Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

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Direct Connection to Policy Area 5 of The Illinois Commitment Outcomes Project (TOP) Waubonsee Community College What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice? The Outcomes Project (TOP) was created to address the assessment of student learning at Waubonsee Community College. The goal of the project is to create a culture of assessment that is evidence-based and meets the needs of our faculty and students. The assessment of student learning at the community college level is complex due to the wide variety of programs, courses, and services offered. TOP is connecting these complex areas by creating a standard language and understanding of the outcomes process. The development of the TOP MEASURE model and Waubonsee’s Outcomes Cycle has facilitated this process. Description of the effective practice: TOP (The Outcomes Project) is a multi-faceted, institution-wide, faculty-driven initiative with a mission to improve the process of assessing student outcomes. The TOP initiative is dynamic in nature with an emphasis on process, rather than a final destination. During its first year, TOP laid a foundation for the analysis, design, and development of an outcomes assessment strategy that incorporates continuous quality improvement. The 2004 academic year marked the initial alignment of systems, processes, and resources to systematically assess student learning outcomes. Significant steps toward this process included the creation of the Center for Learning Assessment through the realignment of systems, processes, and resources of the Assessment Services department and the implementation of compliance measures for Waubonsee’s GED Testing Program. The realignment process included the construction of a new testing center at the Sugar Grove campus with double the testing capacity. During 2005, The Outcomes Project (TOP) Learning Excellence Team discussed college-wide outcomes and the use of the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP). In order to further Waubonsee’s commitment to a holistic outcomes process, the TOP Learning Excellence Team recommended that all Waubonsee graduates be asked to take the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) during the semester prior to graduation. Results will be forthcoming after a spring 2006 pilot test administration with the May 2006 graduates. These results will not be reported in this year’s State Performance Report, but will be reported next year. The size and scope of The Outcomes Project meant that it needed both faculty and staff support to succeed. The TOP Team (The Outcomes Project Learning Excellence Team), one of eight Waubonsee Learning Excellence Teams, was formed in the fall of 2004. The goal of the TOP Team is to, in relation to the principles and criteria for a learningcentered college: (1) identify how to enhance and/or improve the process of assessing student outcomes and (2) recommend plans for enhancement and/or improvement to programs, processes, and procedures that impact the assessment of student outcomes. The position of Outcomes Assessment Specialist was created in order to assist faculty and staff with outcomes assessment planning. This position is available to answer questions, provide resources, and help with projects including the creation of syllabi, writing course and program objectives, and assisting faculty in the development of Outcomes Strategies. One of the initial goals of The Outcomes Project (TOP) was to discover what student learning objectives the full-time faculty members believed were important for student success, regardless of their area of study. In order to accomplish this goal, TOP facilitated discussions during 2004 and 2005 faculty orientations that helped to shape an outcomes model, the TOP MEASURE. The TOP MEASURE is a holistic outcomes framework developed with a specific language created by Waubonsee’s faculty. TOP MEASURE MODEL: Waubonsee Community College is committed to placing Learning First! in every facet of the college experience. Students build a firm foundation during their time at our college. This foundation will provide our students with the following abilities: • Managing Human Interaction: the ability to make and navigate relationships • Expanding Knowledge: the ability to build on one’s own knowledge base • Adapting Concepts: the ability to build upon a concept • Shaping the Future: the ability to use knowledge for change • Utilizing Facts: the ability to apply a fact to a new situation • Reflecting: the ability to think about one’s own thinking and learning 160
• Exploring: the ability to search for the purpose of discovery Waubonsee’s TOP MEASURE MODEL provides a framework for the student learning outcomes that our faculty value. Each program has a different focus and their own individual goals, but they will share an overall emphasis on the values described in the TOP MEASURE MODEL. A second tool, Waubonsee’s Outcomes Cycle, was also developed to assist faculty in shaping their understanding of the assessment of student learning. The Cycle is divided up into four quadrants: Measure, Analysis, Communication, and Improvement. Each quadrant is clearly linked to the next and moves in a continuous circular pattern. At the center of the cycle is the learning outcome that is being assessed such as critical thinking or content. Using the cycle provides everyone with a visual connection to the continuous quality improvement process that Waubonsee is utilizing within The Outcomes Project (TOP). How does this practice achieve sustainability? Through the development of the TOP MEASURE MODEL and the Outcomes Cycle, outcomes have become a part of Waubonsee’s culture. This new language of assessment has become a common feature during faculty orientation, throughout the year in various faculty development events, and with the new faculty members. The project has a Web site devoted to outcomes resources, faculty projects, and other information of use to the college. This project has become linked to Waubonsee’s journey to becoming a learning-centered college and will continue to provide support for that goal in the future. There are several faculty currently involved in developing Outcomes Strategies and their efforts will serve as a model for others. Diverse areas including History, Education, Early Childhood Education, Human Services, Communication, and Developmental Math are all invested in making outcomes a part of their regular routine. TOP is currently focused on involving more faculty in these kinds of projects, some of which are supported with TOP Grants. Each project uses Waubonsee’s Outcomes Cycle as a guide to facilitate their decisions. One role of these initial projects will be to show faculty that outcomes are not a “one size fits all” process. TOP values the differences between disciplines and works to assist faculty in the development of innovative and useful assessment tools that are both effective and relevant to their work. Once the projects in development have been implemented, the process of outcomes assessment will be embedded within each course. What are the results/measurable outcomes? The results of this project can be seen in several different forms. The TOP MEASURE MODEL is an example of the work of the entire full-time faculty as they delineated those characteristics that a Waubonsee student should possess when they leave the college. The TOP MEASURE MODEL will serve as a guide as Waubonsee attempts to enhance the college-wide outcomes assessment currently in place. Waubonsee’s Outcomes Cycle is a tool that faculty can use to develop Outcomes Strategies for their courses and departments. These two tools will be at the heart of the project as it continues to grow. The Outcomes Project (TOP) was honored with a 2005 Illinois Community College Board Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. During the year, forty percent (40%) of Waubonsee’s full-time faculty were actively involved in activities associated with TOP. Many new Outcomes Strategies were developed by the faculty. Two significant cross-disciplinary Outcomes Strategies developed include the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Literacy project and the Developmental Writing project. TOP and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology worked closely to provide a series of events based on collaborative action that showcased faculty, including Learning Fest!, the Waubonsee 500 and the Adjunct Waubonsee 500. Project communication included a TOP newsletter, TOP Web site and TOP Teaching sessions offered through the CTLT. A Faculty Outcomes Handbook is being developed that will serve as a resource supporting the project, including the use of the TOP MEASURE MODEL and Waubonsee’s Outcomes Cycle. Contact Information Name: Dr. Karen J. Stewart Email: kstewart@waubonsee.edu Phone: (630) 466-7900 161
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