Why We Assess

Assessment in Serve-Learn-Sustain serves three primary purposes:

  1. To assess achievement of SLS’s Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
  2. To use data for continuous program improvement
  3. To provide data for our accrediting organization, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), that supports our assertions about SLS’s results.  Click here to learn more.

 

How SLS Assessment Works

Assessment Partners Program:

Serve-Learn-Sustain is excited to announce our AY2020 Assessment Partnership Program!  In this program, SLS Affiliated Faculty teaching undergraduate courses in Fall or Spring semesters collaborate with SLS as Assessment Partners to use our Student Learning Assessment tools - each focused on one SLS Student Learning Outcome - in one or more of their courses to enrich student learning and also assist SLS with our assessment work.  Partners receive $500 in discretionary funds for their work.  See the tools here (the tools we are referring to are Student Learning Outcomes 1-4 Rubrics).

 

How the Program Works:

As an Assessment Partner, you will participate in three activities:

  1. Assess one SLS Student Learning Outcome (SLO) in your Fall and/or Spring courses, through one assignment aligned closely with the rubric for that SLO that will result in a student work product (exam question(s), project, assignment, etc.) that you can share with SLS.  The student work product will be scored by SLS Assessment Partners collaboratively (see #3 below) using the rubric.  For AY2020, we are particularly seeking undergraduate courses assessing SLOs 2, 3, or 4.
  2. At the conclusion of the semester, share student work products with SLS from that assignment.
  3. Participate with other Assessment Partners in one collaborative scoring session of students' work, in Fall 2019 or Spring or Summer 2020 (dates TBD).  The scoring session lasts approximately four hours. (Note that these sessions may or may not focus on the SLO you chose, and you will not score your own students' work.)

 

Benefits to You:

  • Advance your skills around course assessment and identify ways to use these rubrics, and assessment practices more generally, to enhance student learning.
  • Get to know other faculty from across campus who are interested in teaching and assessment.
  • Receive discretionary funds to use as you wish (see below).

 

Awards: $500

Funds will be transferred to you after you have submitted student work and participated in a scoring session.  They can be used however you wish; you do not have to use them to work on an SLS-related course or project.  As State funds, they CANNOT be used for food.  Consult with your unit's Financial Analyst to determine additional guidelines or restrictions, as well as the process for accessing your funds once they are transferred to your unit.

 

To Apply:

Complete this short application by August 26th, 5pm.

 

Questions?

Contact Jennifer Hirsch, SLS Director