ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT UPDATE
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We wrap up the academic year with a glimpse of things to come and some words of gratitude for all of the faculty who have contributed to student learning and success through assessment efforts this year. Get an update on our spring workshops and progress towards reaffirmation of accreditation and learn about one of our core course assessment stars.
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Announcing the Learning Improvement and Assessment Expo 2022!
IAA is in the initial planning stages for our fall kick-off event that will be a celebration of the many contributions of our faculty to improve student learning through ongoing assessment efforts. This day-long resource fair and showcase will be offered to support faculty as they prepare for the submission of 2021-2022 student learning outcomes assessment documents, culminating with a special reception to recognize all those who have demonstrated excellence in quality and commitment to student learning outcomes assessment. With open-door activities running throughout the day, faculty can drop in at their convenience and take advantage of the resources and support most applicable to their assessment process development and questions.
Click the button below if you're interested in attending to help us determine scheduling for each campus!
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Learning Improvement Lab Presents:
Spring Workshops Summary
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The Learning Improvement Lab presented two workshops this semester to help faculty and staff who wanted to sharpen and expand their student learning outcome assessment skills.
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Folio Innovations for Assessment
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Cindy Costa, Senior Lecturer and assessment coordinator from the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, joined the IAA team on Friday, March 25th to share some strategies for optimizing Folio functionality for the collection and analysis of assessment data. Her presentation offered practical tips and next steps for assessment coordinators based on an understanding of the common challenges encountered in academic program and core course assessment. Cindy presented a range of potential solutions based on her own department's development and use of Folio as an assessment tool. Presentation slides and Zoom recording are now available.
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Engaging Students in Assessment
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This workshop presented by IAA staff focused on engaging students as the most critical stakeholders in assessment. Caroline Yarbrough, IAA Graduate Assistant and Masters student in Psychology, shared a series of models employed at other institutions for engaging students in assessment of student learning. These models ranged from using students as consultants to gain a student perspective on instruction and assessment methods to engaging students in undergraduate research focused on student learning assessment. Jaime O'Connor, IAA assessment coordinator, shared some practical strategies for engaging students in conversations about assessment of their learning in the classroom. Presentation slides and Zoom recording are available.
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With Sincere Appreciation
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As we wrap up another academic year defined by both ongoing and unpredictable challenges, the IAA team would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to some specific individuals and groups for their exemplary dedication to supporting student learning and success through a commitment to meaningful assessment.
FACULTY FELLOWS
This year, we were privileged to work with five faculty fellows who brought diverse skill sets, valuable insights, and unique perspectives to each project they were assigned. Their assistance and careful attention was essential for the initial quality review of 143 academic program and 91 core course assessment documents prior to peer-review. They have supported initiatives ranging from development of student services assessment resources to investigating models for presenting core assessment data at the core area level to a grassroots campaign to reach out to program and core assessment coordinators to offer targeted support for assessment efforts. Michelle Cawthorn, Suzy Carpenter, Geneva DeMars, Kymberly Harris, and Barb King have all made significant contributions to the goals of our office over the past year. Barb, who joined us as a full-time faculty fellow, has also become a valued leader of our accreditation and curriculum review efforts.
GECC AND AASC PEER-REVIEWERS
Every year, our office relies on the time and expertise of faculty who serve on two university-wide committees tasked with the peer-review of our academic program and core course student learning outcomes assessment documents. The General Education and Core Curriculum (GECC) committee's membership consists of 9 representatives appointed by the Faculty Senate SEC and 9 representatives elected from each college. In addition to reviewing curricular items, these 18 committee members review documents from 91 core courses. The Academic Assessment Steering Committee consists of representatives from all eight colleges appointed by their college dean with membership distributed proportionately to the number of academic programs in each college. This year, the membership of that committee was strategically expanded to 40 total faculty to accommodate the review of 143 documents.
Peer-reviewers on both committees participate in an orientation and peer-review training course in Folio modeled after the AAC&U Value Rubric training and calibration program. The training includes quizzes that give peer-reviewers an opportunity to practice applying the rubric criteria to sections from example assessment documents in preparation for peer-review. Each peer-reviewer is assigned between 7 and 10 documents to review, with some academic program documents exceeding 30 pages in length. The peer-reviewers score each document individually, and then meet with a partner who has scored the same document individually to discuss and reconcile any differences in scores and comments. This process demands a significant amount of time and attention in addition to all other faculty responsibilities. IAA takes great pride in the work of the GECC and the AASC and values their contribution to student learning improvement and success through maintaining a high standard for institutional assessment processes.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM AND CORE COURSE COORDINATORS
IAA also wants to recognize the leadership of our academic program and core course coordinators. These faculty coordinate the complex task of collecting assessment data from multiple courses, instructors, campuses, and semesters using a variety of assessment methods. They spearhead efforts to analyze and translate all of that information into a cohesive and meaningful document that can be used to inform decisions about curriculum and instruction to drive improvements in student learning. This requires exceptional organization, communication, and time management skills. Assessment coordinators must initiate conversations about teaching and learning and achieve consensus around action plans for next steps based on assessment data. We are fortunate for the 130 faculty who serve as academic program assessment coordinators and the 63 faculty who serve as core course coordinators to lead assessment processes and to document these activities on an annual basis.
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Want to Join the Academic Assessment Steering Committee?
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- Get an insider perspective on the peer-review process
- Help shape assessment policy and best practices at the institution
- Improve your own knowledge of assessment methods
- Collaborate with colleagues on cross-disciplinary assessment initiatives
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SACSCOC Compliance Certification Teams Weave Introduction
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SACSCOC Compliance Certification Teams met on April 26th for an overview of next steps in constructing compliance narratives and an introduction to the accreditation dashboard, projects, and reports in Weave. Compliance certification teams will begin using the Weave platform to organize their collected evidence and draft the narratives connecting that evidence to applicable SACSCOC standards over the summer.
The Student Outcomes Compliance Certification Team, responsible for standards 8.1, 8.2.a, 8.2.b, and 9.3, will focus on narratives that describe assessment processes relevant to student achievement and success as well as student learning outcomes for academic programs and general education. Standards 8.2.a and 8.2.b will be well-supported by annual assessment documents submitted by academic programs and core courses which show evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of results for student learning outcomes.
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Excellence in General Education Assessment:
BIOL 1230 Environmental Biology and Lab
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BIOL 1230 Environmental Biology and Lab is a course in Area D of the core curriculum, with a focus on using scientific reasoning and methods to investigate phenomena in the natural world. The course is offered on the Armstrong, Liberty, and Statesboro campuses as well as online. Class enrollments vary widely across campuses with sections taught by multiple faculty including limited term faculty and graduate teaching assistants. The diverse administrations of the course present challenges familiar to many large enrollment core courses, and the department has developed a balance that allows flexibility in learning activities and engagement to fit the context of each section and instructor while maintaining consistency in course SLOs, and assessment measurement tools. Keeping the SLOs and assessment measurement tools the same across all sections, campuses, and instructors allows for assessment results to be compared across campuses and tracked across time to draw meaningful conclusions about student learning and the effectiveness of action plans.
The primary assessment measure is a 25-item objective test that was modeled after existing disciplinary test banks and standardized instruments and reviewed by all faculty teaching the course. Test items are mapped to specific course SLOs using a test blueprint to assist with data analysis and identifying specific areas of strength and weakness in student learning. The test is administered as a pre/post-test and has shown positive gains in student learning on all SLOs in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 assessment cycle across all reporting campuses. The department has used item analysis to identify two test items that need further monitoring for possible replacement or improvement, but overall results are provide insight about strengths and weaknesses in student learning in the course.
The department is eager to continue to improve student learning relevant to Area D and has recently proposed a pilot assessment that would engage students in analysis of scientific reasoning in popular publications. This assignment would be assessed with an analytic rubric. One instructor in the 2020-2021 assessment cycle piloted a Utility-Value Intervention assignment which allowed students to incorporate biology into their life observations and experiences. The emphasis of these assignments supports the spirit of general education curriculum, to offer students a breadth of knowledge that will enrich their lives beyond the scope of a specific major or profession.
Due to the consistency of the course assessment process, the evidence of collaboration among participating faculty, and the commitment to improving student learning shown through meaningful action plans, BIOL 1230 Environmental Biology and Lab was one of 14 core courses recommended for a two-year assessment cycle by the GECC and IAA.
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Learning Improvement Lab - Asynchronous
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The Learning Improvement Lab course in Folio will now be available as a fully asynchronous self-paced course. Faculty can enroll at any time and complete the modules at their own pace with ongoing access to all materials. The course includes worksheets, checklists, and quizzes to help guide faculty through the development of a sound assessment process along with practical tips for writing an assessment document with peer-review in mind. Discussion boards and drop boxes for submission of drafts in progress will be moderated by the IAA team.
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Learning Improvement Lab: Incubator
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The latest addition to the Learning Improvement Lab is a mini-course focusing on the development of assessment plans for those creating new academic programs or core courses or for those doing a significant redesign of an existing academic program or core course. This fully self-paced, asynchronous course focuses on the foundational aspects of the assessment process, from the mission statement through the selection of assessment methods for academic programs and from the alignment with a core area learning outcome to the selection of assessment methods for a core course. The course includes quizzes to check understanding at the conclusion of each module and links to additional resources throughout.
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If you are interested in enrolling in either of these Learning Improvement Lab courses, please submit an Assessment Services Request with the course title, your name, and Eagle ID.
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Institutional Assessment and Accreditation (IAA) works collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administration to ensure the quality of the programs and educational experiences offered by the university, addressing the unique assessment needs of courses, departments, colleges, or units through individual and group consultations, professional development workshops, recommendations for technology implementation, and best practice reference materials.
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