Open forums scheduled today for assessing U-WSLO #3
Today’s open forum will be held from 2 – 4 p.m. in the Faculty Development Center, Library 124
MSUM’s HLC Assessment Academy Team, a sub-committee of the University Assessment Committee, has been working the past two years preparing for the HLC Reaffirmation of Accreditation visit scheduled for April 2017. Choosing the Open Pathways Project is one of the requirements for fulfilling our Reaffirmation. As part of that preparation, our MSUM community reached a consensus on these University-Wide Student Learning Outcomes: These areas are being targeted for intensive collection in Fall2015 (critical thinking) and Spring 2016 (written and oral communication).
Minnesota State University Moorhead graduates will:
• U-WSLO 1–Demonstrate intellectual preparedness for success in professional life, bolstered by integrative experiences and technological competence.
• U-WSLO 2–Demonstrate effective written and oral communication, including use of appropriate technology.
• U-WSLO 3–Apply critical thinking skills in deliberative decision-making and problem-solving.
• U-WSLO 4–Demonstrate civic awareness and responsibility, both locally and globally.
• U-WSLO 5–Negotiate ethical relationships with people who have different backgrounds, life experiences, cultures, beliefs, and values.
• U-WSLO 6–Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and the self-awareness to sustain the life of ongoing, independent learning.
This fall we begin the pilot process of assessing the learning of our students to determine if we are meeting this promise in both our curricular and co-curricular areas. After meeting with our HLC Assessment Academy Mentor, the team has decided to concentrate on assessing U-WSLO #3 this fall and U-WSLO #2 in the spring.
We want to work closely with our faculty and staff to ensure this pilot is successful, so we will begin by holding Open Forums on the following dates in September:
▸ Wednesday, September 9, from 11am – 1pm, and
▸ Thursday, September 10, from 2 – 4pm
Both open forums will be held in the Faculty Development Center, Library 124.
During the first hour, we share information and solicit comments, questions, and feedback. During the second hour, we will work on assessment and get help from the Assessment Academy Team on your assessment strategies for the upcoming academic year. After attending one of the Open Forums, you will be able to:
▸ Develop a better understanding of what MSUM will be doing as part of the HLC process;
▸ Gather information on how you can contribute to this process;
▸ Learn from others ways to effectively integrate meaningful assessment into your courses; and
▸ Receive assistance with any questions or concerns you have regarding assessment.
If your schedule will not accommodate these dates, please send an email to assess@mnstate.edu or contact one of the Assessment Academy Team members so that we can set up individual appointments with you or your department.
▸ Jason Anderson, anderjas@mnstate.edu, 4634
▸ Tim Decker, deckerti@mnstate.edu, 2186
▸ Richard Lahti, lahtiri@mnstate.edu, 2149
▸ Stacy Voeller, voeller@mnstate.edu, 2348
▸ Diane Wolter, wolterdi@mnstate.edu, 2081
▸ Jack Healy, Jack.healy@mnstate.edu, 2581
▸ Michelle Malott, michelle.malott@mnstate.edu, 5892
▸ Denise Gorsline, gorsline@mnstate.edu, 4623
▸ Kevin Brown, kevin.brown@mnstate.edu, 2795
We are all in this Reaffirmation process together, and to be successful in the Accreditation process as we gear up for the HLC’s upcoming visit. An overwhelming message heard from our mentors and at last spring’s HLC Annual Conference was that completing the assessment cycle (i.e. using assessment to make data-driven improvements to instruction) was far more important in Reaffirmation considerations than either (a) having a perfect plan or (b) having data that shows excellent results.