Information for Administration and Faculty
Our mission and academic approach at Yavapai College is to provide high-quality, convenient and cost-effective learning opportunities for the diverse population of Yavapai County. We provide students with knowledge and skills needed for transfer to a college or university, to obtain a job, or to advance their career. Yavapai College is committed to measuring student learning using best practices to understand and improve curriculum and student learning.
Information provided here is intended to keep faculty, students and the community informed about assessment activities, best practices and procedures at Yavapai College and other institutions of higher education.
For Administration:
District Dean's Duties and Responsibilities
District Division Deans oversee the programs assigned to them. Each dean creates the various SLOA reports for each program in their area of supervision. They assign faculty members specific courses and learning outcomes each fall.
- Deans develop Division Assessment Plans to identify courses and Learning Outcomes with faculty to track student progress. Faculty members give the dean the assessment tools and evaluation criteria they will use for collecting data.
- Deans submit the Form 1 - Assessment Plan to sloa@yc.edu by mid October.
- By the last contract day in May, faculty send Form 2 - Assessment Report concerning student performance to their dean, along with analysis of observations regarding what worked well and what can be done to improve.
- Deans then submit Form 2 - Assessment Report to sloa@yc.edu, along with their own forms, Form 3 - Dean's Program Assessment Form.
Why We Assess:
- Assists decision for curriculum design, learning activities and resource allocation
- Documents achievement of learning outcomes and charts key findings and trends
- Improves learning and teaching
- Creates a shared academic culture dedicated to assure and improve the quality of higher education
What SLOA does with Assessment Reports:
- SLOA members analyze Division Assessment data and findings for courses and programs assessed.
- SLOA Committee provides feedback to Division Deans concerning data and observations with recommendations when appropriate.
- SLOA Assessment Director and Chair complete and report findings and data to Academic Vice President at end of the assessment cycle.
For Faculty:
Resources to assist Faculty in preparing annual SLOA Reports include the following:
SLOA Definitions
When creating course syllabi and course information, please use definitions generally accepted in assessment. They can be found in SLOA definitions.
Syllabus Preparation
When creating the syllabus for each course, faculty identify which Learning Outcomes are being address by each of the assessment tools. This practice helps faculty ensure that each graded activity addresses one of the Learning Outcomes and that all Learning Outcomes are being addressed appropriately.
Test Preparation
When creating exams, create a table that tracks which test items meet which course learning outcomes. For a sociology class, you might create something like the sample shown below:
SOC 101--Test-1--Introductory Chapters
| Sociological Imagination | Scientific Method |
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| 4, 13, 18 | 3, 7, 15, 24 |
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|
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In this case, test items 4, 13 and 18 relate directly to the course outcome regarding the sociological imagination; whereas items 3, 7, 15 and 24 relate to the course outcome that concerns the Scientific Method. Creating tables like this helps to ensure that your exams meet all of the important learning outcomes for the course and also facilitates student performance analysis and reporting.
SLOA Forms
Form 1 - Assessment Plan
- Each academic year Division Deans select courses for assessment.
- Deans contact their faculty to complete the Form 1- Assessment Plan and to turn in the assessment tools and evaluation criteria that will be used to gather data.
- Faculty return these items to the Division Dean, who submits the final version of the Form 3 - Dean's Program Assessment Form to sloa@yc.edu by mid October.
Form 2 - Assessment Report
- Faculty retrieve data from assessment tools. This data should be collected, when possible, from both fall and spring semesters.
- Next, faculty review the data and complete Form 2 - Assessment Report, taking careful thought to make recommendations for change where needed.
- Faculty then turn in Form 2 - Assessment Report for review by their Division Dean by the last contract day in May.
Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning in Online Courses
- Course has timely and appropriate activities to assess student readiness for course content and mode of delivery.
- Learning objectives are closely aligned with instructional and assessment activities.
- Ongoing multiple assessment strategies are used to measure content knowledge, attitudes, and skills.
- Regular feedback about student performance is provided in a timely manner throughout the course.
- Student self-assessments and peer feedback opportunities exist throughout the course.
(You can see a short video of this section of the guidelines by clicking here.)
Contact Us
- Chris Heyer, Outcomes Assessment Director
- Verde Valley Campus G-117; Prescott 3-112b
- Usually on Prescott Campus on Wednesdays
- Tel: (928) 649-4568
- chris.heyer@yc.edu
- Susan Carroll, Administrative Assistant
- Verde Valley Campus
- Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00PM
- Tel: (928) 634-6514
- susan.carroll@yc.edu
Important Dates
- Next SLOA Committee Meeting:
April 13, 2012; 9-10:30am; 3-106 & J-107 - Form #1 Due: October 14, 2011
- Form #2 Due: May 18, 2012
- Form #3 Due: May 31, 2012
Documents & Forms
2011-12 Assessment Forms:
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