MINUTES
Learning Assessment Committee
Harford Community College
June 11, 2013
Present: S. Allen, G. Calia-Lotz, M. Danner, B. Ekey, J. Grimm, M. Huddleston, C Jones, K. Jones,
S. King, D. Mack, V. Swain
Action items in BOLD .
1.
Approval of minutes – as written.
2.
Approval of End-of-Year Report
3.
Date for August meeting – Aug. 20 10 AM
4.
Review of the Assessment Expo - well received with all VPs and Dr. G present. Pictures taken and a PPT being created of the day and in News and Whos during the summer. Five presentations will be set up in Chesapeake Center for the Board to view before their next meeting. Some of the displays will be exhibited at Aug. PD Day. Suggestion to remind faculty during the year.
5.
Assessment Management System Review (see PPT)
Three key institutional questions need to be answered: What is most important to faculty? What is most important to the Academic Affairs leadership? Will Academic Affairs leaders take the necessary actions to ensure that the software is used uniformly and correctly across the campus?
Chart provided to show comparisons of software.
Key Software questions:
1.
Cost? Over $25,000 must go through bidding process. Student fee paid?
2.
Accommodation of administrative unit assessments?
3.
Talk/connect to Banner? Blackboard?
4.
Customizable?
New Blackboard – is this another option? Maybe some features? David will look into this.
Purchase process at HCC reviewed as well as the Outcomes Assessment Management solution
Specification form created in 2007. We need to make a case on why we should switch: what is
TracDat NOT doing? What can we do better with a different program?
Review of Pros and Cons of TracDat
PROs: customizable, levels of assessment, curriculum mapping, doc repository, customizable reporting feature (not super friendly), academic and admin assessment, easy collection from non-TracDat users (datatools feature) Pilot in BSS in the fall.
CONs: neither intuitive nor user-friendly. Complex, double work – analysis and input, level assessment within programs only – non-required and non-Gen Ed courses not assessed

Review of the Big Assessment Software Systems (see chart and PPT)
Task Stream – incorporates dashboard and process tracking (approvals); student-uploaded artifacts/evidence; Banner(does not talk directly) and Blackboard connection; rubric creation/template
TK20 – templates for planning, reporting, syllabi; integrated rubric feature; flexible reporting;
Banner integration eLumen – requires all faculty use for course grading; focus on individual student performance
Compliance Assist – focus on MSCHE, Strategic Planning compliance, faculty management
Live Text – paid by student fees
Weave Online – limited capabilities
Next Steps: Choose 2-3 systems for PD Day; decide on format; make recommendations
Timing: not PD days; week after PD Days
Set up a day with each vendor presenting three sessions at consecutive times in a computer room.
Questions: Is the admin willing to change? (Yes)
Need to inform the role of faculty in assessment/software and how programs and future work will assist with data collection and analysis.
Need leaders on campus to promote this process and attendance at the sessions; must sell the assessment process.
Provide specific information for each vendor/rep to show how that info would be placed into the software and used by faculty/admin. Specific examples are needed to show faculty how the software can be of use.
Have surveys/rating sheets at each session for faculty to take notes and rate on sight.
Fees for Live Text are high if you consider part-time students.
Core group – emails from Chris and Sheila to core groups; commitment to attend at least two of the sessions; add food
Committee Members
Carol Allen
Sheila Allen
Bill Ekey
Rob Frank
Miriam Huddleston David Mack
Chris Jones Gene Popiolek
Gina Calia-Lotz Judy Grimm Kenneth Jones
Madelyn Danner Nicole Hoke-Wilson Supawan King
Valerie Swain
Avery Ward