Quality Improvement Project Commitment Proposal
Proposal submission date: April 8, 2008
Planned project kickoff date: January 2009 (Planning), April 2009 (First Assessment Day)
Target project completion date: October 2009 (Evaluation) then Ongoing
A. Title of Project
Core Learning Outcomes Assessment Day
B. Description of Project
 This project will establish a Core Learning Outcomes (CLOs) Assessment Day for which
students will be brought to a campus location for CLOs assessment. The CLOs
Assessment Day will:
o Occur annually during spring quarter, preferably on spring convocation day
when classes are cancelled;
o Involve students who are near graduation;
o Assess all 5 CLOs on a rotating biennial schedule;
o Randomly assign students to the year’s 2 or 3 CLOs.
 The goal of the CLOs Assessment Day is to improve the assessment (especially data
collection and documentation) of the College’s CLOs.
C. Key Quality Indicator(s)
NC State Strategic Initiatives
□ Enrollment Development
□ Achieving the Dream
□ Workforce/Economic Development
√ Core Learning Outcomes
□ Health Care Education
NC State Strategic Tasks
√ Accreditation
□ Administrative Systems Implementation
□ Performance Evaluation System
AQIP
√ Helping Students Learn
□ Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives
□ Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs
□ Valuing People
□ Leading and Communicating
□ Supporting Institutional Operations
□ Measuring Effectiveness
□ Planning Continuous Improvement
□ Building Collaborative Relationships
Achieving the Dream
□ Develop strategies to close performance gaps among students
○ Successful completion of remedial courses and progression to college-level courses
Proposals are required for projects or activities a) that require budgetary resources beyond the sponsor's usual
operating budget, b) those that impact processes and people from more than one operational area, and/or c) those
that directly support the strategic plan/strategic initiatives of the institution.
○ Enrollment in and successful completion of “gatekeeper” courses.
○ Productive grades (C- or better) in all courses.
○ Improve term-to-term persistence.
○ Improve graduation rates.
√ Use data to drive strategies, monitor progress and evaluate outcomes
□ Involve faculty, students, staff and communities in developing and implementing
□ Report data and outcomes broadly, both on and off campus; advocate for state and national
policy
□ Form partnerships with communities, local businesses and others
D. Project Relevance and Legitimacy
 Priority:
o CLO assessment is one of the College’s strategic initiatives, is a requirement for
accreditation, is addressed in Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Higher Education 2008 2017, and provides important feedback on student learning.
 Research:
o The Strategic Plan for Higher Education 2008 – 2017 report states that: “The
community colleges’ accountability system will:
1. Measure and report student engagement by utilizing the CCSSE as its
survey tool.
2. Assess general education outcomes through the development of a common
template, which will be used to report general education outcomes,
measurements used and results, and share information on how the results
will be used to make improvements (p. 110).
o The Assessment Committee, sponsor of this project, has encountered difficulty in
conducting CLO assessment under the current system. The current system relies
on faculty to administer assessment tools in capstone courses. This has presented
logistical challenges that will worsen as we add more CLO assessment to the mix.
Also, participation by faculty in the WAC/SpAC assessment of the communication
CLO has declined over the last three years despite the efforts of the Assessment
Committee.
E. Organizational Impact
 The Coordinator of Student Assessment Services (Cathy Craig) in the Student Success
Center (SSC) is responsible for CLO Assessment Days under the recent restructuring of
the SSC.
 The role of the Institutional Research Department will be reduced in terms of the logistics
of CLO assessment but will continue with interpreting and reporting the results of CLO
assessment in conjunction with the Assessment Committee and Assessment Coordinator.
 The Assessment Committee will continue to lead in CLO assessment to include setting the
CLO assessment schedule, refining CLOs and their assessments, and communicating
results.
 The College (students, faculty, staff, and administration) and the College’s community
(local, statewide through the Ohio Board of Regents’ student success plan, and regional
through accreditation) are stakeholders in this process.
 Resources needed for ongoing biennial assessment schedule
o For 08/09 and biennially:
o CAAP Critical Thinking: (100 tests and report) Cost = $1560.
Proposals are required for projects or activities a) that require budgetary resources beyond the sponsor's usual
operating budget, b) those that impact processes and people from more than one operational area, and/or c) those
that directly support the strategic plan/strategic initiatives of the institution.

o Culture and Community Essay / Writing Assessment: (To evaluate 100 student
essays -- 12 hours for 8 faculty from English and Humanities/Social Science
departments x $16/hour) Cost = $1536.
o Speech Assessment: (To evaluate 30 speeches videorecorded or live in capstone
courses – 30 hours for faculty from Speech department x $16/hour) Cost = $480.
o Proctors for Assessment Day: (4 people for 4 hours x $16/hour) Cost = $256.
o Refreshments for Students: Cost = $1000.
o TOTAL BIENNIAL COST = $4832.
o For 09/10 and biennially:
o CCSSE survey: Cost = $4500, part of AtD budget.
o Computer Literacy: (100 tests at $7 each) Cost = $700.
o Computation Skills: (100 COMPASS tests, math portion, at $2 each) Cost =
$200.
o Proctors for Assessment Day: (4 people for 4 hours x $16/hour) Cost = $256.
o Refreshments for Students: Cost = $1000.
o TOTAL BIENNIAL COST = $6656.
Please note that the costs that are additional due to the Assessment Day proposal are for
proctors and refreshments. All other costs are for CLO assessment tools and processes,
modified from previously approved plans.
F. Key Processes
The key process affected by this project is assessment of core learning outcomes.
G. Timeline/Milestones
March 09: Planning for Assessment Day completed.
April 09: Assessment Day conducted.
June 09: Evaluation of Assessment Day completed with recommendations for improvement.
Annually: Assessment Days conducted.
H. Project Monitoring
Monitoring of this project is the responsibility of the Assessment Coordinator and the
Assessment Committee.
I. Assessment
Outcome measures include the deliverables described in section G. Success will also be
indicated with the complete and timely documentation of CLO assessment results.
J. Other Information
CLO assessment information is available at
http://www.ncstatecollege.edu/studentsuccessplan/default.htm
K. Project Leader/Contact Person (First Name, Middle Initial, Last name, Title, Email,
Telephone)
Kate Peresie, Assessment Coordinator, kperesie@ncstatecollege.edu, ext. 4849.
Date
Received
Planning
Fwd
To
□ AQIP
Date
Sent
□
Date
Returned
□
Recommended
By PAC?
□ Yes
Proposals are required for projects or activities a) that require budgetary resources beyond the sponsor's usual
operating budget, b) those that impact processes and people from more than one operational area, and/or c) those
that directly support the strategic plan/strategic initiatives of the institution.
Advisory
Committee
□ No
□ AtD
□
□
Date:
□Assessment □
□
□ Curriculum
□
□
□ Other
□
□
Date
Received
from PAC
Date
Returned
To PAC
Recommended
To PAC?
AQIP
Steering
Committee
Achieving the
Dream Core
Team
Assessment
Committee
□ Yes
□ No
Curriculum
Committee
□ Yes
□ No
□ Yes
□ No
□ Yes
□ No
Proposals are required for projects or activities a) that require budgetary resources beyond the sponsor's usual
operating budget, b) those that impact processes and people from more than one operational area, and/or c) those
that directly support the strategic plan/strategic initiatives of the institution.