1. What this Innovative Practice does and how it works.

The annual outcomes assessment reports of forty-three programs or program areas are posted to Edison’s assessment webpage.   Each year the discipline/program leaders prepare reports that ask the number of students being evaluated along with five performance based questions.   Item 1 asks how many of those students are reaching the individual program outcomes and responses might be yes/no or measured on a 5-point scale.   Item 2 posts three-year trend data, and Item 3 lists any interventions from last year’s assessment and the specific effect or results gained.   The fourth item asks for interventions and improvement targets for issues of the current assessment year, and Item 5 asks for information about how the outcomes assessment supports student learning.

 

2. What motivated us to develop or adopt this Innovative Practice.

The practice has evolved over several years as the faculty have become more in tune with the need for assessable, documentable results for decision making.   As our college community has adopted continuous quality improvement practices throughout all levels, and as expectations from other higher education organizations and from business partners have changed, a closer monitoring of student learning has become a part of our college’s working reality.

5. What resistance we faced in developing and implementing this Innovative Practice, and how we reduced or overcome it.

  Most faculty understand the need for documenting assessment and since a common format was developed they have participated willingly

6. What it costs us to maintain and operate this Innovative Practice, and what it saves us.

7. How we measure or check whether this Innovative Practice performs the way we intend it to.

7. How we measure or check whether this Innovative Practice performs the way we intend it to.

Internally, effectiveness is measured through improved student success rates.   Those may be on individual outcomes, at the single course levels, or on program levels.

We measure effectiveness externally through feedback from receiving institutions, primarily grade point averages as compared with native students.   We also receive feedback from advisory committee members and from employers working with our student interns and graduates.   In those areas where certification or licensure is required, we analyze comparative data from tests results to further strengthen our process.

8. Print or web documents available that provide more detail and explanation about this Innovative Practice.

9. How our organization currently uses this Innovative Practice.

A ll faculty are to evaluate class and program outcomes assessment on a continuing basis.   Part of the assessment process is to identify areas in need of change, to recommend change, to implement it and to  provide feedback about the impact of the change.