House of Cards:
Strategies for success in supports for
student learning
Kate Connor
A little about Truman College…
• Part of the seven City Colleges of Chicago
• Dramatic changes throughout the District through
Reinvention effort
• Individually accredited by HLC
• 23,000 students
• Large ESL and GED population
• Multiple Special Program
Accreditations:
– NATEF, NAEYC, ACEN
Strategy and the Academy
• Utilizing the political capital of HLC and the
Academy to get student learning at the forefront
of conversations for:
– Increased funding and support for general education
and program assessment
– Faculty engagement about student learning
• Changing the view of assessment
– Cheerleading in a time of intense change
• Faculty were uncomfortable taking chances with assessment
(What if the data is bad?)
– Increased administrative support for understanding
student learning
Work to be done…
Basing projects on our HLC Reaffirmation Report,
we are focused on the following areas:
• Continue General Education Assessment
• Further develop program/discipline efforts
• Create sustainable structures
– Committee structure
– Professional Development
– Becoming part of the college culture
• Per our report, we needed to “successfully complete”
our projects
We had big plans…
Joined
Assessment
Academy
HLC Site
Visit and
Site-Visit
Report
Went to
our
KickoffMADE BIG
PLANS
HLC
recommended
we continue
in the
Academy and
show
“successful”
completion
TRIED
TO EAT
A
WHALE
Bob Mundhenk
raised concern
that projects did
not address HLC
concerns
• Streamline of
Academy projects
to address
concerns and focus
our efforts
Streamlining Our project: General Education
• Developed an assessment process with a calendar
through 2019:
Student Learning Outcomes- Develop or review Student Learning Outcome(SLO)
for Goal(s)
Assessment Research and Design- Find or Create Appropriate Tools and
Processes for Specific General Education SLO’s assessment
Administration of Assessment Tool-Recruit sample for assessment through
faculty and conduct assessment
Data Analysis- Data input, reliability and validity checks, produce analyzed and
usable data
Dissemination of Data- Share data with all stakeholders and produce report for
posting to the public
Data-Driven Decisions- Partner with stakeholders to discuss and implement data
driven improvement
Streamlining Our Project: General Education
• We have assessed all general education areas
and have a baseline for moving forward
General Education Goal
Area and Outcome
Communication: Argument
HD and Civic Engagement:
Acknowledge
Inquiry and Analysis: Uses
appropriate tools
% of students that "Meet or
Actions based on data
Exceed Expectations" on Common
Rubric for outcome
63.64% Truman Teaching Communities/Power Shots
and partnership with Writing Center/ Corequisite courses and Learning Communities
developed. Humanities powershort specific to
writing in the discipline
51.10% Conversation regarding HD and Civic
Engagement have led to the following new
efforts: Communities and support/Civic
Engagement, Black and Brown in America,
and Beyonce and Feminism
82.86% No Specific actions taken
Data in action:
Goal Area 1:
Communication
Type of
Assessment
Dates Completed
Major Changes
Student work
sampling &
home grown
rubric
2009, 2010
*There is ongoing
portfolio
assessment of
English 101 and 102
2011
Truman Teaching
Communities/Power
Shots developed,
Writing Center
Opened
Truman Teaching
Communities/Power
Shots developed.
Writing
Center/Math Center
Opened
Truman Learning
Communities
formed /Power
Shots developed
*Tool limitations
will be addressed in
next round
Goal Area 2:
Inquiry and
Analysis
Student work
sample&
home grown
rubric
Goal Area 3:
Critical
Thinking
Student work
sampling &
home grown
rubric
Goal Area 4:
Human
Diversity and
Civic
Engagement
2011
Date of next round of
assessment and any
changes to
assessment tools:
Next: Spring 2014
*AAC&U VALUE Rubric
to be used for WAC
assessment
Next: Fall 2014
*AAC&U VALUE Rubric
to be used
Next: Spring 2014
*AAC&U VALUE Rubric
to be used
1. Human
Human Diversity:
Civic Engagement: Fall
Diversity Tool 2012
2013
2. Civic
Engagement
Civic Engagement:
Rubric (VALUE Fall 2013
Rubric)
*As of Fall 2013 Truman will have assessed all the General Education Goal Areas: Communication,
Inquiry and Analysis, Critical Thinking, and Human Diversity/Civic Engagement.
Streamlining Our Project:
Department/Discipline
• Faculty Development day focused on department and discipline
work:
• Three Questions:
– What do you know about student learning?
– How do you know it?
– What do you do with this information?
• Each question has “guiding questions below” and feedback is
given from a common rubric to help guide work
Streamlining Our Project:
Department/Discipline
• Met with faculty based on Three Questions Report
– Example: Humanities
• Discussed outcomes in our Humanities 201 course and
alignment to General Education Outcomes
– Focused here because of number of sections and enrollment
– Numerous full and part-time faculty
• Faculty selected one outcome from the course and agreed to
develop a common assessment:
– 3d. describe the historical and stylistic connection of the works
presented
Streamlining Our Project:
Department/Discipline
• Faculty in the Discipline developed a broad essay:
“X (a specific work of the humanities, covered in class)
represents y (a specific style or movement of the
humanities, also covered in class). Describe the historical
circumstances out of which this style was born, using the
work as an example.”
• Faculty developed a rubric aligned to agreed-upon
components of the outcome selected
Streamlining Our Project:
Department/Discipline
• 72% of students received a “satisfactory” rating or higher
on the assessment
• During the discussion faculty decided they wanted to
partner with the Writing Center to better prepare
students for reading and writing within the discipline
Streamlining Our Project:
Department/Discipline
• Two topics:
– Humanities Vocabulary
– Reading and Writing in the Humanities
• Developed using Humanities 201 textbook
• We are currently revising the “Reading and Writing in the
Humanities” to tailor them to the HUM201 final
assessment
Streamlining Our Project:
Sustainable Structures
• Restructuring of our committee
–
–
–
–
Bylaws and Release time
Representatives from all departments
Ex-officio members from administration
Standing presentations at all Department Chairs and
Faculty Council meetings
– Roles and duties realigned to focus on promotion and
support of the assessment process as a tool to understand
student learning
Streamlining Our Project:
Sustainable Structures
• Faculty Development
– Common Language:
• FDS and Second Semester Seminar and working with Assessment
Committee
• Assessment Basics Presentation
– Assessment Strand at Faculty Development Week
– Data discussion day: Focus groups led by Social Science
Faculty
– Spring Faculty Development
• 2013: Department/Discipline
• 2014: Symposium on Teaching and Learning: Partnered with Office
of Instruction: Developmental Education
– Work with anyone and everyone willing to work with us!
Focus Supported Success
Develop PD
Strands for fall FD
Continue Gen Ed
efforts
Partner with
Departments
(develop basic
reports)
Math
Center/Writing
Centers and
Powershots start
Faculty and
Administration
attend HLC
Roundtable
Plan for Faculty
Assessment Day
in Spring- To
share data, best
practices, and
plans for moving
forward
Bob Mundhenk,
our HLC
Academy
Mentor, PRAISES
Truman and the
progress to date!
Addressing HLC Concerns that are specific to Assessment
General Education Assessment
Year assessed:
Reflect, React,
Document changes
based on data(if any)
HLC Concern Addressed
1. Communication
2010, 2011
Fall 2012
Challenge 1 & 3
2. Inquiry and Analysis
2011
Fall 2012
Challenge 1 & 3
3. Critical Thinking
2011
Fall 2012
Challenge 1 & 3
4. Civic Engagement/Diversity
Human Diversity:
Fall 2012
Civic Engagement:
Fall 2013
Fall 2013
Challenge 1 & 3
Program Outcomes and
Assessment
Year assessed:
Reflect, React,
Document changes
based on data(if any)
HLC Concern Addressed
Continuous work: Assessment chair will
now work with Department Chairs
directly and during Department Chair
Meetings
On-going
Ongoing
Challenge 2
Strategy Matters
• Understanding what works at our College
– Culture: What works and why?
– Champions: Knowing and creating
– Getting everyone into the right positions
Please feel free to contact:
Kate Connor
KConnor@ccc.edu