Assessment Plan 2011-2012
Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
District Assessment Coordinating Committee
December 1, 2011
Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools has placed
emphasis on evaluation and assessment. HLC Criterion Four: Teaching and Learning – Evaluation and
Improvement. The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs,
learning and environments, and support services, and evaluates their effectiveness for student learning
through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.
Classroom assessment judges the individual student. MCC is interested in assessing the institution. The
purpose of assessing student learning is to help the College determine the extent to which it is fulfilling
its mission of educating students. Assessment allows the College to make improvements in program
structure, course content and pedagogy.
MCC is currently working on the projects listed below. Each of the projects has an assessment plan
associated with it, assessment tools and a timeline created.
1. General Education and Discipline Level Outcomes – As part of Higher Learning Commission’s
accreditation requirements, MCC is working on an Improvement of Student Learning project. This
project involves revision of our General Education Outcomes and creation of Discipline Level Outcomes.
The assessment tools used include (1) Using a rubric or common test questions, outcomes will be
assessed in all general education classes on a rotating basis, (2) A survey was developed and
administered to establish a base-line of MCC’s culture of assessment. (3) Statistical tabulation of
student demographics will be examined using the results of the learning outcomes to look for trends
and differences. (4) In the future, standardized examination and student interviews may be included in
this assessment project.
2. Learning EnhancementsA. Learning Communities – A plan was developed to look at a development education pilot project and
the overall learning communities program for Spring 2012. The assessment tools include: (1) a pre/post
survey instrument, (2) statistical comparisons of student demographics such as GPA, persistence,
success, and completion match to a non-learning community control group, (3) qualitative in-depth
student interviews, (4) student learning outcome measurement, and (5) benchmark comparisons of
current data and previous learning community data collected 1997-2005.
B. Human Diversity – This plan is in development and will be completed in January 2012.
3. Service Learning – This project was started in Fall 2010 and involved an experimental group of classes
that use service learning and a control group of classes that were matched to the experimental group.
Both groups gave a pre and post survey and the results are currently being analyzed.
4. New Student Orientation – A plan was developed to evaluate the success of the new student
orientation course. It includes the following assessment tools: (1) an end of class student satisfaction
survey and use of MCC services, (2) statistical tabulation of student success data such as GPA,
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persistence, and completion, (3) qualitative in-depth student interviews, (4) student learning outcome
measurement, and (5) possible future addition of examining raw data from CCSSE and Noel Levitz to
compare different groups.
5. Student Satisfaction and Engagement – In every spring semester, MCC will administer either the
Noel Levitz Satisfaction survey (even numbered years) or the Community College Survey of Student
Engagement (odd numbered years). In the spring of 2012, the Noel Levitz Satisfaction survey will be
given to a stratified random sample of students by campus. The Institutional Priorities survey will be
given to all faculty at the same time.
6. Key Performance Indicators and Benchmarking – Since 2003, MCC participates with the National
Community College Benchmarking Project. This information provides us with benchmarks to compare
MCC’s performance with other community colleges in Missouri and across the country. Additionally,
MCC is collecting Key Performance Indicators to share internal benchmarks for decision making and
assessment.
7. Graduate Follow up and Employer Follow Up – This is an on-going assessment required for Perkins
funding, program level accreditation, and program improvement. Graduate follow-up surveys are
mailed to students 3 times a year and collected by the IR office. Supplemental surveys required by some
programs are included with the Graduate Follow-up survey. Employer Follow-up surveys are sent when
employer information is received from the student.
8. Course Evaluation – This is an on-going assessment. When full and part-time faculty are evaluated,
the students in his or her classroom are given the student experience survey. These surveys are
tabulated by the IR office and shared with the department. Overall student satisfaction can be collected
for the aggregate results.
9. CTE Assessments – The CTE programs will be conducting an assessment of 1 of their student learning
outcomes in Spring 2012.
10. Institutional research and surveys - MCC undertakes a wide variety of internal research studies
addressing many different aspects of institutional functioning. Examples of recent academic issues
addressed or being completed are:
• CSIS Student Survey
• General Education Outcomes Survey to Faculty
• VAWS and English 80/90 Project
• Longview Biology C-BASE
• Humanities Assessment Project
• Read 10 Project
• HOPE Scale Project
Overall MCC Assessment Timeline:
Fall semester 2011 Cohort #1 Disciplines review course outcomes and generate 3 to 5 discipline outcomes.
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Cohort #1 Disciplines design or adapt rubrics and assessment artifacts to assess at least one of
these outcomes. (Some disciplines may already have assessments that address these
outcomes.)
Each cohort #1 discipline chooses one General Education Outcome to assess and designs or
adapts assessment artifacts consistent with the rubric for that General Education Outcome.
Disciplines may initiate changes to course information forms for one or more courses.
Cohort #1 Disciplines schedule assessments for Spring 2012 with deadline for providing the
Director of Institutional Research and Assessment with raw data.
Learning Community Assessment plan was created.
New Student Orientation Assessment plan was created.
December 2011• Instructors of Learning Community classes for Spring 2012 will be identified.
• Cohort #1 Disciplines report progress to District Assessment Coordinating Committee (DACC).
January 2012 1st Cohort Disciplines administer assessments and begin compiling data with the help of the
Director of Institutional Research and Assessment.
 1st Cohort available in an advisory role with 2nd Cohort.
• A survey link will be sent to Learning Community instructors to share with their students for the
pre-survey instrument.
• Student demographics for the pilot developmental education class and regular learning
community will be gathered.
• A matched random control group for the pilot developmental education class and the regular
learning community class will be selected.
• Student demographics for the New Student Orientation pilot will be gathered.
• A matched random control group for the New Student Orientation pilot will be selected.
February 2012
• Faculty will determine 3-5 student learning outcomes for learning communities
• During the Spring semester, student learning outcomes for New Student Orientation will be
collected using in class artifacts.
• Noel Levitz Institutional Priorities Survey will be given to faculty February 1-February 29th.
• 2nd Cohort meets February 17th to create 3 -5 discipline level outcomes, to examine current
course level outcomes and determine if they are still relevant, and to decide on 1
general education outcome and 1 discipline level outcome to assess in the fall.
March 2012
• Faculty will determine an embedded plan and classroom artifact to assess student learning
outcomes for learning communities.
• Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory will be given to a sample of students March 19th –
April 20th.
• 2nd Cohort meets March 23rd to create rubrics to measure discipline level outcomes. Relate
these to possible or current assignments.
April 2012
• The post-survey link will be sent to Learning Community instructors to share with their students.
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Interview protocols and questions will be determined for in-depth qualitative student interviews
for Learning Communities.
Interview protocols and questions will be determined for in-depth qualitative student interviews
for New Student Orientation.
2nd Cohort meets April 13th to plan assessment to be implemented next semester and organize
report to present at DACC.
Approximately April 16th – a survey link will be sent to the control and experimental groups for
the New Student Orientation pilot.
May 2012
 1st and 2nd Cohort Disciplines report progress to DACC.
June 2012
• End of semester outcomes will be examined for learning communities.
• Student demographics will be updated to include success measures for learning communities.
• Final analysis of survey data for learning communities will be completed.
• Student demographics will be updated to include success measures for New Student
Orientation.
• Final analysis of survey results and outcome assessment will be completed for New Student
Orientation.
July 2012
• Benchmark data for learning communities will begin to compare current data to the previous
research project.
• Analysis of the Noel Levitz Satisfaction Survey will begin.
September 2012
• Interviews will commence for previous students in the Learning Communities development
education class.
• Assessment will begin to examine 1 student learning outcome in the learning community
classes.
• Interviews will commence for new students and previous students in the New Student
Orientation class.
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