Developing and Implementing Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes Summer 2004

EDITOR'S NOTES (Andreea M. Serban, Jack Friedlander).1. A Perspective on Good Practice in Community College Assessment (Trudy W. Banta, Karen E. Black, Susan Kahn, Julia E. Jackson) Leaders in community college assessment are setting high standards for their work. The authors present numerous institutional examples that illustrate a set of principles for good practice in planning, implementing, and sustaining community college assessment.2. Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes at the Institutional Level (Andreea M. Serban) While the assessment movement has spanned more than two decades, there is great variation in its degree of implementation among community colleges throughout the country. Building on literature in the field, the author discusses and presents examples of concepts and major areas involved in the assessment of student learning at the institutional level.3. Engaging Faculty and Students in Classroom Assessment of Learning (Fay Rouseff-Baker, Andrew Holm) The authors discuss the use of classroom assessment techniques and methods for engaging faculty in using such techniques successfully across courses and disciplines. They also discuss the importance of adequate faculty training.4. Assessment at the Program Level (Trudy H. Bers) The author discusses the challenges of program-level assessments at community colleges, where students often achieve their goals without completing a program, or select an array of courses that suit their needs but do not fit within an officially recognized program of study.5. Implications of State Performance Indicators for Community College Assessment (Joseph C. Burke, Henrik P. Minassians) The views of state legislators and higher education governing agencies must be considered along with institutional perspectives on approaches to assessment of student learning outcomes. The authors provide a comprehensive review of performance indicators at the state level and discuss their implications for the assessment of student learning outcomes at the campus level.6. The Role of Student Learning Outcomes in Accreditation Quality Review (Barbara A. Beno) This chapter acquaints the reader with the context for accreditors' increased emphasis on student learning outcomes as a key indicator of institutional quality and on the use of learning assessment as a key strategy for guiding institutional improvement. The author articulates accreditors' expectations for the presentation of evidence that the institution is using student learning outcomes assessment as part of its quality improvement efforts.7. Assessment of Online Education: Policies, Practices, and Recommendations (John Milam, Richard A. Voorhees, Alice Bedard-Voorhees) Online education has become deeply embedded in the offerings of most community colleges. The authors discuss in detail the challenges, models, and approaches to conducting assessment of student learning and establishing outcomes for online education and services.8. Learning Outcomes for the Twenty-First Century: Cultivating Student Success for College and the Knowledge Economy (Cindy L. Miles, Cynthia Wilson) The authors provide an overview of the League for Innovation in the Community College's project on learning outcomes. This three-year project, involving sixteen diverse community colleges, supported the development of practices for assessing and using student learning outcomes to improve student success. Findings from this 21st Century Learning Outcomes Assessment Project that could be of use to other community colleges are highlighted.9. Meeting the Challenges of Assessing Student Learning Outcomes (Jack Friedlander, Andreea M. Serban) The authors identify the major challenges facing community colleges in developing and implementing student learning outcomes assessment initiatives and offer specific suggestions on actions that can be taken by community colleges, state and accrediting agencies, and universities to facilitate the development, implementation, and continued support of student learning outcomes assessment initiatives that will increase student learning and achievement.INDEX.