Table of Contents

Mission Statement / 3
Program Introduction / 3
Student Learning Outcomes / 4
Table 1: Student Learning Outcomes by Measures / 5
Assessment Measures / 6
Table 2: Program Outcomes Measures & Administration / 6
Assessment Implementation & Analysis for Program Improvement / 7
General Implementation Strategy / 7
Timeline / 7
Method of Data Analysis and Formulation of Recommendations for Program Improvement / 8
Modification of the Assessment Plan / 8
Table 3: Data Analysis Methods by Measure / 9
Appendix A: Course Specific Pre- and Post-Assessment / 10
Measure Description / 10
Factors that May Affect (or Skew) the Collected Data / 10
How to Interpret the Data / 11
Sample / 11
Appendix B: Student Focus Group / 12
Measure Description / 12
Factors that May Affect (or Skew) the Collected Data / 12
How to Interpret the Data / 12
Sample / 13
Appendix C: Student Products / 14
Measure Description / 14
Factors that May Affect (or Skew) the Collected Data / 14
How to Interpret the Data / 14
Sample / 15
Appendix D: Assignment-Specific Grade Data / 19
Measure Description / 19
Factors that May Affect (or Skew) the Collected Data / 19
How to Interpret the Data / 19
Sample / 20

Mission Statement

The mission of the Kodiak College Associate of Arts General Program (transfer degree) is to provide quality academic foundations and prepare students for advanced study within their chosen fields.

Program Introduction

The Associate of Arts (AA) General Program transfer degree combines broad studies in the general education areas of written communication, oral communication, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences, with elective coursework selected by the student. The degree provides broad exposure to systems of thought and inquiry, allows exploration of a variety of disciplines and learning experiences, and provides a solid foundation for further study at the baccalaureate level.

The development of the student learning outcomes, measures, and assessment process was led by the Campus Assessment Coordinator and Program Chair for the Associate of Arts Degree in coordination with the Kodiak College Assessment Committee and Instructional Committee. It was informed by UAA requirements for the transfer degree, UAA assessment initiatives, and with direction from the UAA Provost’s Office. Since 2003, the outcomes, measures, and assessment process have been revised with special attention to including direct measures of student success and minimizing indirect measures. Effort has also been directed at improving the student learning outcomes. Several outcomes have been removed from the Associate of Arts Degree as they will be incorporated into the Institutional Outcomes.

This document defines the expected student learning outcomes for the Associate of Arts General Program (transfer degree) and outlines the plan for assessing the achievement of the stated objectives and outcomes.

The assessment committee met and accepted the objectives, outcomes, and assessment processes November 8, 2007.


Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the Associate of Arts General Program (transfer degree), students are able to:

1.  Communicate orally and in writing using appropriate conventions and Standard American English.

2.  Use appropriate mathematical language and symbols to develop and communicate solutions both verbally and in writing.

3.  Demonstrate comprehension and critical knowledge of works of at least two of the following:

a.  literature

b.  music

c.  philosophy

d.  language

e.  visual arts

4.  Infer and generalize social and historical causes and effects based on empirical evidence.

5.  Observe physical, natural, and scientific phenomena and interpret them from a variety of perspectives, including personal, social, scientific, historical, and ethical.

Associate of Arts General Program Degree

Table 1: Student Learning Outcomes by Measures

Student Learning Outcome:
Students Will… / Pre/Post-Testing / Focus Group / Student Products / Grade Data
Specific Assignments
1. Communicate orally and in writing using appropriate conversational and Standard American English / WT:1 / WT:1 / WT:1 / WT:0.5
COMM 241 / ENGL 111 / ENGL 212, 21x / ENGL 111
2. Use appropriate mathematical language and symbols to develop and communicate orally and in writing / WT:1 / WT:1 / WT:0.5
MATH 105 / MATH 107 / MATH 105
3. Demonstrate comprehension and critical knowledge of at least two of the following: works of literature, music, philosophy, language and visual arts / WT:1 / WT:1 / WT:0.5
Foreign Language, Studio Art or whatever fills Fine Arts / THR 111, Humanities,
Fine Arts / PHIL 201,
Art Appreciation
4. Infer and generalize social and historical causes and effects based on empirical evidence / WT:1 / WT:1 / WT:0.5
SOC 101, 201 / PSY 111, 150 / SOC 101,
Political Science
5. Observe physical phenomena and interpret them from a variety of perspectives, including personal, social, scientific, historical, and ethical / WT:1 / WT:1 / WT:0.5
BIOL 115/L, PHYS 123/L / ENVI 202/HUM 212,
GEOL / ANTH 200,
PHYS or GEOL or CHEM

1 = Measure is used to measure the associated outcome.

0.5 = Measure is used but with less weight for the associated outcome.

Blacked-out = Measure is not used to measure the associated outcome.

Assessment Measures

A description of the measures used in the assessment of the program outcomes and their implementation are summarized in Table 2 below. The measures and their relationships to the program outcomes are listed in Table 1, previous page.

There is a separate appendix for each measure that shows the measure itself and describes its use and the factors that affect the results.

Table 2: Program Outcomes Assessment Measures and Administration

Measure / Description / Frequency/ Start Date / Collection Method / Administered or Conducted by
Course-Specific Pre- and Post- Assessments / Assessments written to measure the change in knowledge about and understanding of a specific topic or field of study; assessments are conducted the first and last week of the semester, the scores of each individual are correlated, then reported in aggregate. / Each Semester / Faculty to Program Chair / Faculty in classroom of GER courses
Student Products / Physical products made from materials over the period of one or more semesters that are evaluated and scored by a qualified person (instructor or aide) according to course outcomes, program outcomes, or both. / Each Semester / Faculty to Program Chair / Faculty in classroom of GER courses
Student Focus Groups / 20-minute facilitated group discussion with the students of a class, with or without Ground Rules, where the students are asked specific questions about the learning process according to program outcomes, course outcomes, or both, and about student learning in general. / Each Semester / Campus Assessment Coordinator and Director of College / Director of College
Assignment-Specific Grade Data / Grades assigned by the instructor from a specific course or exam for performance on a particular assignment, project, examination, or exam question, and scored with a pre-constructed rubric. / Each Semester / Faculty to Program Chair / Faculty in classroom, to Program Chair


Assessment Implementation & Analysis for Program Improvement

General Implementation Strategy

The development of student learning outcomes, measures, and assessment processes was directed by the Kodiak College Assessment Committee and the guidance of the Campus Assessment Coordinator. The Assessment Committee consists of the Program Chairs and/or Program Coordinators of each of the Kodiak College Degree and Certificate programs. The particulars of the Assessment Plan for the Associate of Arts Degree were informed by UAA requirements for the transfer degree, UAA assessment initiatives, and direction from the UAA Office of the Provost for Academic Affairs. Since implementation in 2003, the outcomes and assessment procedures have been modified with special attention to creating a stronger balance between direct and indirect measures, clarifying and strengthening student learning outcomes, as well as with developing more accurate, refined, and erudite instruments and methods. (Several outcomes have been removed from the Associate of Arts Degree as they will be incorporated into the Institutional Outcomes.)

This document, which represents Version 2.0, defines the expected student learning outcomes for the Associate of Arts, General Program, and outlines a plan for assessing the achievement of the stated learning outcomes.

The outcomes and assessment process were reviewed and accepted by the Assessment Committee, the Instructional Council, the Chair of Instruction, and the Director of Kodiak College, and forwarded to the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs on October 26, 2007.

Timeline

During week one of the semester, faculty in designated courses will administer a Course-Specific Pre- Assessment. Student Focus Groups are to be conducted in designated courses by the College Director during the 10th or 11th week of the semester. Student Products and Grade Data on Specific Assignments may appear at different times during the semester, yet may be purposefully directed toward later assignments (after more learning has occurred). Final collection, evaluation, and scoring of Student Products are to occur during week 14. Post-Assessments will be administered in week 15. (For detailed explanation of included courses see Table 1.)

Week 1 / Administer Pre-Assessments / Week 9
Week 2 / Week 10 / Conduct Student Focus Groups
Week 3 / Week 11
Week 4 / Week 12
Week 5 / Week 13 / Collect and score Student Products
Week 6 / Week 14 / Collect and score Grade Data
Week 7 / Week 15 / Administer Post-Assessments
Week 8

Method of Data Analysis and Formulation of Recommendations for Program Improvement

All data collected is forwarded to the Campus Assessment Coordinator by the end of the semester. From there it is tabulated, correlated, summarized, and a preliminary assessment is made. It is then forwarded to the Assessment Committee.

The Department Chair brings the results to the program faculty. The program faculty will meet at least once a year to review the data collected using the assessment measures, including any suggestions made by the Assessment Committee. The meeting should result in recommendations for program changes that are designed to increase student learning and enhance student performance relative to the program outcomes. The results of the data collection, the interpretation of the results, and the recommended programmatic and process changes will be forwarded to the Office of Academic Affairs (in the required format) by June 15th each year. A plan for implementing the recommended changes, including advertisement of the changes to all the program’s stakeholders, will also be determined at this meeting.

Proposed programmatic changes may be in the form of any action or policy change that the faculty deems necessary to increase student learning relative to program outcomes. Recommended changes should also consider workload (faculty, staff, and students), budgetary facilities issues, and other relevant constraints. Some examples of changes made by programs at Kodiak College can include:

·  changes in course content, scheduling, and sequencing

·  changes in prerequisites, delivery methods, and instructional materials

·  changes in faculty and/or staff assignments

·  changes in advising methods and requirements

·  addition, removal, and/or replacement of equipment

·  changes to facilities

Modification of the Assessment Plan

The Assessment Committee (consisting of the Chair of Instruction, Department Chairs and Coordinators, and the Campus Assessment Coordinator) reviews the collected data and the processes used to collect it at the end of each academic year. Upon analysis the members may determine it necessary to alter the Assessment Plan. Changes may be made to any component of the plan, including the outcomes, assessment measures, methods for collecting data, or any other aspect of the plan. The changes will be approved by the Assessment Committee followed by the Instructional Council (all full-time teaching faculty, the Librarian, the Academic Counselor, Program Coordinators who are not full-time faculty, and the Registrar), the Chair of Instruction, and the College Director. Small changes (or modifications) will result in a new document titled, “Version #.x” (where # is the number of the preceding version and x is the next tenth); more significant changes (or revisions) will result in a document titled, “Version #+1” (where #+1 is the next whole number). The modified Assessment Plan will be forwarded to the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs for implementation.

Table 3: Data Analysis Methods by Measure

Measure / Description / Data Analysis / Analyzed by
Course-Specific Pre- and Post-Assessments / (Direct, Numbers) Assessments written to measure the change in knowledge about and understanding of a specific topic or field of study, in concert with course outcomes and program outcomes / Assessments are conducted the first and last week of the semester to measure change in learning; the scores of each individual are correlated, then recorded in aggregate on a four-point scale similar to a grade; trends are identified, summarized, and discussed / Faculty,
Campus Assessment Coordinator
Student Products / (Direct, Products) Products created by students in fulfillment or partial fulfillment of a course according to course outcomes and program outcomes / Faculty collect projects and score them according to a pre-determined rubric; score sheets are forwarded to the Campus Assessment Coordinator, who looks for trends and converts to aggregate scores by outcome; the mean is entered on the Report / Department Chair, Faculty;
Campus Assessment Coordinator
Student Focus Groups / (Direct, Voice) Facilitated group discussion with students; facilitator asks specific questions about student progress in learning, and about course outcomes and program outcomes / Discussions are audio taped and transcribed; Campus Assessment Coordinator evaluates resulting qualitative data for trends; some questions are quantified for conversion to scores on the Report, while others are reported in narrative in an addendum to the Report / Campus Assessment Coordinator
Assignment-Specific Grade Data / (Indirect, Products) Grades assigned by the instructor from a specific course assignment or exam or exam question, or performance on other specific component of the course / Grades are reported for individuals then analyzed in terms of modes of centrality, variance, and range; trends such as attrition and/or high failure rates are also noted; scores are converted on a four-point scale similar to a grade and entered on the Report / Faculty;
Campus Assessment Coordinator

Appendix A: Course-Specific Pre- and Post-Assessments