final version of the self-study document - Keuka College's Middle ...

Beyond assessment that channels up through the divisions, the institution takes on
additional assessment in the areas of general education and institutional goals. The
integration of experiential, Program, General Education, and E-LEAP goals as they have
been accomplished in the past can be seen in Appendix 4.17 Assessment of Student
Learning Plan Diagram. Going forward, this integration will also be tied in with the
annual reviews by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee. The general educational
outcomes are maintained and assessed through efforts of the Curriculum Committee.
There are sixteen stated general education goals, and the committee is currently
reviewing four each year in an on-going four-year process and results are analyzed and
acted upon by the committee. The overall institutional goals, the Essential Learning
Goals (E-LEAP), are assessed through alignments with programs and divisions and by
institutional assessments overseen by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee and
analyzed by Institutional Research and Institutional Assessment. Institutional assessment
such as NSSE and Noel-Levitz are on opposing two-year cycles, while others are
beginning a periodic assessment cycle. Results are discussed in the Institutional
Effectiveness Committee and next steps for significant results identified.
Annual assessment reports are due either on June 15th or September 15, depending on the
particular program. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee reviews the individual
reports after submission and prepares summary reports for the start of the new academic
year or later, depending upon submission date (see above). For June 15th submissions,
the timing enables areas to work on recommendations over the summer months, and areas
requiring additional resources can be addressed prior to the start of a new academic term.
This timing is paramount to ensuring that assessment results are available and analyzed
as a critical part of the planning process for each area or division for the coming
academic year. Results of institutional assessments, program reviews, and annual
assessment reports will drive the work of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee in the
coming fall and provide essential information to the President’s Cabinet to inform
decision-making, planning, and budgeting.
The newly developing College-wide strategic plan features assessment support and
activities throughout the document. A major inclusion is support for a College eportfolio
system. The Dean for the Center for Experiential Learning and the Director of
Educational Technology have been reviewing multiple companies that provide
assessment-based e-portfolio systems. During the 2011-2012 academic year, a number of
faculty and experiential learning staff have been evaluating Foliotek
(http://www.foliotek.com/). The preliminary results indicate that this will be a beneficial
product moving forward (Appendix 4.55 Pilot Program for Foliotek Eportfolios Spring
2012). This product is particularly attractive because it is based on assessment first. The
faculty have been utilizing more rubrics in their assessments, and there is interest in using
the AAC&U VALUE rubrics to help with Gen Ed and E-LEAP assessments. The
Foliotek system integrates rubrics with the document repository, and will allow faculty to
directly complete rubric-based assessments.
Lastly, assessment of student learning is valued, recognized, and supported through
funding (grants to fund faculty attendance at assessment workshops), awards
Page 30 of 31 Chapter 4: Inst. Effectiveness & Assessment