The values are enduring beliefs that guide the College’s behavior in carrying out its mission and objectives.  In making decisions to advance the mission of MATC, the faculty and staff value:

Integrity… being accountable for our actions

Student-centered instruction… addressing the needs of our students

Relevant program content … applying industry recommendations

Quality performance… striving for excellence

The vision of the Manhattan Area Technical College is to foster the development of competent, responsible, motivated individuals who receive certificates, diplomas, and/or associate of applied science degrees in pursuit of technologically advanced careers.

Philosophy of Assessment

MATC’s faculty and staff are committed to a comprehensive institutional assessment program that promotes continuous improvement in all aspects of programs and services critical to the success of the college.  Convinced that learning-oriented effectiveness is of primary importance in meeting the institution’s mission, the faculty has placed an emphasis on the assessment of student learning.

 MATC also recognizes the importance of assessment and improvement activities related to organizational structure.  These activities, designed to complement the assessment of student learning, enhance the planning and implementation of strategic initiatives as well as the operational functions of the College and must be included in a comprehensive plan.

Demonstrating ongoing institutional improvement is significant to ensure the continuing success of the College.  MATC is strengthened by its ability to respond quickly and effectively to changing student and stakeholder needs through a systematic and well-practiced methodology involving assessment, evaluation and action to address the opportunities for improvement identified.  This allows the College to compete in an educational arena where prospective students have a myriad of options.  In addition, as funding sources, legislative and accrediting organizations search for ways to enhance accountability among educational institutions, the documentation produced by this ongoing improvement process facilitates the reporting required for compliance with these regulatory and accrediting agencies.

Implementation Plan

Assessment Committee

The Assessment Committee, a standing committee of the MATC Faculty Senate, was established in 2002.  This committee is charged with providing leadership in the college-wide assessment of student learning and organizational achievement. 

Of the nine members of this committee, seven are faculty members appointed by the Faculty Senate.  The Vice President of Instructional Services is a permanent ex-officio member of the committee as is the Coordinator of Institutional Advancement.

Functions and responsibilities of the Committee are to

1.       Design, implement and maintain the assessment program.

2.       Conduct ongoing evaluation of the college-wide assessment process as necessary.

3.       Assist in the design, implementation and evaluation of individual program assessment plans.

4.       Review the assessment programs of the student service department and the organizational (institutional) assessment programs.

5.       Review assessment findings and the performance improvement activities undertaken to respond to these findings as determined by the assessment program calendar with primary emphasis on assessment of student learning.

Resources and Reporting Cycle

An operating budget to support assessment activities within the College was established in FY 2003 to fund costs related to ongoing assessment.  A fee of $1 per credit hour is levied and combined with other campus resources to support the assessment budget. 

All existing programs will develop an Assessment Plan that will be submitted to the Assessment Committee for approval.  As new programs are introduced, plans for assessment of student learning will be submitted to the Assessment Committee no later than the second year following program implementation.

Each department will submit an annual report to the Assessment Committee demonstrating that program assessment data is being collected and the results used to improve student academic achievement.  The Assessment Committee will accept completed reports, review the findings, and make recommendations for improvement.

The assessment data reporting cycle begins annually in September.

Action

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Departments submit assessment data for previous year to Assessment Committee

Departments collect and compile data for current year

Departments determine budgetary needs based on assessment data

Assessment Committee reviews assessment reports from programs

Coordinator of Institutional Advancement compiles Annual Assessment Report

Coordinator of Institutional Advancement presents Report to Planning and Administrative Team

Faulty and Administrative Team incorporate findings into strategic planning process

Role of the Coordinator of Institutional Advancement

The assessment program at MATC is an integral component of efforts to improve student learning and advance the institution; therefore the Coordinator of Institutional Advancement is responsible for coordinating and facilitating assessment activities within the College.  This individual works with faculty committees, individual staff members, the administrative team, and other MATC constituencies to promote assessment activities.  Activities undertaken by this individual to foster enhanced assessment activities include

1.       Assisting faculty and staff members in utilizing appropriate assessment techniques

2.       Reporting the findings of assessment activities to facilitate integration of identified improvement opportunities into the strategic planning and budgeting processes

3.       Coordinating Assessment Committee activities

4.       Developing the annual assessment report and maintaining records and reports related to the assessment program

5.       Serving as the spokesperson for assessment activities within the institution

Levels of Assessment

Assessment of student learning takes place at many levels and occurs throughout the students’ college experience.  MATC’s assessment program includes diagnostic (entry level), formative (mid-level or course), and summative (program) assessment.  Assessment of the general education learning objectives is integrated into these assessment functions.  In addition, ongoing institutional assessment provides a measure of the ability of the organization to support student learning throughout its structure.

Diagnostic Assessment

Students complete two sections of the WorkKeys skills assessment tests, Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics, upon enrollment at the College.  Currently, only the practical nursing program uses these tools in qualifying applicants for a program. 

Upon completion of the assessment, faculty members and the Counselor/Placement Advisor counsel students regarding assessment findings and provide these individuals with information regarding educational facilities offering skill enhancement programs.

Formative Assessment

Formative or mid-level assessment occurs during the ongoing teaching-learning process and at the end of designated periods of learning.  It includes the general education core, which is a fundamental base for all students enrolled in A.A.S. degree or diploma programs.  Program assessment plans include both formative and summative evaluations of learning that may occur in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains.

Several mechanisms have been adopted to ascertain student achievement of learning outcomes.  Course assessment is concerned with the students’ aggregate performance, thus allowing the instructor to determine whether most students are learning the intended outcome.

There is more than one assessment for each outcome. For example, both a standardized test (if available for that program) and a survey of student attitudes that asks if students ‘felt well-prepared’ might assess a 'knowledge-of-the-field' outcome. This second assessment seeks to confirm or verify the findings of the direct measure used.

In classroom assessment, the faculty member selects any means of assessment appropriate to the purpose. This may mean constructing a new technique or adapting one of the hundreds of different classroom techniques available in the literature.

The standardized Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) survey is also used in individual courses to provide instructors with student assessment information related to progress on relevant course objectives and the effectiveness of their instructional approaches.

Summative Assessment

Students at MATC participate in a large and varied number of summative assessments.

Students are expected to participate in

·          WorkKeys testing                                        Standardized test

·          Counseling for High Skills                             Standardized survey

·          Job Placement Follow-up Survey                   Locally developed survey

·          Employer Follow-up Survey                           Locally developed survey

·          Noel-Levitz Assessment                               Standardized test

·          Assessment of Technical Math Skills            Locally developed test               

·          Student Retention Survey                             Locally developed survey

·          Student Completion Rates Survey                 Locally developed survey

 

In two programs, individuals participate in summative assessment of student learning when completing licensing and certification examinations.  Summative assessments within individual programs also include participation in skills competitions, preparation of portfolios, and capstone design projects, as well as presentations and simulated job interviews.

In order to demonstrate compliance with quality performance efforts, appropriate summative data is reported to the Kansas Board of Regents.  MATC participates in the KBOR Post-Secondary Indicators study and the KBOR Indicators of Quality Performance program.  The results of these state studies provide MATC with benchmark information related to student goal attainment, satisfaction and performance. 

Institutional Effectiveness

Institutional effectiveness assessment activities determine the current ability of the organization to provide the resources and planning needed to support student learning and meet the mission, objectives and strategic goals.  These include measurement of the effectiveness of the student support services and the administrative team.  Accountability measures for the entire organization are housed under the institutional effectiveness component of the assessment program.

These activities are used to determine institutional effectiveness:

·          Achievement of institutional goals (Strategic Planning)

·          Budgetary monitoring

·          Administrative Effectiveness and Excellence survey

·          Human resource management effectiveness (faculty/staff turnover rate)

·          Student satisfaction with student services

·          Student satisfaction with facilities

These activities are ongoing monitors of performance.  However, during the biannual program review of the program, this list may be modified by the addition of other assessment activities and/or the deletion or modification of the current assessment to improve effectiveness.

Department Level Assessment: Promoting Continuous Improvement

Each program at the diploma and /or associate degree level will develop a department assessment plan.  These plans:

1.       Are written by the departments, reviewed annually and revised as necessary

2.       Require the department to submit an annual assessment report to the Coordinator of Institutional Advancement and the Assessment Committee

3.       Detail the mission statement of the department and its link to the MATC mission statement

4.       Include expected/intended student outcomes which accurately reflect what the student is expected to know, think, or do at the conclusion of the program of study.  These identified outcomes which are developed by the faculty are verified and updated with information gathered from advisory committee members and/or industry leaders, surveys of alumni and/or employers, and recognized trends in technology.

5.       Detail clearly identified assessment measures of student learning at the entry, formative and summative levels as well as program outcomes.

6.       Discuss providing feedback regarding assessment activities in order that the information is used to improve student academic achievement, curriculum, and methods of instruction. 

7.       Describe the use of the assessment data within the department’s budget process.

Department Assessment Plan Components

Evaluation Criteria	Sources of Documentation
Student learning outcomes are driven by the mission of MATC and reflect program purposes and objectives	Copy of department mission statement and program learning objectives
Student learning outcomes consistent with adopted curriculum system	Example of syllabus, lesson plan and test integration
Measurement instruments ·          Use of multiple methods ·          Are cost effective ·          Measure identified student outcomes ·          Are reliable and valid	Capstone projects Pre-Post Testing Oral examinations Performance appraisals Portfolios of student work Licensure/Certification summaries Internships Use of external examiners Employer Interviews/Surveys
Assessment results are used for continuous improvement	Establish feedback utilization process that incorporates results of analyzed data into a cycle for program improvement.  ·          Updating of course material ·          Change in method of instruction ·          Upgrade in faculty or equipment ·          Changes in advising students ·          Changes in course offerings within specific programs

 

Summary of Assessment Activities

Each year the Coordinator of Institutional Advancement will compile a report of assessment activities.  This report will be available to the governing board, faculty, staff, students and other interested parties.  In addition, results of assessment activities will be reported on an ongoing basis thorough the campus publication, Assessment Update.    Reports of assessment activities will also be available on the MATC web page.

Professional Development Activities

Opportunities to participate in professional development activities relating to the assessment of student learning and institutional effectiveness are provided at various times throughout the year under the direction of the Professional Development Committee.  Faculty may participate in workshops related to assessment that are offered at various professional seminars and conferences.

Evaluation of MATC Assessment Plan

This assessment plan will be reviewed and updated biannually under the direction of the Assessment Committee.