Provost

To enhance student learning though an explicit curriculum that can be improved though assessment, reflection and revision.

Content Recommendations:

Consolidation of Activities and Effort of Committees

• The Provost will convene the various groups currently focused on assessment to coordinate and consolidate their efforts in order to avoid duplication of activities. These groups include, but are not limited to, General Education Assessment Committee, Unit Assessment committees, the office of Institutional Research, and the larger Greater Expectations team.  The consolidation of activities and efforts will guide the execution of the recommendations below.

Clarify Purpose of Ongoing Assessment

• The Greater Expectations Team, in collaboration with the above-named committees, will develop a clear statement of the purpose of ongoing assessment, separate and apart from Middle States accreditation. The stated purpose shall reflect the value of assessment as serving to enhance student learning through the development, assessment, and on-going revision of appropriate student learning outcomes.

Active Inclusion of Student Affairs

• We recognize a significant portion of learning occurs outside the classroom. The Greater Expectations Team, in collaboration with Student Affairs, will clarify an on-going assessment plan that includes these contributions as related to student learning outcomes.

Process Recommendations:

We recognize that student learning outcomes and assessment plans currently exist throughout the College. In order to effectively plan for future assessment strategies, we need to determine current resources that exist.  These resources include existing student learning outcomes at all levels of the curriculum, as well as existing assessment plans.

Convening Groups

Under the guidance of the Vice Provost for Curriculum and Assessment, conduct an audit of the existing student learning outcomes for each major and free-standing minor.

As part of this review, the student learning outcomes will be evaluated in terms of specificity and wording. A rubric will be selected or created to guide this audit.

• Audit of capstone courses
  • A survey will be conducted of capstone courses as to the definition of what constitutes "capstone" courses for each major, for example, cumulative as to major skills, inclusive of General Education learning outcomes, or inclusive of other disciplines; or, if there is not a capstone course where assessment of the major's learning outcomes can take place, identification of other upper level courses where this assessment can take place.
    
    
• Status report of the currently existing convening group assessment plans
  
  • As part of this review, the assessment plans will be examined as to effectiveness of methods such as e-portfolios, essays, gates, etc. An inclusive rubric will be selected or created to guide this audit.
               
• Curriculum Map
  
  • Each convening group will provide a curriculum map which illustrates whether, and if so how, individual courses meet the various learning outcomes for the major or the minor, as appropriate, as well as the learning outcomes related to General Education skills and to the pillars. Ideally, for each learning outcome met in a given course, the curriculum map would indicate the level of student proficiency expected (e.g., introductory level, developing level, or mastery level)
    
    
• Five-year Assessment Plan
  
  • Each convening group will establish or design a basic on-going assessment plan indicating which learning goals will be assessed in each of the 5 years.  The recommendation is that 2 learning outcomes will be assessed each year on a rotating basis. The timing of this assessment may be coordinated with existing 5-year program or accreditation reviews.
    
    
• General Education Assessment
  
  • The Greater Expectations Team recommends that assessment of General Education curriculum in respect to all-college learning goals and outcomes be coordinated as follows:
    • Each year, all students in First Year Seminar and all students in the defining capstone course for each major, or appropriate upper level courses as determined by convening groups, will be assessed for all-college learning goals and outcomes using an agreed upon instrument.
    • In collaboration with the General Education Assessment Committee, a method to similarly assess transfer students will be agreed upon.
      
      
• Five-Hour Course Enrichment Activity (formerly, Experiential Component)
  
  • A rubric will be created or selected to gather information about the student learning outcomes resulting in these activities for all courses.

Student Affairs

• Student Affairs Assessment
  
  • A significant portion of learning occurs outside the classroom. In collaboration with Student Affairs, a rubric will be selected or created to guide an audit of the learning which takes place as a result of events, programs, and activities that happen outside the classroom.

Generally

• In order to accomplish these goals, we recommend:
  • Personnel review standards should be revised to give credit for assessment-related activities and included in teaching self-evaluations.
  • Faculty development resources will be adequately allocated:  training in assessment – on campus and/or off campus institutes, to increase effectiveness of all-college collaboration.
  • Adjuncts will be included in training related to understanding of SLOs and assessment methods.  
    

• current vacancy and search in progress for vice provost for curriculum and assessment
• lack of clarity regarding the roles and responsibilities of the various committees charged with planning and implementation of assessment and corresponding administrative offices – Provost, Deans, Convening Groups
• insufficient training of all levels of personnel charged with planning and implementation of assessment
• faculty resistance to engaging in assessment, largely due to lack of understanding and training
• competing service activities that require a high level of participation (e.g., various task forces, Strategic Enrollment Management team,  personnel committees, American Democracy Project, Academic Review Committee, etc.)
•  no known  allocation of resources dedicated to assessment training
• assessment work is not valued, (e.g., carries little weight in faculty reappointment, tenure and promotion), and is not valued by convening groups, (e.g., can illustrate a need for additional faculty to address student learning outcomes).

• Faculty Resource Center
• enthusiastic junior faculty,  50% employed for under 5 years
• Faculty Assembly leadership
• higher administration, such as Provost
• General Education Assessment Committee
• Individuals on campus with expertise based on past accreditation (e.g., faculty in Business, Nursing, Teacher Education, & Social Work)
• Relationship of majors and the College with employers about assessment criteria
• Existing course evaluation process that may provide quantitative data regarding General Education skills or SLOs

• presentations at Faculty Assembly and other scheduled meetings
• interfacing with Middle States accreditation committee and General Assessment team
• development and launching of Ramapo College Greater Expectation web page –  including resources of developed tools; links to General Education Assessment Committee & Middle States webpages

Greater Expectations Team Actions & Timeline:

Recommended Timeline for Campus Work:

Over five year period:

• Initial Results of Audits, Curriculum Maps & Assessment 
• Demonstrated Application of Findings regarding SLOs and Assessment