Sally K. Murphy Director of General Education and Freshman Year ProgramsCalifornia State University, East Bay

Julie Stein, Instructor, General Studies and General Education Advisor

Agenda

Workshop Context: High Impact Practices and Your Goal

The Story of Freshmen General Education Learning Communities

13 Years of Learning Community Indirect Assessment Exercise

Lessons Learned and the Critical Importance of Data

Some Assessment Data Sources

High Impact Educational Practices

High Impact Practice Relative Cost of ImplementationHigh/Med/Low

Value to Your InstitutionHigh/Med/Low

Possible Assessment Data

First Year Seminars & Experiences

Common Intellectual Experiences

Learning Communities

Writing Intensive Courses

Collaborative Assignments and Projects

Undergraduate Research

Diversity/Global Learning

Service Learning, Community Based Learning

Internships

Capstone Courses and Projects

*Peer Mentor (Not listed AAC & U, 2008)

Freshmen General EducationLearning Communities

PRIOR TO 1998

WASC report CSUEB make G.E. more

coherent increase retention provide increased

academic support to freshmen such as more lower division G.E. courses

1998-2012

General education learning communities or clusters where: freshmen in cohorts

of about 90 students take GE classes throughout the year that are integrated by a common theme

Assessing General Education Learning CommunitiesStandardized assessmentsAuthentic assessments

Freshman Learning CommunityImpact of Data Exercise The goal of this exercise is to see

how survey data can tell a story about the impact of a program or practice. ▪ Data Set Perceived Needs▪ Data Set Retention and Remediation▪ Data Set Perceived Improvement

Freshman Learning Community Impact of Data Exercise1. Open Folder #1. In your group,

analyze the data for the Freshmen Learning Community program from 1998-2011.

What conclusions could you draw about the program with the data provided?

Freshman Learning Community Impact of Data Exercise1. Open Folder #1. In your group,

analyze the data for the Freshmen Learning Community program from 1998-2011.

What conclusions could you draw about the program with the data provided?

2. Next, open folder #2 and overlay the transparency on the data chart.

▪ What other conclusions could you draw about the program now?

Additional Data Still Needed Where to Deepen Learning/ Provide Support?

Data tells some of the story Still need a “finer grained picture”

for measure of direct learning. For example a portfolio assessment with 2nd-4th year writing and other academic markers to identify development over time

Other relevant data (class size, socioeconomic)

Lesson’s Learned

Start now Ideal to collect direct measures Your program is unlikely to receive long

term support unless success is measured No matter what your program is, you need

to collect, analyze, and compare over time whatever meaningful data is available

Examine interrelationships between data Avoid the danger analyzing limited data

Some Assessment Data SourcesGENERAL DATA

Institutional Self Reporting Qualitative Authentic

Assessment

STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS

Entering Student Survey (ESS) The College Student Experiences

Questionnaire (CSEQ) National Survey of Student

Engagement (NSSE) Faculty Survey of Student

Engagement (FSSE), College Assessment of Academic

Proficiency (CAAP) Collegiate Learning Assessment CLA

High Impact Educational Practices

High Impact Practice Relative Cost of ImplementationHigh/Med/Low

Value to Your InstitutionHigh/Med/Low

Possible Assessment Data

First Year Seminars & Experiences

Common Intellectual Experiences

Learning Communities

Writing Intensive Courses

Collaborative Assignments and Projects

Undergraduate Research

Diversity/Global Learning

Service Learning, Community Based Learning

Internships

Capstone Courses and Projects

*Peer Mentor (Not listed AAC & U, 2008)

Sally K. Murphy Director of General Education and Freshman Year Programs

Julie Stein, Instructor, General Studies