Campus Assessment Network
Notes from Meeting of
February 9, 2012
The meeting of the Campus Assessment Network (CAN) was held Thursday, February 9, 2012 at
10:00 a.m. in Adams Hall B13.
Welcome and Introductions
Members were introduced and thanked for their attendance.
Members present:
Carolinda Douglass, Crystal Coppel, Carrie Zack, Evelyn Comber, Amy Buhrow, Will Boelcke,
Doris Macdonald, Beth Towell, Eric Niemi, Sue Doederlein
Announcements and Updates

The Assessment Expo will be on Friday, March 2, 2012 in the Sky Room. The theme this
year is going to be “Keeping it Going, Making it Better: Sustaining Assessment Practices and
Involving Students in Assessment.” If you would like to attend you can register on the
Office of Assessment website.

Eric Niemi gave an update on SACLO. They will be participating in the Assessment Expo
this year and are really looking forward to it. To learn more about them you can go to the
OAS website or check out their Facebook page.

Carolinda Douglass, David Changnon and Nora Lindvall will be presenting at the AAC&U
conference in New Orleans later this month.

Carolinda Douglass and Eric Niemi are working together on writing a paper about SACLO.

Carolinda Douglass announced that Anne Birberick is looking to hire a General Education
Coordinator. It will be a halftime position with an extra month in the summer. The
position will be posted in the Northern Star to make students aware of what we are doing to
actively fill the position.
Doris Macdonald, Faculty Chair of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Self-Study Steering
Committee, Presentation on HLC Self-Study and Visit

Doris was on hand to give the group an update about the HLC Self-Study Steering
Committee and where they are at. She informed us of who is on the committee and what
their roles will be. Doris mentioned that new criteria would be coming from HLC but the
changes to the old criteria would not be significant. The timeline was discussed and what
would be happening each semester up until the site visit in Spring 2014. The campus
community will be given an opportunity to serve on the sub committees. An open call for
participation will be announced this spring.
Carolinda Douglass, OAS, Update on NIU’s Baccalaureate Review and Student Learning Outcomes
Processes

Under the direction of the Vice Provost, Anne Birberick, the Baccalaureate Review process
has led to the development of draft rubrics to assess the eight Student Learning Outcomes
(SLO’s). Birberick is hoping to find some undergraduate classrooms that would be willing to
pilot the rubrics. She will be presenting to the APC, UAP and the College Senates asking for
assistance in getting these rubrics into some classrooms. If you have any further questions
about them you should contact Anne Birberick.
Will Boelcke, OAS, Update on Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) Testing

Will went over CLA and gave a brief background of it for any new CAN members that were
attending the meeting. The Spring testing that is currently going on was discussed. Will
mentioned that some professors are putting in their syllabus that the CLA test is a mandated
test for the class. Some professors are also offering extra credit if the students take the test.
Will also mentioned that when he talks to students and explains the importance of the test
they seem to be willing to participate. The results from the testing in the fall was reviewed
and showed that NIU is just about average with the testing results.
Future Business


Carolinda told the group that anyone is welcome to present at any of the CAN meetings.
Just email her and let her know what you would like to present.
Carolinda suggested a book for a joint book group discussion with SCALO. The book will
be Assessing College Student Learning which Carolinda found through the AAC&U. The
book will be discussed at the next CAN meeting on Wednesday, April 11th from 3:00 – 4:30
pm in Adams B13.
Meeting was adjourned at 11:15 am.