Culture of Collaboration

Culture of Collaboration Cultivating a Campus Environment for Assessment

Queensborough Community College    

Arthur Corradetti, Associate Dean for Accreditation, Assessment, and Institutional Effectiveness Margot Edlin, Assistant Professor Phil Pecorino, Chair, Senate Committee on Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness Karen Steele, Vice President for Academic Affairs

Middle States Mandate Comprehensive, integrated, and sustained assessment processes

Why a culture of collaboration?  

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Why not a culture of assessment? Why not a culture of evidence?

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Real assessment is not possible without, first, a culture of collaboration. Real use of evidence is not possible without a culture of collaboration in which effective change can be discussed and implemented.

Institutional Investment 

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Establishing an Assessment Office with an associate dean Establishing two representative task forces Hiring an outside consultant Working through shared governance on adopting official policy on assessment Expanding Institutional Research office

Assessment Task Force Membership 

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Faculty Assessment Task Force – representatives from every academic department Administrative Assessment Task Force – representatives from broad array of administrative offices and across all college divisions

Assessment Task Force Charges 

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Promulgating comprehensive, integrated, and sustained assessment processes Developing an Assessment Handbook for campus-wide use Providing groundwork for Monitoring Report

Assessment Handbook 

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Institutional Effectiveness – broad context for college-wide assessment efforts Faculty assessment of student learning Administrative assessment of services in support of student learning Resources and templates for carrying out different forms of assessment

A Multifaceted Approach to Fostering a Culture of Collaboration Shared governance Expanded new faculty orientation and development Appointing faculty facilitators to lead assessment workshops

Shared Governance  

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Actions of governance body (Academic Senate) Communications to constituencies Adoption of Academic Senate committee Creation of Academic Senate committee on assessment and institutional effectiveness

Senate Committee 

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Formed as a standing committee of the senate Representative of broad array of academic departments Charged with overview of assessment processes and reporting to the Senate each year

New Faculty Orientation 

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Clear expectations about the importance of assessment as an institutionally recognized component of a culture of collaboration campus-wide Year-long new faculty institute – ongoing faculty development workshops, including workshops on assessment and the development and use of rubrics

Faculty Support  

Learning Outcomes Faculty Facilitators Faculty Fellow

Monitoring Report     

Using Assessment Handbook as context and evidence of assessment processes Developing a more robust Assessment Web site Responding to site team report’s recommendations item by item Following up on the institutional response item by item Making use of expertise by outside consultant

Culture of Collaboration    

Shared governance Shared responsibility Intra- and inter-departmental effort Effort acknowledged and celebrated