IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING for Institutional Effectiveness

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IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING for Institutional
Effectiveness

• THE REASON Improvement of Student
  Learning and Institutional Support Services
• THE OCCASION Regional Accreditation

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BACKGROUND

• In January 2005, the ACCJC sent a letter to
  Saddleback College listing multiple areas
  relating to Program Review AND Student Learning
  Outcomes (SLOs) as needing immediate attention in
  order to be in compliance with the accreditation
  standards.
• IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE CURRENTLY, SADDLEBACK
  COLLEGE IS IN NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE WASC
  STANDARDS. This must be taken seriously and
  rectified.

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What the Commission Expected for First Round of
Accreditation Reviews

• An institution will have begun identifying SLOs,
  defining meaningful measures of accomplishment,
  measuring and evaluating the results.
• There will be some plan in place to extend
  accomplishments to all courses, programs and
  degrees.

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A Successful Response to WASC criteria means

• The faculty take collective responsibility for
  establishing, reviewing, fostering and
  demonstrating the attainment of Student Learning
  Outcomes. Standard 2
• The faculty take responsibility for evaluating
  the effectiveness of the teaching and learning
  process AND use the results for improvement.
  Standard 4.6

Our most important reason to exam student
learning outcomes is to improve student learning!
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How does the ACCJC requirement effect me and my
teaching in the classroom?

• Without immediate action at the division,
  department and program level, the college will be
  unable to demonstrate any intent to show progress
  towards meeting the stated WASC requirements.
• In other words WE (faculty, staff,
  administration) MUST demonstrate a commitment to
  this project.
• We have been given a deadline and must give
  written and physical evidence that WE are working
  on SLOs.

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What is the Deadline?

• There are TWO deadlines that the WASC letter
  refers to
• 1. PROGRESS REPORT The Commission asks that a
  Progress Report be submitted by OCTOBER 15, 2005.
  ...it should focus on the recommendations

2. VISITATION accreditation has been
reaffirmed, with a requirement that the
college complete a Progress Report. The
report will be followed by a visit by Commission
representatives. . . NOVEMBER 2005.
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RECOMMENDATION 2
ACCREDITATION REPORT AREAS OF CONCERN

• The College fully develop, implement, and
  coordinate an integrated college planning and
  evaluation structure by
• C. Identifying intended institutional and student
  learning outcomes, coordinated with the college
  mission statement, and measuring progress towards
  accomplishment (Standards I.A.1, 1.B.I,I.B.2,
  I.B.2, I.B.3, and II.A.1)
• D. Coordinating program review more thoroughly
  with the educational master plan, department
  plans, and decision-making processes (Standards
  I.B.I,I.B.4),
• E. Requiring and implementing program review for
  all departments . . . (Standards II.A.1, IIA.2,
  II.B.3, II.B.4)

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RECOMMENDATION 3
ACCREDITATION REPORT AREAS OF CONCERN

• The College develop and implement student
  learning outcomes across the college by
• Developing measurable learning outcome for all
  courses, degrees, certificates, programs, and
  services (Standards I.A.1, 1.B.I,I.B.2, I.B.2,
  I.B.3, and II.A.1)
• Defining and instituting research, procedures for
  measuring, assessing, and tracking learning
  outcomes) (Standards I.B.I,I.B.4),
• AND
• Creating a staff development program to
• educate and train all pertinent faculty and
  staff members in the identification, assessment,
  and evaluation of student learning outcomes.
  (Standards I.B.I,I.B.4),

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ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?
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WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

• 1. The college now plans to establish a
  multi-year foundational project which will
  include training of faculty and staff, the
  implementation of SLO assessment across the
  campus, and the integration of SLOs into the
  Program Review process.
• 2. This project is designed to institutionalize
  an assessment process that will lead to
• continual improvement of instruction and student
  services
• address the standards set by WASC for our
  November 2005 site visitation from the
  Accreditation Team.

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Now you ask, what exactly are SLOs?

• Student Learning Outcomes are formal written
  statements to determine what students know,
  think, feel or do as a result of a given learning
  experience.
• Outcomes are determined by the members of a
  particular department or program.
• Assessment of the outcomes allows faculty to make
  a connection between what students are expected
  to learn and if the students are learning.
• Assessment results stimulate discussion and
  direct activities that can improve instructional
  delivery and/ or student support systems.

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Based on the new WASC Standards a
transformational change is necessary to ensure
that the entire campus community begins to assess
student learning. This will require a
consistent, coherent plan and a unified effort.
Student Learning Outcomes
Steering Committee, Mt. SAC

• What needs to be addressed?

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The Saddleback Proposal

• Currently, a variety of SLO models are utilized
  across the campus, many with excellent results.
• However, for all areas of the campus to work
  towards the same goal effectively, a common
  vocabulary and standard of practice must been
  established. This has now been done through the
  creation of
• SLO Process and Procedures
• New Program Review process with outcomes
  assessment at its core
• SLO Implementation Team
• An Institutional Effectiveness Office located
  in the Library - room 321K.
• Institutional Effectiveness website
  HTTP//www.saddleback.edu/fs/ie.

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Overview of the Implementation Process

• A successful transition to the use of the SLO
  process at Saddleback College requires a
  structured plan for both training and support.
• To meet this goal, the SLO Implementation Team
  has been established as a committee of the
  Academic Senate in Spring 2005.

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Organization and Leadership

• SLO Coordinator responsible for supervising the
  campus-wide training and implementation efforts.
• Works closely with Curriculum Chair the Program
  Review Chair in the implementation of the
  process, particularly as they apply to curriculum
  issues, the program review process and
  accreditation.
• Faculty Facilitators responsible for conducting
  the initial departmental/program training, which
  will lead to the creation and utilization of
  SLOs, and work directly with individual
  departments and programs in ongoing
  implementation.
• Educational Assessment Analyst Assistant
  responsible for providing guidance and expertise
  regarding selection of assessment tools and
  analysis of resulting data.

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DEVELOPING A PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT Using the
Five Column Model
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Getting started

• Begin at the Department/Program level.
• Create a Short List (to look at now) and Long
  List (to look at later) of learning objectives
  for your program/department.
• Consider only 3-5 SLOs for your program on the
  Short List.
• Rotate learning outcomes after each one is
  addressed.

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Who Should Write the SLOs?

• Those who are experts and in direct involvement
  with the discipline The Chair and Faculty.

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SLO IMPLEMENTATION TEAM IN-SERVICE TRAINING
SCHEDULE

• Monday 8/15 230-3pm Chairs Meeting
  Presentation on
• Program Review and
  SLOs
• Tuesday 8/16 830-1100am Presidents
  Breakfast
• 8/16 1230 - 120pm MSE Division
  Meeting
• Howard Adams, Carmen
  Dominguez, Wendy Gordon
• 8/16 100 - 150 pm LA/LR
  Division Meeting
• Cheryl Altman, Claire
  Cesareo-Silva
• 8/16 130 - 220 pm ATAS
  Division Meeting
• Howard Adams, Carmen Dominguez, Wendy Gordon
• 8/16 2 - 250 pm SBS Division
  Meeting
• Cheryl Altman, Claire
  Cesareo-Silva
• 8/16 3 - 350 pm BS Division Meeting

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WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THIS SUMMER

• PROPOSAL FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR
  INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
• FORMATION OF AN SLO TEAM
• WORKSHOP FOR FACULTY TRAINING WITH THE INSTITUTE
  OF EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
• CREATION OF A WEBSITE
• PREPARATION OF A GUIDE BOOK ON SLOs
• REVISION OF PROGRAM REVIEW GUIDELINES
• LOCATION OF AN OFFICE FOR INSTITUTIONAL
  EFFECTIVENESS

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GO TO YOUR DIVISION MEETINGS!
GET THE SCOOP ON SLOs!!!!!