Course: Technical Writing / Semester: Fall / Year: 2012
Instructor(s): Paula Peterson
College Mission
Salina Area Technical College will meet employment needs of the region by providing a diverse community of learners with the technical and general education skills necessary for employment, personal growth and lifelong learning.
Assessment Plan
1. Outcomes to be measured.
1.) Demonstrate the ability to think critically.
3.) Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication.
2. What skill(s) will be used to measure these outcomes?
A written report will be used to evaluate:
a.) Content and Development
b.) Organization
c.) Sentence Fluency and Structure
d.) Word Choice
e.) Conventions
f.) Format
3. What process(es) will be used to collect data?
A report rubric will be used.
4. What are the intended results?
80% of the class will attain an average total score of 2.5 or above on the rubric.
5. Who will analyze the data?
Trish Hayden and Paula Peterson
Assessment Results
1. What were the results?
a.) 67% of the class attained an average total score of 2.5 or above on the rubric. This fell 13% below the
goal of 80%.
b.) The Content and Development category had the highest student average at 3.11.
c.) The Conventions category had the lowest scoring average at 2.33. It is the only category in which the average fell below 2.5.
2. What was learned through analyzing these results?
a.) The 3.11 average score for Content and Development indicates that students were successful in using their Critical Thinking skills in the development of the report.
b.) The 2.33 average for Conventions indicates that the students may not be taking enough time to proofread and/or they do not have a good enough grasp of capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. The instructor noted that this is a frequent occurrence when it comes to students’ compositions. In order for students to communicate effectively using the written word, they will need to improve their proofreading skills.
Action Plan Based on Results and Analysis
Based on the analysis of the results, what steps will be taken to improve student learning?
1. The instructor will stress Conventions more by including additional instruction and practice in capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. She will regularly administer sample exercises for the students to proofread.
What goals will be set as result of the above changes in instruction?
a.) The goal of 80% of the class attaining a total score of 2.5 or above on the rubric will remain in effect.
b.) The goal for Conventions will be 2.5.