Comprehensive
Standard 3.3.1
The institution identifies expected
outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides
evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in each of the
following areas: (Institutional effectiveness)
aCompliance ___Partial Compliance ___Non-Compliance
NARRATIVE:
Lawson State Community College
identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these
outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results
in educational programs, to include student learning outcomes, administrative
support services, educational support services, and community/public service
within its educational mission, if appropriate.
The College has a well-established institutional effectiveness process that consists of the development and
assessment of outcomes, including student learning outcomes for all educational
programs. The College has a history of
planning and evaluation that is ongoing.
The current planning and evaluation process is the result of continuous
improvement to the overall planning initiative. Educational programs at the
College historically established goal statements for the program and for
student achievement. Those units have
also historically used varied strategies for collecting data that assisted in
the evaluation and assessment process of student learning and the units’
progress in accomplishing its stated goals. Lawson’s institutional
effectiveness activities are an on-going, college-wide process of planning,
evaluation and outcomes assessment for all instructional units.
The administrative and educational
support services units establish goals annually. Each unit is also responsible for determining
the assessment methodologies for each goal and providing written information
and relevant documentation as to the level of attainment of those goals. A detailed narrative is requested regarding
the status of each goal and how the information obtained was used to strengthen
the unit. These units are encouraged to
continually assess the status of the goals established. Department and unit level meetings are held
throughout the year to provide updates to the Administrative Cabinet. Outcomes
are documented annually, presented during the Administrative Retreat as well as
presented in detail during the Planning Hearings. The Unit goal statements, narratives and
documented outcomes are outlined in the Planning Hearing Notebooks and
subsequently uploaded into the online planning software upon approval. – Weaveonline
Establishing student learning outcomes
within educational programs is integrated, data driven and occurs
annually. This process complements the
college wide planning process which is illustrated in the college-wide planning model. The tracking and assessing of student
learning outcomes occurs as a part of the College’s overall institutional
effectiveness assessment plan and assist in strengthening student learning and
educational outcomes. All educational
programs, administrative units and educational support services units must
participate in this process.
The planning and evaluation process is
integrated across the educational, administrative and educational support
units. (Institutional Effectiveness Plans 06-07), (Institutional Effectiveness Plans 07-08) Goals (Goals and Indicators) are developed annually at the
college-wide level by the Planning and Accountability Committee. They are presented to the Administrative
Cabinet for review and adoption. The
Committee references the institutional mission, empirical data and qualitative
assessments of the institutional status, and internal and external factors
affecting the institution in developing these goals and indicators. The
planning and evaluation process involves personnel representing curriculum and
instructional programs, student services, administrative and support services,
public relations, economic development activities, community service
activities, physical plant, and financial administration.
As noted earlier, assessment data is
obtained annually from empirical data and qualitative assessments collected
through a variety of methods, i.e. surveys, transfer rates, licensure pass
rates, the evaluation of student outcomes, course completion data and other
institutional statistics. The
Institutional Research Office compiles data from and for academic,
administrative and educational support units.
This information is shared with appropriate units and is available on
the College’s intranet (known as the “L” Drive) for
use by faculty and staff. Faculty and
staff may also request that unit specific data be made available on the
intranet. The Administrative Cabinet has
permission to add appropriate documents to the “L” Drive when necessary. Data on the “L” Drive includes, but is not
limited to, information that is compiled from enrollment management, fiscal
services, instructional services, the Management Information System area,
athletics, housing, student financial services, human resources, physical
resources, internal and external surveys, internal and external reporting
requirements, and information from the Alabama Community College System.
End-of-the-year reports (Narrative from
Humanities) are
developed annually by each unit. These reports reflect a unit’s evaluation and
critical assessment of goals, student learning outcomes and related activities.
The reports also define the use of results and any modifications that will be
made for the following year. The planning and evaluation schedule integrates
the planning process and the budgeting process. A planning hearing process and
schedule (Planning Hearing)
was implemented to
further refine and make the planning and evaluation process even more engaging
and specific. The Planning Hearing provides an opportunity for all reporting
divisions to present their assessment findings, discuss their collected data,
and use of results. Division heads present their Unit Plans, Unit Plan
Narratives, Student Learning Outcomes, collected data and Program Review
outcomes (if applicable). Division heads also present any findings to a team of
lead administrators representing both Administrative Services and Instructional
Services. As a follow-up, the Planning Hearing Committee assesses and evaluates
the findings and use of results within the hearing notebooks using a shared
rubric. (Rubric from Humanities)
Findings (Planning Hearing Comments
from Humanities) are shared with the division head along with
any recommendations for improvement. If recommendations are issued, Division
heads are required to update their notebooks and resubmit them for final
approval.
As an example, an illustration from
the 2007-2008 Humanities Department (Art, English, and Music), verifies that the unit had five goals/outcomes. They were as
follows: 1) To increase weekend Humanities offerings by 10%; 2) To implement the use of Criterion Writing
Online in all ENG 101 and ENG 102 classes and the use of Tegrity in ENG 251,
Eng 252, and ENG 297; 3) To increase the passage rates in the exit exam scores
by at least 15%; 4) To implement the use of technology in all English, Public
Speaking, Humanities, Art, Music and Spanish courses; and 5) To increase
enrollment in distance education programs by 10% and to implement the theatre
program. Those outcomes are linked to
the institutional goals. Additional
information includes methods of assessing the five outcomes. These methods included providing
documentation with catalog program offering changes, student evaluations,
enrollment numbers in Criterion Writing Online, exit exam results on Criterion
Writing Online, requisitions and portfolios, and enrollment data. The final requirement in this section is a
delineation of budget implications that will exceed $499. The Humanities department identified faculty
positions, computers, security equipment, LCD projectors as budget
implications.
In discussing the Actual Results Obtained (Humanities Actual
Results), the department indicated that it reached its goal of a 10%
increase in the night and weekend offerings of Humanities courses; data
indicated that five ENG 101 and ENG 102 faculty out of twelve used Criterion as
their objective grader; the department did not meet the third goal of
increasing exit exam scores; All full-time and part-time faculty used some form
of technology and that two classrooms were equipped with LCD projectors;
finally, the department reported that a total of 59 students enrolled in the
online ENG 101 course during the reporting period. In the Use
of Results section, the department plans to further increase the night and
weekend enrollment; all faculty will move to implement Blackboard for syllabi
distribution and classroom assessment, 100% of faculty will use Criterion and
other forms of technology to help increase student retention and strengthen
student success; the department will implement a Hybrid, sequential American
Literature, ENG 251 and ENG 252 courses and more courses will be recorded using
Tegrity.
The
unit also established student learning outcomes for each degree area. The English Department posted the following
use of student learning outcomes. These
included: 1) the ability to write and speak using Standard English; 2) the
ability to critically analyze and interpret literary works; 3) the ability to
use MLA style; and 4) the ability to write well.
The
assessment methods for evaluating the student learning outcomes included: 1)
rubrics to evaluate the exit exam in ENG 101 and use of Criterion Online
Writing Trend Analysis; 2) rubrics to evaluate essays in ENG 297; 3) rubrics to
evaluate the research paper in ENG 102; and 3) exit exam in ENG 101 and ENG
102, Criterion Online Writing analyses results and trends and rubrics to
evaluate the essays in ENG 102.
The
results obtained included: 1) 100% of students demonstrated the ability to
write and speak using Standard English based on score and course completion
analysis; 2) 75% of students demonstrated the ability to critically analyze and
interpret literary works; 3) 100% of students demonstrated the ability to use
the MLA style and 100% demonstrated the ability to write well based on course
completion data and exit examination scores.
The
department indicated that the results would be used to 1) incorporate more use of
technology into the instructional process, i.e., using a camcorder in speech
courses and for classroom presentations in English; 2) use of Criterion online
Writing more extensively; 3) begin the transition from MLA to APA style
throughout the department; assign more research based assignments and hold more
workshops for department faculty.
Results from the fourth outcome would be used to acquire and use more
technology.
Evidence of Improvement
- Closing the Loop
During
the Planning Hearing sessions, unit level goals/outcomes, related data and
documentation including budgets and budget analysis/discrepancies are analyzed
and areas of concern are noted. Concerns
are discussed to department/unit leaders as well as faculty and/or staff
present for the Hearing (the Hearings are open). If those concerns can be addressed within the
specified timeframe for revising and re-submitting Planning Hearing Notebooks,
participants are encouraged to do so. If
concerns cannot be addressed during the specified timeframe, participants are
instructed to notate that fact and address these concerns in the next year’s
report. The loop in the planning and
evaluation cycle is closed when the Committee determines that the unit’s presentation,
including documentation and it’s demonstrated use of results is approved.
General Education
Outcomes
General education courses and credit
hours are intricately tied into the institutional effectiveness process.
Alabama State Board of Education Policy 907.01: Institutional Effectiveness:
General Education Core (Policy 907.01)
indicates that the Chancellor has the responsibility of defining and
establishing a core of general education courses for each formal award
authorized by the Alabama State Board of Education. The Chancellor will review
the core of general education courses at least once every three years. These courses help to lay the foundation for
student learning outcomes in the departments.
The assessment and evaluation of the general education courses are vital
to the continued growth of educational programs. Assessment in this area includes:
- General
Education Student Learner Outcomes Results;
- Institution-wide
Student Learner Outcomes Results;
- Mandatory Placement/
Comprehensive Skills Assessment
- Success Rate of Developmental
Students in Subsequent College Level Courses
- Curriculum Assessment &
Required Syllabi Development Criteria for General Education and Career
Technical Courses
- Statewide CAPP--College
Accountability Performance Report *Report
published one year in arrears. Data
discussed will be from 2005-2007.
- Transfer Success Rate of
Graduates (CAPP Results)
- Short Certificates Completion
Rate and Licensure Certification Exam Results (CAPP Results)
- Employability of Graduates
& Employer Satisfaction (CAPP Results)
- NCLEX-RN and PN Pass Rates
- CAAP Results
(Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency)
- College-wide Survey Data Results
- CCSSE National Norm Survey
Results on Student Engagement
I.
GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
General Education Student Learner
Outcomes assessment involves College Transfer, Business Technologies Career
Technical Departments along with faculty, Department Chairs, Associate Deans
and the Academic Dean in tracking, analyzing and assessing General Education
Student Learner Outcomes (Gen Ed Student Learner Outcomes Report). Lawson State has identified the following General Education
Outcomes:
Students will demonstrate:
1. Communicate effectively. Express ideas with clarity, logic, and
originality in both spoken and written
English.
2. Reason Qualitatively. Apply mathematical principles to address and
solve problems.
3. Think critically. Gather and interpret data using a variety of
methods to address and solve both practical and theoretical problems.
4. Relate knowledge acquired across disciplines
and historical, social, and cultural context; recognize differing views within
disciplines; and appreciate creativity and new ideas.
5. Master and use basic computer skills in a
wide range of classes and throughout the college experience.
Each General Education
Student Learning Outcome is assessed, measured and evaluated annually using the
following criteria: (1) Expected
Outcome; (2) Assessment Method; (3) Expected Result; (4) Actual Results
Obtained; and (5) Use of Results. (Student Learning Outcomes Template) Each spring, results are
reported using the Student Learning Outcomes form for Instructional Units and
are presented in detail to the Planning and Evaluation Hearing Committee at the
college’s official Planning and Evaluation Hearing procedures. Once approved, the report is accepted and a
new cycle begins.
In assessing the broad
scope of General Education Student Learning Outcomes, a variety of assessment
methods and practices are used to include:
(1) Student writing samples/portfolios from targeted General Education
core courses; (2) Exit Exam Results from targeted General Education core
courses; (3) Final Oral Performance Results from a targeted General Education
required core course; (4) CAAP Writing, Reading and Mathematics Subtest
Results; (5) General Education Survey Results; (6) Grade Distribution Results
from targeted General Education core courses; (7) Blackboard Usage Results; (8)
Number of electronic essay submissions by students; (9) Tegrity Usage Results;
(10) Alabama Virtual Library Student Usage Reports; (11) STARS:
Online Student Usage Reports; and (12) Online registration results.
Although there are a
variety of General Education offerings, the General Education Committee has
identified specific core General Education courses that all students seeking an
Associate degree must take and have centered their focus of assessment on these
cores. They include the following: (1) English 101—English Composition I; (2)
SPH107—Public Speaking; (3) MTH100—Intermediate Algebra; MTH110—Finite
Mathematics; and MTH112—Pre-Calculus; (4)
RDG114A—Critical Reading; (5) ENG251—American Literature I; (6)
BIO101—Introduction to Biology I; and Biology 103—Principles of Biology I; (7)
Chemistry 111—College Chemistry I; (8) ART100—Art Appreciation; (9)
HIS101—Western Civilization I; (10) HUM101—Introduction to Humanities I; (11)
PSY200—General Psychology); (12) SOC200—Introduction to Sociology; (13)
CIS146—Microcomputer Applications.
GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES: ACTUAL
RESULTS OBTAINED
In assessing all five
General Education Outcomes (Gen Ed Student Learner Outcomes Report), the College has
implemented a process that clearly tracks, assesses, analyzes and uses the
results to measure the
extent to which identified general education competencies have been attained by
their graduates, and if not obtained (at the level of expectation), the College
has mechanisms in place (via its Use of Results) to strengthen and improve its
approaches and curriculum to improve these student learning outcomes. A sampling of results
(from each outcome) was reported during the 2007-2008 evaluation period and are
outlined below.
A sampling of Student
Learning Outcome #1 results indicated that the average Criterion Online Writing
Portfolios (which provides a standardized assessment of student writing)
reported a 4.19 out of 6.0 writing proficiency score on ENG101 students on the
Bessemer campus and a 4.26 writing proficiency score average for students on
the Birmingham campus. The projected
goal for the college was 4.0 out 6.0.
English Composition (ENG101) Exit Exam Essay Results indicated that 66%
of ENG101 students passed the Exit Exam falling short of the 75% projected goal
for the Humanities Department (see Use of Results for Plan of Action to improve
this outcome.) Public Speaking results
in Speech 107 revealed that 71% of students (407 out of 570) satisfactorily
demonstrated effective oral communications skills during their oral Exit Exam
presentations—slightly shy of the 75% projected goal for the college. CAAP
writing subtest results (which assesses the writing level of Lawson graduates)
noted in increase and movement from 19% to 22% of students writing in the upper
quartile of writing in 2006-2007 but that decreased to 12% in during spring
2008.
In looking at Student
Learning Outcome #2, 72.6% of MTH100 students (210 out of 289) passed their
comprehensive Exit Exam; 89.4% of MTH110 (51 out of 57) students passed their
comprehensive Exit Exam; and 75.8% of MTH112 passed their comprehensive Exit
Exam. CAAP findings showed a similar
trend towards student progress in mathematical application and problem
solving. Spring 2008 CAAP Results
indicated that 43% of students tested in the upper quartiles versus only 27%
from the previous year.
Student Learning Outcome
#3 results indicate a similar trend in student success. American Literature I (ENG251) results
indicate that 86.7% of students passed the literary analysis section of the
comprehensive Exit Exam. In similar
fashion, 68.5% of students passed the required Critical Reading comprehensive
Exit Exam. Biology results indicated
that 78% in Biology 103, 71.3% in Biology 103 passed their comprehensive Exit
Exams.
In assessing Student
Learning Outcome #4, a sampling of results indicated the following pass rates
of comprehensive Exit Exams: 82% in
ART100; 89.3% in HIS101 & HIS102 (combined); 72.5% in Humanities; 75.6% in
Psychology and 85.6% in Sociology.
Lastly, a sampling of
results from Student Learning Outcome #5 indicated that in assessing the number
of essays or paragraphs submitted by students via the Internet and through the
Criterion Online Writing system was 8,233 on the Birmingham campus and 1,789 on
the Bessemer campus. Results also
indicated that 72.4% of students taking CIS146 passed the online skill technology
usage proficiency exam administered.
Further, results showed the Blackboard usage results indicated that of
the 1,592 courses taught at Lawson State, 1,500 were supported by Blackboard
and required students to access the course delivery system online. Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) results
indicate that there are 4,934 AVL card holder and of those, 3,711 AVL
subscribers have actually log on the system to use the electronic databases.
GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES: USE
OF RESULTS
The Use of Results section
from the Student Learning Outcomes (Gen Ed Student Learner Outcomes Report) form is considered one of
most important elements of the evaluation document. Excerpts from the 2007-2008
report Use of Results section are as
follows:
Sample 1: Student Learner Outcome #1
Even though rubrics are
used in writing classes and are a part of the Criterion Online writing
evaluations, the English Department decided to determine what are clear
acceptable conditions for pass/fail papers (especially in terms of content
criteria) and establish another way of cross-evaluating Exit Exam essays for
more objective grading to take place.
Additional suggestions for improvement included adding writing tutors
and developing a writing lab. The
College will also promote writing within the QEP freshman experience class and
promote cross-curriculum writing via The Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning—CTEL.
Sample 2: Student Learning Outcome # 2
Results for the 2007-2008
planning cycle are encouraging and indicate that the College’s emphasis on
mathematics has been effective. To
improve results, the faculty within the department decided to focus on
providing students with more one-on-one opportunities with tutors in the
STEP-UP Mathematics Lab. In looking at
withdrawal rates, it was determined that although pass rates are up, more
students are not being retained in mathematics classes. 124 students withdrew from MTH100, MTH110 and
MTH112 combined during the 2007-2008 school year. Thus, the Mathematics Department faculty
decided to, as part of its annual Unit Planning, devise a Strategic Plan to
address its current retention rate.
Sample 3: Student Learning
Outcome # 5
Results indicate that the
General Education Program is effectively infusing technology in the
classroom. Ninety-four percent (94%) of
classes are using Blackboard, CIS146 (Microcomputer Applications) is a required
course [for all Associate degree seeking students] and 84% of students report
that their technology skills have improved or have been enhanced by taking a
General Education course. Training of General Education instructors continues
to take place in order to improve their technological skills and move them to
the next level. Such training, including
the Tegrity software, is provided through a variety of options including the
Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning—CTEL.
The sampling of these Use of Results excerpts clearly
showcases the emphasis and importance of the assessment of results and
demonstrates the connection between results and use of results to improve and
strengthen the General Education Program.
As noted earlier, the entire Student Learning Outcomes Report including
all relevant data (SLO Documentation) is presented to the Committee for review and assessment using a
shared rubric (Planning Hearing Rubric) for completeness, accuracy in reporting, substance, data support
to proposed Use of Results. Hearing
results are submitted to the General Education Department for potential
improvement and/or inclusion of other information or data (Planning Hearing Recommendations).
II. INSTITUTION-WIDE (COLLEGE-WIDE) STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
There are several
components employed to evaluate to what extent the college’s graduates acquire the five general education
competencies the College has identified (as being essential). Along with the General Education Student
Learning Outcomes, the College also assesses these outcomes by those
Institution-wide Student Learning Outcomes (Institution Wide SLO Report) that have the
same or similar outcomes as the General Education outcomes listed above.
The College added this additional step
in its planning and evaluation process based on the belief that
Institution-wide outcomes provide more information about all graduates, opposed
to just those seeking Associate degrees.
Indeed, Institution-wide Student Learning Outcomes are typically more
broad and inclusive and examine data that reaches all graduates of the college,
from those seeking Associate degrees as well as to those only seeking short
certificates. Thus, institution-wide
outcomes play a pivotal role in the College’s ability to assess the overall
General Education outcomes competencies as it touches more graduates. As with General Education Student Learning
Outcomes, Institution-wide Outcomes have been broadened to engage in additional
data and a wide array of stakeholders. Such stakeholders include College
Transfer, Business Technologies, Career Technical Programs along with its
faculty, Department Chairs, Associate Deans and the Academic Dean. Together, this team tracks, analyzes and
assesses General Education Student Learner Outcomes; however, it is the
Academic Dean’s responsibility to organize and coordinate this team and submit
the final report.
The Institution-wide outcomes that are
associated with the general education competencies (items 1-4 only) are used to
further document and support the College’s General Education outcomes and the
extent to which these outcomes have been attained.
When students graduate from Lawson
State Community College with an AA, AS, AAS, AOT or CER (long or short) they
will be able to:
1.
Communicate effectively (express ideas with clarity, logic, and
originality in both spoken and written English).
2.
Reason Quantitatively (apply mathematical principles to address and
solve problems).
3. Think Critically (Gather and
interpret data using a variety of methods to address and solve both practical
and theoretical problems.
4.
Develop information and visual literacy (assess information requirements
for complex projects, identify potential textual, visual and electronic
resources, and obtain the needed information to interpret, evaluate,
synthesize, organize and use that information regardless of format, while
adhering strictly to the legal and ethical guidelines governing information
access in today’s society)
5. Demonstrate civic responsibility in
diverse and multifaceted environments (assume responsibility for actions and
work effectively as an individual and as a member of a group).
Each Institution-wide
Student Learning Outcome is assessed, measured and evaluated annually using the
following criteria: (1) Expected
Outcome; (2) Assessment Method; (3) Expected Result; (4) Actual Results
Obtained; and (5) Use of Results.
Results are reported using the Student Learning Outcomes form for
Instructional Units annually and are presented in detail to the Hearing
Committee at Lawson State’s official Planning and Evaluation Hearing.
As with General Education
Student Learning Outcomes, in assessing the Institution-wide Student Learning
Outcomes (that related to General Education competencies), a variety of
assessment methods are used including:
(1) Student writing samples/portfolios from targeted General Education
and Career Technical core courses; (2) Exit Exam Results from targeted General
Education and Career Technical core courses; (3) Final Oral Performance Results
from a targeted General Education and Career Technical courses; (4) CAAP (Collegiate Assessment of
Academic Proficiency) Writing,
Reading and Mathematics Subtest Results; (5) General Education and Varied
Survey Results; (6) Grade Distribution Results from targeted General Education
and Career Technical courses; (7) Career Technical Skills Assessment Results
(of basic skills); (8) Blackboard Usage Results; (9) Number of electronic essay
submissions by students; (10) Tegrity Usage Results; (11) Alabama Virtual
Library Student Usage Reports; (12)
STARS: Online Student Usage Reports; and
(13) Online registration results.
In assessing
Institution-wide Student Learning Outcomes, the College identified specific
General Education and Career Technical courses that students either seeking an
Associates, Applied Science, and/or Certificate (long or short) must take
within specific identified programs.
They include the following: (1)
English 101—English Composition I and/or COM100—Technical English; (2)
SPH107—Public Speaking and/or SPC103—Oral Communication Skills ; (3)
MTH100—Intermediate Algebra and/or MTH110—Finite Mathematics and/or
MTH112—Pre-Calculus and/or MAH101—Technical Math; (4) RDG114A—Critical Reading and/or RDG114
Critical Reading for Technical Students (5) ENG251—American Literature (6)
BIO101—Introduction to Biology I and/or Biology 103—Principles of Biology I;
(7) Chemistry 111—College Chemistry I; (8) ART100—Art Appreciation; (9)
HIS101—Western Civilization I; (10) HUM101—Introduction to Humanities I; (11)
PSY200—General Psychology); (12) SOC200—Introduction to Sociology; (13)
CIS130—Introduction to Information Systems and/or CIS146—Microcomputer
Applications (14) WKO107—Workkeys; and (15) DPT103—Dataprocessing.
INSTITUTION-WIDE STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES: ACTUAL RESULTS
OBTAINED
In assessing the
Institution-wide Student Learning Outcomes (which relate to the General
Education Student Learning Outcomes) results indicated that the college is
making substantial progress in its efforts to improve the attainment of the
general education competencies by its graduates (Institution-wide SLO Documentation). A sampling of the actual
results obtained from the Student Learning Outcomes mirrored that of the
General Education Student Learning Outcomes findings but this report added the
following Career Technical result findings.
Such findings provide the college with a more effective mechanism for
measuring General Education Student Learning Outcomes.
The additional data was
reported as follows:
|
1. Communicate effectively (express
ideas with clarity, logic, and originality in both spoken and written
English). |
Additional Information
Added to the General Education Assessment: 84% (43 out of 51 students) passed
the COM100—Technical English writing exam and 81% of SPC103 students (48 out
of 59) passed their final oral presentations.
Education courses. |
|
2. Reason Quantitatively (apply
mathematical principles to address and solve problems). |
Additional Information
Added to the General Education Assessment:
77% of Career Technical students passed MAH101 (41 out of 53). |
|
3.
Think Critically (Gather and interpret data using a variety of methods
to address and solve both practical and theoretical problems. |
RDG114 results indicated that 68.5% of reading students passed the
Critical Thinking Reading exam administered.
In addition, Career Readiness Certificates (which test basic skills in
reading, critical thinking and math) were as follows: Of the Lawson State graduates tested, 111
were awarded the Gold certificate (the highest level awarded); 312 were
awarded the silver certificate (the second highest level awarded) and 219
students achieved the bronze certificate (the third highest award level). (Career Readiness) Lawson State was recognized by this achievement, for the
College came out as being the 2nd highest in the state. |
|
4.
Develop information and visual literacy (assess information
requirements for complex projects, identify potential textual, visual and
electronic resources, and obtain the needed information to interpret,
evaluate, synthesize, organize and use that information regardless of format,
while adhering strictly to the legal and ethical guidelines governing
information access in today’s society) |
Although this particular
outcome is worded different than the fifth General Education Student Learning
Outcome which reads, Master and use
basic computer skills in a wide range of classes and throughout the college
experience, the same types of data elements are used to determine
both. Thus, this particular outcome is
also used to assess General Education Student Learning Outcomes as well. Additional data included the
following: While only 59% of CIS130
students (16 out of 27) passed their comprehensive technology exam, 75.9%
(249 out of 328 students) did pass the basic technology skills assessment in
WKO107—Workkeys. To add, 1,530 students
successfully pre-registered during the fall term, and that number increased
to 1,980 during the fall term. |
INSTITUTION-WIDE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: USE OF RESULTS
The results of the
institution-wide student learning outcomes mirrored those of the General
Education Student Learning Outcomes. The
only major difference is the inclusion of the Career Technical division in the
outlined and/or proscribed recommendations and strategies for improvement. For example, in the excerpt below taken from
Institution-wide Student Learning Outcome #1, note the underlined
addition.
Although some goals were
reached and others were recorded as near misses, it is clear that LSCC needs to
continue to strengthen its writing program.
Even though rubrics are used in all writing classes and are a part of
the Criterion Online writing evaluations, the English Department needs to
determine what are clear acceptable conditions for pass/fail papers (especially
in terms of content criteria) and consider another way of cross-evaluating Exit
Exam essays for more objective grading to take place. Writing
tutors need to be developed that service College Transfer and Career Technical
students alike. The College needs to
also promote writing within the QEP freshman experience class and promote
cross-curriculum writing via The Center for Teaching Excellence and
Learning—CTEL (Extracted from the
2007-2008 Student Learning Outcomes General Education Report).
As previously noted, the
entire Institution-wide Student Learning Outcomes report (complete with its
data) is presented at the end of the evaluation period (late spring) and
presented to the Planning and Evaluation Hearing Committee. From there, the report is orally presented
and all documents are reviewed and assessed (using a shared rubric) for
completeness, accuracy in reporting, substance, data support and adequate
thought being given to proposed Use of Results.
Hearing results are submitted to Academic Dean for potential improvement
and or inclusion of other information or data.
Once approved, the report is formally accepted by the College and a new
planning cycle begins.
Documentation
|
Documentation |
Location |
|
Outcomes Planning
Cycle |
|
|
Weave On Line
Sample Goals |
|
|
Weave On Line
Sample Document Repository |
|
|
Planning Model |
|
|
Institutional Effectiveness Plan 2006-2007 |
|
|
Institutional Effectiveness Plan 2007-2008 |
|
|
LSCC Goals and Indicators 2007-2008 |
|
|
Institutional Research Table of Contents from
LSCC Intranet |
|
|
Humanities Department Planning Narrative |
|
|
Planning Hearing Schedule |
|
|
Planning Hearing Rubric Humanities |
|
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Humanities Outcomes |
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Humanities Actual Results |
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Alabama State Board of Education Policy 907.01 |
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General Education Student Learning Outcomes
Report |
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Student Learning Templates |
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Student Learning Outcomes Documentation |
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Planning Hearing Rubric |
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Planning Hearing Recommendations |
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Institution Wide Student Learning Outcomes
Report |
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Institution-wide Student Learning Outcomes
Documentation |
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Career Readiness |