Our local accrediting body, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), has elected to use SLO assessment as an integral part of its accrediting standards. This is, in large part, a response to the U.S. Department of Education’s call for colleges and universities to engage in a process of continual self-examination and reflection with the goal of improvement. As a result, Santa Rosa Junior College is now implementing a comprehensive student learning outcomes assessment program, the results of which will be reviewed during the next accreditation visit in spring 2009. The self-study report for that visit will be drafted in fall 2007 and spring 2008. However, for this program to be successful it must not be done simply as an “exercise” for accreditation purposes. Continual self-evaluation and the resulting curricular innovation will promote both academic excellence and institutional effectiveness.

Although all educators engage in a practice of defining objectives and measuring outcomes in one form or another, many of us do not approach the process in a systematic or collaborative fashion. In addition, perhaps more of us do not have in place a shared, structured procedure to analyze the results and modify our curricula or approach. By being more transparent and systematic in defining and measuring achievement of objectives, we have an opportunity to:

· Enhance student learning

· Provide guidance to instructors, especially new faculty

· Identify and overcome barriers to effective teaching

· Facilitate collaboration within and among departments

· Improve student learning, retention and program completion

III. How is SRJC Approaching the Assessment Process?

Project LEARN has set up three work groups to facilitate assessment at the course, program, and institutional levels: c-LEARN, pro-LEARN, and i-LEARN.

Assessment at the Course Level

Assessment of student learning begins in the classroom where instructors can evaluate learning, analyze results, and improve instruction. At the course level, assessment projects are structured to determine whether the student learning outcomes are being achieved at the completion of a course.

c-LEARN, which focuses on course-level learning outcomes, has been developing appropriate assessment policies and procedures, and is acting as a mentoring body aiding faculty, departments, and programs in developing and implementing their own learning outcomes assessment projects.

Assessment at the Program Level

At the program level, faculty collaborate to identify program learning outcomes and then design assessment plans to evaluate the critical learning outcomes students should be able to demonstrate as a result of completing the program.

pro-LEARN is the subcommittee of Project LEARN charged with helping programs and departments to articulate and assess the more broad-based program-level learning outcomes. For the purposes of Project LEARN, an instructional program is defined as the following: an occupational certificate, an occupational degree, a transfer major, or a group of connected courses leading to a defined goal.

Assessment at the Institutional Level

The goal at the institutional level is to elicit input from faculty, staff and managers district wide to gain consensus on what it is we wish all of our students to know or be able to do as a result of being a student at SRJC.

i-LEARN is the subcommittee of Project LEARN charged with developing and assessing institutional learning outcomes.

Membership in the work groups is evenly divided between faculty and administrators. Project LEARN members are involved in helping faculty, administrators, and staff set up and implement the assessment process. Please contact members of the appropriate Project LEARN subcommittee if you need assistance in developing your outcome assessment project or if you want to become involved in Project LEARN.

IV. Principles of Assessment at SRJC

Faculty members identify learning outcomes, specify the means of assessment and decide what to do with the results in order to improve or enhance instruction.

Assessment is an ongoing process. Instructors, as well as college service personnel, assess achievement of outcomes on a regular basis.

Assessment continues after and apart from visits of accrediting agencies in order to use assessment for improvement.

Assessment focuses institutional attention on quality.

Assessment results are not and should not be associated with individual faculty or staff evaluation.

Assessment analyzes the learning process, not the individual student, faculty member, or course.

V. Developing an Assessment Project

An SRJC assessment project consists of five steps, which create ongoing opportunities improvement that supports our quest for excellence.

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Five Row Model

The Five Row model is based on work developed by Dr. James Nichols and Karen Nichols of Institutional Effectiveness Associates and will be used for the development and reporting of course and program level SLOs and assessment results across campus. The forms and procedures outlined in this handbook are intended to facilitate the assessment process.

Blank forms are available online at www.santarosa.edu/projectlearn. A description of how to complete each of the Rows follows. Examples of completed forms appear in the Appendix.

Please be aware that it will take some time and collaboration to complete all five rows of the form. Project LEARN team members will be working directly with departments and faculty members throughout the coming years to assist them in developing their outcomes, determining the means of assessment, and compiling the results of that assessment in order to improve student learning.

As you develop your project, keep in mind . . .

Focus on assessment as a tool for improving the quality of students' educational experiences.

Add minimally to already heavy workloads by doing the following:

Refer to existing program documents and course outlines of record when formulating the outcomes to be assessed.
Use existing assessment instruments and data whenever possible.
Incorporate assessment procedures into the routine operation of the course or program.
Use a cycle of assessment that corresponds to the Program Review process.
Coordinate assessment efforts. There may be opportunities to assess both course and program outcomes at the same time.

Be sensitive to the implications of assessment. Data reported insensitively may do more harm than good. Internally, results of assessment are intended to be formative, not punitive.

Instructions for using the SRJC Five-row model SLO Assessment Process

On the next page is a graphic depiction of the steps of the assessment process. This five-step model can be used for assessment projects at either the course level or the program level. Each step of the process corresponds to a row number in the SLO Assessment Form (see page 31). You will use the SLO Assessment Form to record your outcomes, assessment methods, and results.

Step-By-Step Guide to the SRJC Five Row Model

SLO Assessment Form

VI. Instructions for Using the Five Row Model

Step 1: Formulate intended Student Learning Outcomes for Course or Program

A Student Learning Outcome is a statement of the knowledge, skills, abilities, or values students should acquire in the course. A Student Learning Outcome often subsumes multiple objectives, allows direct assessment, and anticipates the application of learning outside of the classroom or in future educational contexts. Usually a course will have one to five SLOs.

For the Program Level: Faculty within a department or program meet to discuss the expected learning outcomes for students who complete a particular group of courses, such as those required for a certificate, an AA/AS degree, or for transfer. For the purposes of assessment, no more than three to five outcomes should be selected.

For the Course Level: Faculty collaborating on course level student learning outcomes assessment meet to review the SLOs for the course. If there are no SLOs on the existing course outline of record, now is the time to write them. For the purposes of an assessment project, consider selecting one or two of them.

For either level: List the outcomes in Row 1 of the SLO Assessment Form, using a separate page for each of the outcomes selected.

Writing measurable outcomes is a skill that takes time to master. When writing SLOs:

Focus on what the student should be able to do at the end of the program or course. Consider how students will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, or values you expect students to develop. (See Appendix C for more information on writing SLOs).
Use active verbs. Active verbs specify definite, observable and measurable behaviors. When crafting SLOs, use verbs that reflect the highest levels of thinking required by a course. Keep in mind that, according to Title 5, all college courses, and particularly transfer level courses, should involve a high degree of critical thinking. For instance, while an SLO might state ". . . students will be able to choose appropriate plants for a garden," an SLO reflecting the critical thinking process involved might be worded: "students will be able to evaluate and select plants according to their suitability for various soil and light conditions.” This outcome both expresses criteria and measures ability. (See Appendix for list of action verbs.)

Share the outcomes with faculty within your own discipline and from other disciplines. When focusing on SLOs at the program level, it is important to come to a consensus on which SLOs are important for the program as a whole. Sharing across disciplines also helps focus the meaning of the statements. When focusing on SLOs at the course level, it is important to come to consensus about which SLOs represent the broad outcomes for the course.
Share the outcomes with your students. Students need to clearly understand what is expected of them. They are usually unfamiliar with the discipline specific language, so they can help in clarifying the outcomes as well.

Modify as you learn from experience. As you begin the actual assessment, sometimes flaws will be identified in the SLO itself. Upon completion of your assessment project, you may discover that revision of the SLO is necessary.