Assessment

Welcome to Assessment in the Office of Planning and Research

At South we assess student learning of course, program, and institutional learning outcomes. We also assess the achievement of specific outcomes set forth by various departments/areas across our campus. We assess so that we know how we are doing and how we can make changes to improve!

In response to our 2019 recommendation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation site visit, an Assessment Committee was established and begin meeting winter quarter 2020. Currently we ask all faculty to submit a Learning Outcome Assessment Survey every quarter that collects quantitative and qualitative assessment information on multiple levels of outcomes. Other outcome assessments are done during program review processes that occur within our Professional Technical Programs and will soon be occurring within Academic Transfer Programs. This information is collected by the Assessment Committee and a yearly report is shared with Deans and faculty on the current state of student learning at the college. During this process, the Committee will consider if outcomes can be scrupulously assessed and if assessment practices are consistent with South’s anti-racist college focus. Using a parallel focus of current assessment work occurring throughout the college, the committee is considering general educational learning outcomes (Student Learning Outcomes/SLOs) in Academic Programs and Program Review in Professional Technical/BAS Programs. The goal is to establish or prepare for a global alignment of assessment approaches and practices.

Instructional Assessment

Instructors that want more information on assessment methods please refer to our subpage “Assessing Learning Outcomes” for specific toolkits and approaches to assessing student learning outcomes at different levels.

South’s Learning Outcomes (SLO)

The 7 SLOs were developed to reflect the skills and outcomes that we want students at South Seattle College to show when they leave our institution. These outcomes are not necessarily achieved in each course, but students achieve them over time as they complete a wide variety of courses at South. Assessment of these SLOs is done every quarter by a diversity of faculty teaching different courses and the data is compiled by the Assessment Committee to be added to our Student Learning Dashboard.

Assessing Learning Outcomes

• Communication
• Computation
• Human Relations
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
• Technology
• Personal Responsibility
• Information Literacy

Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)

All Professional Technical Programs at South Seattle College link their Course Outcomes to Program Learning Outcomes and up to our South's Learning Outcomes.  The listing of all Master Course Outlines can be found using the Inside Seattle Colleges link and accessing the Automated Course Approval System (ACAS).

Professional Technical Programs undergo program review in a three-year cycle. This process consists of an External Program Review (EPR) and an Internal Program Assessment (IPA). Currently the EPR is conducted by an external consultant, in conjunction with our Institutional Research, Program Dean(s), and the program Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The IPA process is a collaboration between the faculty in the Program, the Program Dean(s), our Assessment Office, and the Vice President of Instruction.

During the 2023-2024 academic year College Transfer Programs at South are beginning to carry out their own process of program review that has been developed and led by faculty from both the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Math, Science and Business Divisions. This program review process will be faculty led and focus on specific tasks each year that help the programs understand what leads to greater student and program success. Once faculty complete their analyses the information is shared with Deans, the Assessment Committee and the Vice President of Instruction and a specific action plan is developed and carried out with set points for accountability identified and checked.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLO)

Faculty members in individual programs and disciplines assess Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) every quarter through the Learning Outcome Survey. Most faculty will work together to determine course learning outcomes of interest for the year and assess student achievement of those course learning outcomes in a variety of manners. Within the survey faculty are asked to reflect on student learning for that quarter and identify ways to improve student learning in the future. Data is collected by the Assessment Committee and a yearly report is written that helps convey some of the themes that instructors are identifying and addressing specific to student learning. Specific quantitative CLO assessment data is made available to departments as part of their program review process. Course level information is used by instructors, programs, departments, and divisions in order to continuously improve teaching practice and increase student success.

Non-Instructional Assessment

In Spring 2015 we began working with Managers of Student Services (MOSS) to provide background, structure, and information on best practices surrounding work plans and assessing their success/accomplishments. Area supervisors develop their own work plans and we help determine the assessment piece as a feedback loop for determining success and/or progress with the work plans.