Assessment and Improvement of Student Learning

Annual Report 2005 - Highlights from Assessments

Comments from Course-level Assessments:

Most course-level assessments only specify changes that the instructor makes such as:
 - spending more time on a specific subject area
 - providing more one-on-one instruction
 - require multiple drafts of papers  or reports
 - need for more student interaction
 - adding handouts or worksheets or online problem banks
 - more active learning activities
 - more short quizzes to enhance memory
 - enhance course with visual materials and activities (Blackboard, Powerpoint, audiovisuals)
 - use progress reports written by students to indicate progress through semester
 - increase use of examples
 - increase/continue group work
 - improve the assessment instrument itself
 - modify timing and/or order of presentation, assigned work, etc.
 - amplify use of journaling
 - emphasize performance over theory
 - more practice on difficult concepts
 - collect preparation work (outlines, drafts, study-question responses, etc.)
 - give immediate feedback
 - submit sub-parts of large assignments (marketing plan, lab reports, research papers)
 - increase amount of hands-on work
 - more practice work
 - add critical thinking assignments
 - highlight significant material more clearly
 - use a product such as "Adobe Classroom in a Book" in self-paced way; act as tutor/mentor
 - improve management of deadlines
 - include more playing and case studies (ECE)
 - maintaine attendance/participation points
 - target tardiness
 - encourage study groups (or SI) - meet with class outside classtime for homework work
 - use guest speakers
 - allow more time for labs - schedule labs to coincide with theory work
 - group projects
 - assign open-ended research/lab projects


Comments which impact program-areas larger than that instructor's course were comments such as:
 - require and amplify use of Writing Center (because it works well
 - problems with attendance problems causing educational problems [impact of attendance policy??]
 - evaluate instructional efficacy of certain night classes
 - problems with students' lack of "academic commitment" - too easy to drop out
 - students seem to have shorter attention spans with each incoming class

Many instructors indicate preparation problems - vocabulary deficiencies, reading and writing abilities,
study skills, study habits, retention skills,

CIS xxx - sstudents need admin priv. to complete some activities

CNG - need modern routers, switches, and PCs in lab for practical work

EDU 188 - problems with students from other programs requiring limited resources in the area,
specifically elementary school observation time

REA 0x0 - need comprehensive reading testing instrument and better log-in process

HEM 110 - continue internship training - very effective

MAT 107 - works better as self-paced course (this was moved to the math lab by spring 2005)