Los Angeles Valley College
Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Report
Courses and Programs
Discipline: Fire Technology Department: Emergency Services
Program/Course: FT 201 Semester/Year: Spring 2014
SLO Representative: Nicholas Wade Department Chair: Alan Cowen
Student Learning Outcome Assessed / Students will be able to identify the hiring process and job requirements of a firefighting career.Description of Assessment Method
1. Describe the assessment tool (e.g., student essay, performance, etc.)
2. Describe how the data was analyzed (rubric elements, etc.). Attach rubric if applicable.
*** Please keep all data for at least 3 years. / 1. After visiting a fire station and interviewing at least two firefighters, the student completes a five page essay answering eight instructor supplied questions about the duties and responsibilities of being a firefighter. The student is also asked to gather 13 specific facts about the fire department.
2. The data is analyzed by evaluating how completely
and accurately the questions are answered and by
how effective the student is in communicating
thoughts and ideas in writing.
Description of Sampling Methodology
1. Course Sections - How many sections of this course were offered?
2. If there were more than one section offered – i) State if the sections were offered in the morning / afternoon /evening / online.
ii) How many sections were assessed?
iii) Describe how these sections represent the diversity of students represented in the course.
3. Faculty - How many faculty (part-time and full-time) taught this course? How many faculty participated in the SLO assessment process?
4. Students - How many students in total were enrolled? How many students were assessed?
Sampling (If this course offered more than one section, at least 1/3 of the total # of students must be assessed) - How was the sampling process conducted? (e.g., chose every 3rd student from roster) / 1. Only one section is offered per semester.
2. Only one adjunct faculty taught this course and participated in preparing this assessment.
3. 54 students were enrolled in class, 43 completed the class and handed in the essay assignment for evaluation.
4. All students who handed in essays were assessed. A total of 43.
N/A
Collaborative Review
1. Describe the norming process and how inter-rater reliability was achieved (if applicable). / N/A
Assessment Results
1. Describe the relevant findings according to the criteria set by the assessment tool. (e.g., report results according to rubric evaluation criteria) / 1. 18 out of 43 completed the assignment to a Good level as outlined in the CSLO Rubric for this class
2. 17 out of 43 completed the assignment to a Fair level as outlined in the CSLO Rubric for this class.
3. 8 out of 43 completed the assignment to a Poor level as outlined in the CSLO Rubric for the class.
How Results were Used for Course/Program Improvement
1. Describe how the results are going to be used for the improvement of teaching, learning, or institutional effectiveness based on the data assessed.
2. List any additional resources necessary to implement the improvement plan.
3. How do your assessment findings contribute to the achievement of your Program SLO’s?
(To access the program SLO’s -http://lavc.edu/slo/HYPERLINK "http://lavc.edu/slo/HYPERLINK%20%22http://lavc.edu/slo/programassessment.html%22programassessment"programassessment.html/ and/or contact your Department Chair for the Program Alignment Grid).
4. Describe how results will be shared with others in the discipline/area. / 1. The results indicate that the students responded positively to having the assignment explained to them in greater detail. Going forward, portions of several class sessions during the first few weeks of the semester will be used to go over the assignment rather than just one session. Another tool that seemed effective was to read an exemplary paper to the class to help them understand the elements that a well researched and well written paper contains. Another tool that may be tried is to allow students access to several papers and allow them to read and take notes on them in class. The students would only have access to the papers before or after class or during breaks, but they would not be able to take them from classroom. Students will also continue to be encouraged to visit the Campus Writing center for assistance in organizing and writing the paper. Because points are deducted for papers being late, students are continually reminded to complete the papers by the due date.
2. No additional resources are required.
3. The data from these papers help to determine the level to which the student is able to communicate in writing the answers to a series of questions. The data will also be used to measure the student’s reasoning skills by their ability to relate the information they obtain in the interview to what they learn in the classroom. The students will also get an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the duties and responsibilities of firefighters by observation of their professional behavior and work environment. This will also help the students to assess their own suitability for the position.
Finally, the assignment may also contribute to the
student’s technical skills by giving them the
opportunity to see in person the tools and equipment
that firefighters use.
4. Results will be shared with other instructors during instructional staff meetings.
Comparison to last SLOAC Cycle Results (if this is the first time the course was assessed, leave this section blank)
1. Please state the improvement plan that was included in the report from the previous SLOAC cycle.
2. What changes were implemented from the previous SLOAC cycle’s improvement plan? What changes, if any, were made that were not included in the improvement plan? What changes, if any, were made to the assessment process?
3. How are the results from this SLOAC cycle similar to or different from the results from the previous cycle? / 1. The results indicate that more detail may be needed in explaining the requirements of the assignment. One way to accomplish this is to read examples of good papers to the class, which may give the students a better idea of how the assignment is to be completed. Students are also encouraged to visit the Campus Writing Center for assistance in organizing and writing the paper. Because points are deducted for papers that are turned in after the due date, students are continually reminded to start the paper early and turn it in on time.
2. Greater class time was spent explaining the requirements of the assignment to the students. A majority of the second class session was devoted to explaining the assignment. Two papers that were well done from previous classes were read aloud to the class, which provided the students examples for them to model their paper after. Periodic reminders were given to the students throughout the semester reminding them of assignment due date and where they should be with the progress of the report.
I requested that the Director of the Writing Center visit the class to advise the students of the resources available to them for this assignment. He spent 20 minutes with the class discussing the assistance available to them.
3. Some improvement was noted in student’s ability to communicate thoughts and ideas in writing as exemplified by the fact that fewer students received deductions for grammar, syntax and general organization of the paper.
The students showed improvement in reasoning and critical thinking as a greater number of papers demonstrated the students had a fuller understanding of answers to the questions they asked the interviewees. The answers were more in depth and reflected a better understanding of the duties of the firefighters they interviewed.
Part of the assignment asked the student to include observations they made during the fire station visit and many commented on the professionalism demonstrated by the people they interviewed. This provided them an example of professional behavior to model as they go forward seeking employment as firefighters. This part of the assignment is designed to help the student with a self-assessment. This self-assessment aids them in developing a plan to make themselves more marketable candidates for the entry-level firefighter’s position.
Los Angeles Valley College
Course Level Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
Course Name and Number: Fire Technology 201
Course Title: Fire Protection Organization
Course Objectives: (List the course objectives as they appear in the course outline
of record.)
Establish 1–2 course level student learning outcomes and indicate how each SLO
will be assessed.
Students will be able to identify the hiring process and job requirements of a firefighting career. / Multiple choices exams. Item analysis will be conducted.
The students will be able to self-assess by gaining an understanding of the duties and responsibilities of firefighters to acquire an employment position as a firefighter. / Four-page written report which includes an interview and summary. A rubric will be used.
Legend
Good / Fair / PoorInterview of a firefighter – Complete answers to questions that are supplied by instructor.
*[see below] / High level of detail in the daily routine; answers are complete and demonstrate
a thorough understanding
of the job. / Some level of detail in
the daily routine; some answers are incomplete. / Questions not answered.
Missing responses.
Details are lacking in answers.
Interview of a firefighter – Ability to communicate
in written form / Clarity of thought; appropriate use of grammar, correct spelling/punctuation. / Report is difficult to understand at times; inconsistent use of correct grammar, spelling, punctuation. / Thoughts and ideas are not clearly expressed; extremely difficult to read.
Summary/ Reflection / Compare what they are doing currently to what the firefighters did to prepare themselves.
Appropriate and relevant conclusion. / Comparison is vague at times.
Conclusion is vague. / Comparison is missing.
Conclusion is missing or irrelevant.
Good / Fair / Poor
Interview of a firefighter – Complete answers to questions supplied by instructor *[see below] / 18 students / 17 students / 8 students
Interview of a firefighter – Ability to communicate in written form / 18 students / 17 students / 8 students
Summary/ Reflection / 18 students / 17 students / 8 students
Rev: 3/2014
FIRE TECHNOLOGY 201
Term Paper
Part 1
The student shall select a fire station of his/her choice and conduct a site visit. During this site visit, the student will ask first to speak with a firefighter with 5 years or less of experience on the job and obtain information on the following questions:
· What is a typical day like in the fire station? Do they have routine duties that occur every shift when not responding to emergencies?
· What are the most important things a rookie firefighter can do to achieve success during the probationary period?
· What were the steps the firefighter took to prepare for a fire service career?
· What does the firefighter like best about his/her job?
· What does the firefighter like least about his/her job?
· Is the job different than what the firefighter expected before being hired? If so, how?
After interviewing the new firefighter, seek out a firefighter with at least 20 years on the job and ask him/her the following questions:
· What have been some of the major changes to the fire service since you became a Firefighter?
· What do you see as the major issues and challenges for the fire service in the future?
At the conclusion of the site visit, the student will prepare a written report on the information gathered in the interview. The report shall be a minimum of 4 typewritten pages, 12 point type, double-spaced (it should look like this paragraph).
The report should focus on answering the above questions so that the student demonstrates a thorough understanding of what the job duties and responsibilities of a firefighter are. Additionally, by interviewing the recently hired firefighter and then the 20+-year veteran, the student should also gain some perspective on the current state of the fire service, where it’s been and where it’s going. The report should reflect this knowledge. The student may need to visit more than one fire station in order to gather sufficient information for this assignment.
Part 1 [continued] - Report Structure
1. Title Page (not one of the 4 pages)
· Name
· Date
· Report Title
2. Introduction - 1 page approx.
· Discuss the fire station you visited
· What equipment and how many personnel are assigned to the station
· What part of the city it serves
· Who you talked with (time on the job and rank)
3. Body of the report – 3- 3-½ pages approx.
· This is where you answer the questions.
· State what you were told and what you observed.
· Discuss each question in some depth and answer each one fully.
4. Conclusion – ½ page approx.
· What were the more interesting or revealing aspects of the fire service that you learned from this research?
· How do you think the information will help you in the future?
Part 2
This part of the report focuses on gathering the kind of information that a candidate would need to know about a particular city and fire department as he or she prepares for an oral interview for that department.
The student shall conduct research on the fire department used in Part 1 of the report. The research should be conducted primarily during the site visit interview, but information such as budget, city population, etc. may not be available by talking to fire station personnel and may need to be obtained from the Internet, local public library, brochures on city information, or any other available resource. The last page of your report should contain the answers to the following questions.
1. Size of the city (in square miles) served by the selected department.
2. Population of the city.
3. The number of fire stations
4. The number of sworn personnel in the department.
5. The number of civilian personnel in the department.
6. The type and number of apparatus (how many engines, trucks, Haz-Mat, USAR, etc.)
7. Apparatus staffing level. How many firefighters are assigned to each engine and truck?