A Work in Progress

A Work in Progress

2006-2007

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This document is intended to be used in conjunction with Professional Development Sessions facilitated by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment for Department/Program Review Teams.

In addition, the Department/Program Review generally proceeds more efficiently and effectively if the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment is involved in the facilitation of the process with each Review Team.

Susan Bayard x5420

Althea Smith x5411

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Table of Contents

NSCC Mission Statement 2

NSCC Vision Statement 2

Strategic Plan – Goal 3 2

Department/Program Review Process:

Statement of Purpose 3

Department/Program Review Process 4

Description of Roles and Procedures 5

Self-Study:

Mission and Purposes of the Department/Program 6

Department/Program Outcomes and Curriculum Mapping 6

Departmental Practices in Curricular Design and Sequencing 7

Evidence of Student Learning and Use of Assessment Results 7

Services that Support Student Learning… 8

Professional Development and Faculty Data 9

Student Recruitment, Retention, and Data 9

Workforce Readiness and Market Trends 10

Summary 10

Action Plan 11

Glossary… 12

Appendices:

Appendix A – Writing Department/Program Mission Statements 15

Appendix B – Writing Student Learning Outcomes/Blooms Taxonomy 17

Examples of Department/Program Outcomes 17

Appendix C – NSCC General Education Outcomes 21

Appendix D – Draft Definition of Workforce Readiness 22

Appendix E – Blank Curriculum Map 23

Appendix F – Sample Curriculum Maps 24

Appendix G – Blank Assessment Methods Chart 40

Appendix H – Sample Assessment Methods Charts 41

Appendix I – Sample Assessment Map 47

Appendix J – Sample Scoring Rubrics 49

Members of the Program Review & Workforce Readiness Leadership Team 51

Mission Statement

North Shore Community College is a source of hope and opportunity and a regional leader for social and economic change. Blending tradition and innovation, liberal arts and career preparation, intellectual development and cultural and personal growth, we foster a diverse and caring community of learners where all are welcome and each is challenged. We offer lifelong education responsive to changing community needs, a global economy, evolving technology and the shifting roles faced by individuals and institutions. Our greatest contribution to the Commonwealth is the success and achievement of our students.

Vision Statement

North Shore Community College will be a catalyst for personal, community and regional change through education, training and civic engagement. The College will serve as a beacon of hope and opportunity for an increasing diverse student body and be a respected, full partner with other public and private organizations seeking better lives for North Shore residents and a vibrant future for the region.

Strategic Plan – Goal 3

Academic Programs and Curriculum:

A Commitment to Teaching and Learning

North Shore Community College will renew and expand programs, curriculum and learning opportunities in response to educational and labor market needs.

Department/Program Review Process

Statement of Purpose

Completing a comprehensive Department/Program Review provides faculty with the opportunity to analyze and reflect on department or program design as it affects student learning. Through this process, faculty collaboratively make department or program level recommendations to improve teaching and learning. Such improvements or advancements may include:

·  Initiating changes in pedagogy or modes of delivery to improve student learning;

·  Addressing emerging needs of students or the professional fields they enter;

·  Providing for faculty development based on emerging professional or educational demands;

·  Creating additional learning resources for students.

The Department/Program Review process resides within the academic departments and programs and is implemented through appropriate channels, preserving the rights of academic freedom.

This Department/Program Review model is based on NSCC’s institutional interests and supported by requirements of external agencies such as the Board of Higher Education (BHE) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Department/Program Review Process at NSCC

Department/Program Review is a multi-year process that includes Phase 1 and ongoing Phase 2 within a 5-Year cycle.

Phase 1 – one academic year (Compensation for Faculty Review Team – please see compensation description)

All Departments and Programs undertaking Department/Program Review will:

1.  Complete the Department/Program Review Document Self-Study – Sections I – VII (Section IV will be addressed in-depth in Phase 2, but departments/Programs will be expected to address the questions raised in Section IV in the Phase 1 Report.)

2.  Complete the Summary.

3.  Develop an Action Plan.

4.  Present the Self-Study, Summary, and Action Plan to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean for Academic assessment, Curriculum, and Special Programs, the Division Dean, the Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and assessment, and interested faculty and staff. The Vice President for Academic affairs responds to the report addressing the availability of resources needed to support the department/program and support student learning.

5.  Present the results of the Phase 1 Review at a college-wide forum in May.

Phase 2A – one academic year (Compensation for Faculty Review Team – Please see compensation description)
All departments and Programs continuing the Department/Program Review Process will:

1.  Complete Section IV of the Department/Program Review Process by:

a.  Selecting at least one, with the potential of up to three, Department/Program Outcomes to assess.

b.  Selecting a method of assessment (prompt) for the Department/Program Outcome.

c.  Collectively developing standards and criteria for judging student achievement (scoring rubric).

d.  Collecting student work.

e.  Scoring the prompt using the scoring rubric created.

f.  Analyzing and interpreting the results.

g.  Using assessment results to modify/formulate an Action Plan.

2.  Revise and update Action Plan and include timeline for completing assessment of Department/Program Outcomes.

3.  Present the results of the Phase 2 Review at a college-wide forum in May.

Phase 2B – ongoing (No Compensation)

1.  Departments and Programs will continue to assess the remainder of the Department/Program Outcomes with support from the CTLA.

2.  Departments and Programs will submit a summary and analysis of their Action Plan results on an annual basis throughout the remainder of the five-year Department/Program Review cycle to their Division Deans, the CTLA, and a possible Governance Committee.

Description of Roles and Procedures

Department/Program Review Team / The department/program identifies a Review Team consisting of full-time and adjunct faculty who will complete the review. The department/ program faculty is encouraged to utilize the resources of the Division Dean, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, the Office of Planning and Institutional Research, and other institutional departments as necessary.
Planning and Institutional Research / Planning and Institutional Research submits data collected such as student applicant data, student enrollment data, programmatic retention data, graduate data, and student placement and feedback data to each department/program. Each Department/Program Review Team may identify additional data to be considered. The role of the Department/Program Review Team is then to interpret the data.
Collaborative Draft of the Report / The Department/Program Review Team in collaboration with the department/program prepares a draft of the report, which includes the Self-Study, Summary, and Action Plan. The Division Dean shares his/her feedback with the Team.
Approval of Final Report / The final report must be approved by the department/program and given to the Division Dean before it is formally presented.
Presentation of Report / The Department/Program Review Team presents the final report to the Vice President for Academic Affairs; the Dean for Academic Assessment, Curriculum, and Special Programs; the Division Dean; the Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment; and other selected academic leaders. This group discusses the report and the resources needed to support the department/program and improve student learning.
Response to Report / The Vice President for Academic Affairs prepares and sends a written response to the department/program regarding the results of the review, feedback on the action plan, and the cycle for allocation of resources.
Follow-Up / The department/program faculty implements the agreed upon Action Plan. Departments/programs will report on the progress of what has been achieved since the last Department/Program Review.

Phase 1

Self-Study

This self-study is based on department/program practices, experiences, data, and reflection.

I. Mission and Purposes of the Department/Program

A.  Provide the department/program mission statement. See APPENDIX A, pp 15-16, “Writing Department/Program Mission Statements.”

B.  What are the communities of interest served by the department/program? Discuss entering students, existing students, current and future employers, transfer institutions.

C.  Given the population you are serving as described in “B” above, how do you know that you are meeting their needs? (e.g. comments from advisory boards, transfer and graduation rates, % of job placement?)

D.  If you have an Advisory Board, answer the following questions:

1.  List advisory board members including their affiliations.

2.  What is the board’s function?

3.  How are members chosen? What is their term of Service?

4.  How does the membership on your Advisory Board represent your communities of interest?

5.  How often do they meet?

E.  If you don’t presently have an Advisory Board, would you consider forming one? If so, please include this in the Action Plan.

II. Department/Program Outcomes and Curriculum Mapping

In developing department/program outcomes, state the outcomes in A, B, and C, so that they can be measured quantitatively or qualitatively. Limit the list to a total of 8-10 outcomes. See APPENDIX B, pp 17-20, “Writing Student Learning Outcomes.”

A.  Using the General Education Outcomes (See APPENDIX C, p 21, “General Education Outcomes”) integrate these into the department/program outcomes as demonstrated in APPENDIX B, pp 17-19 “Examples of Department/Program Outcomes.”

B.  Using the Workforce Readiness Definition (See APPENDIX D, p 22, Definition of Workforce Readiness), integrate this definition into the department/program outcomes as demonstrated in APPENDIX B, pp 17-19, “Examples of Department/Program Outcomes.”

C.  Include other outcomes that are specific to the department/program.

D.  Curriculum Mapping

1.  Using curriculum mapping, indicate in which courses department/program outcomes are introduced, reinforced, and applied to assure that students have ample and diverse opportunities to learn what the department/program intends students to learn. See APPENDIX F, pp 24-39, “Sample Curriculum Maps;” and APPENDIX E, p 23, “Blank Curriculum Map.”

2.  Reflect on the Curriculum Mapping activity and discuss the findings. What have you learned about the department/program?

III. Departmental Practices in Curricular Design and Sequencing

A. Describe how the department/program collaborates to:

1.  Assure that department/program outcomes are consistent across multiple course sections – day and evening, face-to-face, online, hybrid offerings – and are aligned with course descriptions.

2.  Provide the rationale for course sequencing in the department/program – what educational philosophies, research, and principles underlie curriculum design?

3.  Periodically update curriculum and course content (e.g. department prerequisites? Do active versions of the program need to be retired? (Retiring active versions of a program of study requires Curriculum Committee action. See Section 4 of the Curriculum Committee Handbook.)

4.  Review textbooks and other educational materials or tools considering such issues as relevancy, gender bias, stereotyping, etc.

B.  Educational Experiences

1.  Identify and describe how required educational experiences (e.g. internships, field placements, capstone projects) are integrated into the department/program.

2.  Specifically, how do they extend and promote student learning?

C.  Enrichment Activities

1.  Identify and describe how enrichment opportunities (e.g., field trips, guest speakers, service-learning, professional meetings) are integrated into the department/program

2.  How do they extend and promote student learning?

IV. Evidence of Student Learning and Use of Assessment Results

Assessment is an on-going process of inquiry into what and how well students learn

against our criteria and standards of judgment. The process is outlined below:

Please Complete either A or B:

A. Assessment Chart

1.  Develop a chart identifying methods that are used to assess department/program student learning outcomes. See APPENDIX G, p 40, “Blank Assessment Methods Chart;” and APPENDIX H, p 41-46, “Sample Assessment Methods Charts.”

2.  Reflect on the Assessment chart activity and discuss the findings.

3.  What have you learned about the department/program?

B. Assessment Map

1.  Using curriculum mapping, identify methods that are used to assess the department/program student learning outcomes to assure that students, have ample and diverse opportunities to learn. See APPENDIX I, p 47-48 “Sample Assessment Map;” and APPENDIX E, p 23, “Blank Curriculum Map.”

2.  Reflect on the Assessment Mapping activity and discuss the findings.

3.  What have you learned about the department/program?

C. Are there department/program standards and criteria for judging student

achievement (e.g., collaboratively developed scoring rubrics). If so, please

describe. See APPENDIX J, p 49-50, “Sample Scoring Rubrics.”

D. As a result of assessing department/program outcomes, describe what the
department/program has found:

1.  Based on the results of the raters’ scores on the rubrics or results of national licensure examinations, summarize what members of the department/program have collectively learned for each department/program outcome.

2.  Specifically, what do these results reveal about the strengths and weaknesses of student learning?

3.  What specific changes have been implemented or will be implemented to improve student learning based on the results of the assessment (e.g., changes in teaching methods, curricular or instructional design, use of educational tools, integration of educational experiences or other enrichment activities, advising, use of support services)?

V. Services that Support Student Learning

A. Resources that support the department/program

1.  What current resources are essential to the students’ learning (e.g. tutoring, media, library, disability services, computer labs)?

2.  Be specific about any current use, deficiencies or projected needs.

3.  Comment on the availability and adequacy of these resources.

B. Which library and media resources are used to support the curriculum?