Assessment Committee Notes - December 10, 2007
Assessment Committee Meeting
December 10, 2007, 3 p.m.
Hurst Hall 120
Present: Kathleen Kinkema, Suzanne Larsh, Anne Ryter, Lynn Sikkink, Karin Waidley and Jessica Young
Absent: Nancy Gauss and Caroline Mitchell (Kim Brown, recorder)
Discipline Assessment
The committee reviewed the Geology and Journalism discipline assessment responses and discussed the general process of feedback. One idea for next year is including a sentence that encourages the disciplines to contact the committee with any feedback or concerns about the process or the responses. Also helpful will be the development of criteria for the goals planning which will help guide faculty in their written goal narratives.
Faculty Senate Charge
The committee discussed the Faculty Senate charge, which they perceived as asking for three things. The first was to develop and conduct a survey of faculty perceptions about student writing. The second was to review the past year’s discipline assessment plans for information about writing assessment at the discipline level and to compile the information for Faculty Senate. Finally, the third request was to review the GE assessment documents and report back to the Faculty Senate about information those documents contain related to student writing.
While the committee felt they could accomplish the second and third portions of the Faculty Senate charge, they did not feel that they were the correct committee to develop and conduct a survey of faculty perceptions about student writing. They felt they would be time constrained with their current tasks and the new ones described above and that such a survey would be better developed by a different faculty group. They do plan on gathering data for the second and third task above, including adding the chart developed for essential skills for GE courses and examining their annual reports for the past three years.
GE Goals Assessment
Finally, the committee reviewed the GE faculty goals and discussed a committee response. Overall, Anne felt that an initial review suggested that the GE responses were better this year. The committee will identify whether each response thoughtfully answered parts A-D on the request and filled out the matrix adequately. Forms for each of the GE areas can be accessed at http://www.western.edu/acadaff/wsc/assessment/Welcome.html .
Anne asked that committee members provide her their responses by December 17. Committee members either volunteered or were assigned the following GE goals assessments: Lynn: HIST 126; Kathleen: PHY 110, Karin: PHY 120; Suzanne: COTH 119; Anne: MATH 131; Jess: CHEM 111/112; and Nancy: ENG 248.
The group adjourned at approximately 4:15 p.m.
