The GREAT Project…
Everything you always wanted to
know but were afraid to ask.
GREAT Core Committee
Rose Mince, Lynne Mason, and
Cynthia Roberts
We are all faced with a series of
great opportunities brilliantly
disguised as impossible situations.
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Our options are to learn this new game,
the rules, the roles of the participants,
and how the rewards are distributed or
to continue practicing our present skills
and become the best players in a game
that is no longer being played.
Larry Wilson
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The Questions
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What is it?
Where did it come from?
Why me/why now?
How can this benefit me? My students?
How often do I have to do this?
Does it interfere with academic freedom?
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Why Are We Doing This?
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To improve student learning
Learning-centered institution
Measure of institutional effectiveness
Accountability
Accreditation
Program Review for General Education
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Middle States Standard 14
Assessment of student learning
demonstrates that the institution’s students
have knowledge, skills, and competencies
consistent with institutional goals and that
students at graduation have achieved
appropriate higher education goals.
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CCBC’s LearningFirst Strategic Plan
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CCBC is committed to making learning its central
focus, making students active partners in the
learning process, and focusing on learning
outcomes to assess the success of student
learning.
Evaluating the effectiveness of instruction is a
faculty responsibility that is necessary for the
improvement and verification of learning.
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Statement of Beliefs
As a learning-centered college, CCBC:
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makes learning its central focus
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makes students active partners in the
learning process
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assumes final responsibility for producing
student learning
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focuses on learning outcomes to assess
student learning and success
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creates a holistic environment that supports
student learning
ensures that every member of the college
community is a learner
evaluates all areas of the college by the
ways they foster student learning
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Learning Outcomes Assessment
Goals and Objectives
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Document improved and expanded student
learning
Create continuous improvement process for
learning outcomes assessment
Provide continuous curriculum improvement
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A Learning College succeeds only
when improved and expanded
learning can be documented for its
learners.
What does this learner know?
What can this learner do?
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CCBC Assessment Definition
Assessment is a purposeful, systematic, and
collaborative process driven by the
institution’s desire to improve student
learning. It is a deliberate course of action
that defines expected student achievement
in terms of learning outcomes and core
competencies and measures actual student
achievement using pre-determined internal
standards and external benchmarks.
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The assessment process is learning
centered and gathers information from a
variety of sources to determine what
students know, what students can do with
what they know, and how well they do it.
The goal of assessment is to transform the
institution into one which creates the best
conditions for learning, encourages best
practices, and inspires creativity and
innovation.
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CCBC’s Outcomes Assessment
Philosophy
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Natural, ongoing part of instruction
Consistent with traditional instructional
practices
Designed to meet specific objectives
Can serve multiple purposes
Risk-free environment
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Assessment:
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Promotes a culture of accountability
Informs decisions for continuous improvement of
learning
Assessment should be:
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meaningful = faculty designed and coordinated
manageable
flexible
truth-seeking/objective/ethical
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LOA Projects at CCBC:
An Overview
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Course-level LOA Projects -- designed to
measure all (most) of the objectives listed on the
Common Course Outline for any course
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Support from Tara Ebersole, Outcomes Associate,
Rose Mince, Planning, Research and Evaluation
Office
Program-level LOA Projects -- designed to
measure all (most) of the program goals
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Program Review – Rose Mince
Developmental Education -- Donna McKusick
General Education -- Rose Mince
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High Impact LOA Courses
(high enrollment, multi-campus, multi-section)
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
PSYC 101
HLTH 101
PHIL 101
ACCT 101
PEFT 101
SOCL 101
ENGL 052
CINS 101
SPCM 101
MATH 083
ENGL 101
BIOL 110
RDNG 052
SDEV 101
MGMT 101
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LOAs versus GREATs
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Based on course CCO
Focused on course
content and skills
Assessment is different
for every course
Measures exit course
competencies
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Based on Gen Ed goals
Focused on Gen Ed Skills
Assessment is similar for
many courses = CGA
Measures outcomes
similar to all Gen Ed
courses
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General Education Assessment
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Three-pronged approach, based on years of
research by the General Education Review Board
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The Academic Profile (Fall 2001 and Fall 2004)
The GREAT Project (Fall 2003-Spring 2006)
The SIR II (Data collected each fall semester)
Approved by Learning and Academic Affairs
Council in Spring 2002
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The GREAT Project
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Faculty-designed Common Graded
Assignments (CGAs) with accompanying
scoring rubrics
Faculty Training Workshops
GREAT Team Leaders
Implementation Schedule
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Implementation Schedule
Social and Behavioral Sciences and
Diversity
Interdisciplinary/Emerging Issues
Spring 2004
Mathematics
Spring 2005
Biological and Physical Sciences
Fall 2005
English Composition
Spring 2006
Arts and Humanities
Fall 2006
Fall 2004
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GREAT Goal
To gather evidence of student learning (as
defined in the General Criteria for General
Education courses) to provide for
continuous quality improvement in student
learning outcomes for all General
Education courses.
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General Education Goals
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Content, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Written, Oral, and/or Signed
Communication Skills
Critical Thinking Skills
Technology as a Learning Tool
Cultural Appreciation/Diversity
Independent Learning Skills
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Project Outcomes
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Improve and expand student learning by
providing constructive feedback regarding
student attainment of General Education goals
Identify areas for improvement in General
Education courses and/or the General Education
assessment plan
Develop strategies for effecting positive change.
Provide forums for faculty to discuss change and
the change process
Incorporate additional best practices
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Ensure that the CCBC General Education
courses have institutional integrity
Maintain high levels of expectations for all
General Education students
Provide opportunities for students to participate
in the learning process by providing feedback
regarding the project
Identify staff development needs for faculty
Identify student development needs
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Project Checklist
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Select/contact team leader
Create 1-3 Common Graded Assignments
Create scoring rubric(s)
Agree on CGAs and rubrics
Administer CGA in classes (distribute CGA and
rubric to students)
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Identify scorers
Select anchor papers
Attend scorer training
Refine CGA and rubric for the future
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Common Graded Assignments
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Common – similar format, varied content;
applied in more than one class to allow
comparison
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Graded -- required by the instructor so that
students put effort into the assignment; faculty
provide feedback to the student
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Assignment -- evaluation of the “routine”
ongoing work of the students
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Sample CGAs
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Critiques
Lab Reports
Article Reviews: Comparison/Contrast
Projects (individual or group)
Research Papers
Case Studies
Essay Questions
The list goes on…
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Rubric: A definition
“…a one- or two-page document that
describes varying levels of quality from
excellent to poor for a specific assignment”
Heidi Goodrich Andrade
Two main components:
A detailed list of criteria
 Gradations of quality
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Rubrics
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Holistic vs. Analytic
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Holistic: all criteria are factored in together
to determine the final grade for that
assignment (one overall or total score)
Analytic: considers and evaluates each
criterion separately (sub-scores)
GREAT Project uses analytic rubric: one
score for each of the six General Education
Program Goals
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Grading Rubrics: Advantages
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Assess student work more quickly and
more efficiently
Provide a clear justification to student for
the grade received
Act as a teaching tool to support student
learning
Put more responsibility into the hands of
the students
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Facilitate students’ progress in completing
assignment
Are easy to use and explain
Support the development of students’
skills and understanding
Provide informative feedback and detailed
evaluations
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Rubric Adjectives/Anchors
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6=evidence beyond the expectations (present, and,
and)
5=evidence is present; student has gone slightly
beyond requirements (present, and)
4=evidence is present without any extra supporting
material (present)
3=something lacking from the requirement (present,
but)
2=some evidence, but something important is lacking
(present, but, but)
1=very little evidence that skills have been achieved
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Where do I begin?
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Contact your team leader
Form a working cohort/team
Identify General Education Goals on CCO
Share existing course assignments
Design a CGA
Develop a rubric
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Solicit feedback from discipline
colleagues
Revise CGA and rubric as necessary
Implement!!!
Collect two copies of CGAs
Grade and return one copy to student
Remove all identifying information and
give second copy to your team leader
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Some Excellent Resources
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Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom by Arter and
McTighe (2001)
“Primary Trait Analysis: Anchoring Assessment
in the Classroom” Benander, Denton, Page, and
Skinner (2000). The Journal of General
Education, 49, 280-302.
“Oral Presentations in Math Classes” (grading
using a rubric) in Innovation Abstracts, (2002),
XXIV, 23
www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/resource.htm
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The journey of 1,000 miles starts
with a single step.
Taoist Proverb
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Handouts
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Blank rubric
Gen. Ed. approval form
Rubric adjectives
Sample CGA and rubric
Team leaders
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