Assessment

Institutional Benchmarks

Quantitative Analysis: 70% or more of students enrolled in GE courses designated Quantitative Analysis will be able to identify and extract relevant data from given mathematical or contextual situations; and/or select known models or develop appropriate models that organize the data into tables or spreadsheets; and/or obtain correct mathematical results and state those results with appropriate qualifiers.

2016- 2017 Proficiency Results

Freshman Composition I, ENG 101, benchmark: 75% of AWC students in Freshman Composition I classes will demonstrate a writing proficiency of a level of “3”(competent) or above (proficient, strong, and superior) on a writing artifact evaluated by a blind juried assessment team comprised of disciplinary scholars. This percentage will be determined by a random sample of ENG 101 writing artifacts.

Writing in the Discipline (Writing Intensive-WI) : 70% of AWC students in Writing in the Discipline (Writing Intensive) classes will demonstrate a writing proficiency of a level of “2”, or proficient, on a writing artifact evaluated by a blind juried assessment team comprised of disciplinary scholars. This percentage will be determined by a random sample of WI writing artifacts. Results are available on the Writing Assessment webpage.

State/National Exam Outcomes

ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

Mission Statement

The Assessment Committee is dedicated to providing support, resources, and opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and administrators to discuss, conduct, and share thorough, thoughtful, critical analysis and reflection of student learning, services, and business practices provided at Arizona Western College and to encourage students to become agents in their own learning.

Goals

• Support and sustain a culture of assessment.
• Share information about assessment practices of curricular, co-curricular, institutional services, and business practices and develop a shared language and demonstrate understanding of assessment across the institution.
• Survey faculty, administrators, staff, and students on their understanding of assessment and current assessment efforts.
• Solicit feedback about faculty, staff, administrator, and student needs related to assessment.
• Provide opportunities for professional development on academic, departmental, and organizational goals and learning outcomes assessment.
• Encourage the use of assessment plan data to improve teaching, learning, services, and business practices.
• Develop, publish, and maintain a current display of academic, departmental, and organizational learning outcomes that align with the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO).
• Collect, analyze, and recommend interventions based on student feedback regarding their understanding and application of Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO).
• Provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of assessment and how learning outcomes relate to teaching and learning through course and program assignments, exams, and projects.
• Encourage students to become agents of their learning by:
  • Insuring they are being taught all identified learning outcomes
  • Questioning how learning outcomes relate to course and or program assignments, activities, and or projects
• Engage in rater reliability activities with other community colleges in the state.

Membership Requirement and Structure

Committee members will be required to:

• Act as a resource and champion of the Assessment Committee to help faculty, staff, students, and administrators develop an understanding of the purpose and value in conducting and recording an assessment of teaching, learning, services, and business practices.
• Engage in diverse, creative, and innovative discussions in support of institutional assessment.

Committee membership include faculty, staff, and administrators.

The culture of assessment of assessment at Arizona Western College is continually evolving, as is the nature of assessment. Faculty and staff engage in discussions around assessment and how to better assess what occurs inside and outside of the classroom on a continual basis to improve learning and services.

Institutional Assessment Plan

Institutional Departments use annual assessments of their goals and or student learning outcomes to drive their work forward each year. A collection of annual assessments is also very beneficial when working on a program review. Administrative Department Assessment Report Template

Academic and Entrepreneurial College units are following the 2023-2026 assessment plan approved by the Assessment Committee.

Year 1 – Fall 2023 and Spring 2024

• Review and Revise course Student Learning Outcomes (as needed) – Fall 2023
  • Attend training on how to develop effective SLOs (training to be provided throughout fall 2023 and spring 2024)
  • Review course SLOs for all courses in each area
  • Revise SLOs if needed (no more than 5-7 SLOs per course
  • Revised SLOs are sent to Curriculum for approval (as needed) – Fall2023/Spring 2024
  • SLOs are updated in the syllabus available on AWC’s website

Year 2 – Fall 2024 and Spring 2025

• Attend training on linking assignments to SLO’s (training to be provided throughout fall 2024 and spring 2025)
• Add SLOs to Canvas courses
• Link assignments to SLOs in Canvas
  • Determine benchmarks for assessment based on available data points from Canvas

Year 3 – Fall 2025 and Spring 2026

• Link course SLOs to Program SLOs in Canvas (training to be provided throughout fall 2025 and spring 2026)
• Begin collection of data against benchmarks from course SLOs – Fall 2025
• Determine benchmarks for program outcomes – Spring 2026
• Begin collection of data against benchmarks from PSLOs – Fall 2027