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

Effective learning assessment starts with clear learning goals, and the syllabus is the
tangible place where instructors communicate and students see the course expectations
and goals (course, Program, Gen Ed, and E-LEAP). Each semester, a copy of each
syllabus must be submitted to and retained by the Academic Affairs office. However, in
2011, to ensure the inclusion of syllabus learning goals, the Vice President for Academic
Affairs created a syllabus checklist (Appendix 4.20 Course Syllabus Checklist) that now
must accompany each syllabus copy each semester. Faculty must clearly indicate on the
checklist that all applicable goals are communicated on the syllabus and on the course’s
learning management system (Moodle) site, if applicable. The checklist is helping to
bring greater consistency to this (and other) important parts of the syllabus. It serves as a
beginning touchstone to both the faculty member and the students that learning and
assessment are critical to the success of the class.
The College has continued to make significant progress in developing assessment plans,
integrating goals (course, program and institutional), collecting assessment evidence, and
using this evidence to confirm and improve student learning. Assessment of student
learning routinely occurs across our learning locations (traditional campus, New York
State ASAP locations, and overseas sites) and across our different teaching platforms
(i.e., face-to-face, hybrid, and online). We continue to work to better align goals and
streamline assessment efforts to make our assessment more useful, cost-effective,
accurate, planned, and sustainable, with the ultimate goal of continuously improving
student learning. The assessment plan matrix provides an overview of the learning goal,
identifies where the learning goal is addressed, lists assessment activities, and includes
the analysis utilization plan (Appendix 4.21 Table 4.3 Keuka College Assessment Plan
Matrix), and the alignment and hierarchy of learning goals is presented in a diagram
(Appendix 4.17 Assessment of Student Learning Plan Diagram).
General Education
As described in the 2012-2013 Keuka College Record, “A Keuka College education is
based on the liberal arts courses as delivered primarily through our general education
program. The general education program is the common educational experience of all
Keuka College students, providing them with the breadth of knowledge, intellectual
skills, and personal dispositions of an educated person” (63). Gen Ed requirements are
based on a set of student learning goals which are organized into three learning
categories: Foundational Skills, Breadth of Knowledge, and Dispositions (Appendix 4.22
General Education Learning Goals). Students in the Accelerated Studies for Adults
Program typically are admitted with 60 credits or more of transferable credit and meet
most general education requirements through a credit evaluation process, although they
may need additional credits to meet prerequisite, liberal arts, or graduation requirements.
Students in the overseas programs take the same general education courses as their
traditional campus counterparts, delivered by their home universities, and these courses
are accepted as transfer credits and counted toward graduation requirements. Capstone
courses in the major build upon general education learning outcomes across all delivery
and format offerings.
Page 12 of 31 Chapter 4: Inst. Effectiveness & Assessment