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

documents provided each program with a specific and usable template to help structure
their assessment work, there was no requirement to use these exact templates. Some
programs (most notably the professional programs) had existing, very robust and useful
assessment and reporting structures, often dictated by their external accrediting bodies.
As long as the assessment ‘essentials’ (i.e., learning goals, curriculum maps, reporting
cycles, and reporting templates) were clearly evident, these different reporting documents
were approved for use. However, every program was required to submit the document:
“Part 1: Alignment of Program and E-LEAP Goals” from the “Essentials” packet to
ensure and document program and E-LEAP goal alignment.
Examples of Program Assessment of Student Learning
Program Assessment Example: Sociology/Criminology/Criminal Justice Program
As an example of the assessment plans and reporting that all programs are asked to
conduct, Appendix 4.37 Sociology/Criminology, Criminal Justice Assessment Plan and
Report shows the assessment plan and evidence for this major. The assessment plan
details the purposes for program assessment, guiding assessment questions, sources of
evidence, collection and analysis of evidence, the criteria for successful achievement of
the outcome, and the reporting and use of evidence by the program. The learning
opportunities/curriculum map also includes the assessment cycle built in (see color
coding). The assessment plan contains all of the ‘Fundamentals of Assessment’ plus
more information (e.g., ‘Guiding Assessment Questions’). The assessment report clearly
indicates the plan and analysis data. (Appendix 4.26 Student Learning Outcomes
Assessment Report Template) Finally, the report shows how assessment evidence has
been used to “close the loop” in the “Use of Assessment Results” column. For example,
students in SOC 201 students were asked to complete multi-week projects involving
research and content analysis of news programs so as to demonstrate ability to apply
knowledge gained in the classroom to data sets to meet the program’s experiential
learning outcome. In the initial evaluation, students performed poorly, and it was
recognized that student needed more guidance in analyzing and interpreting numerical
data. Students were provided significantly more detailed instructions, examples, and
prompts to guide their conclusions. Resubmissions showed great improvement, with all
students then successful in meeting or exceeding the expected level of performance for
this course. Future program improvements as a result of this analysis include changes to
the coursework in other program courses so as to require more applications of statistical
techniques to analyze data relevant to their field of study.
Program Assessment Example: English
In another example of assessment reporting wherein the results of analysis have led to
changes, the English faculty came to the conclusion to alter their overall assessment plan,
as a result of evaluating students’ achievement of two program learning outcomes. In
their 2012 report, the English faculty noted that the list of courses identified in their
original assessment plan to measure “Historical Development and Cultural Context” and
“Language” was too long and the courses themselves were not well suited for assessing
these two goals. They determined that by working with a smaller grouping of courses
that are more applicable to the learning goal and “even more specifically to the aspects of
Page 18 of 31 Chapter 4: Inst. Effectiveness & Assessment