Mesa Community College (MCC) upholds its Mission, Vision, and Values by consistently evaluating student learning at the course, program, and institutional levels in a practical and meaningful way. Continuous improvement, one of MCC's Core Values, is highlighted in the institution's 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. By fostering a culture of continuous assessment throughout the college, MCC ensures that all stakeholders are actively engaged in maintaining and enhancing the quality of educational experiences. The student learning outcome assessment is a vital component of department and program reviews at MCC, strengthening our ability to serve students and the community while aligning with MCC’s Mission and Values, as reflected in the integration of assessment within the college’s Academic Plan. Through continuous assessment, MCC remains committed to providing an educational experience that supports student success, whether in earning a degree or certificate, advancing their careers, or pursuing further education.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes at MCC
According to Suskie (2018), Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) is the systematic process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well students achieve specific learning objectives. This process improves teaching, learning, and academic program quality. It typically involves identifying measurable outcomes, collecting relevant data, and using that data to inform decisions designed to enhance student learning. Simply put, assessment is an intentional process to help the institution ensure our expectations for student learning outcomes match the reality of what students are learning and demonstrating.
Assessment work should lead to action. When learning is not happening as expected, we work to identify changes that can be made to the learning environment (courses, programs, services) to better serve students and promote their learning. And where learning matches (or exceeds) our expectations, we celebrate it. There are three major components to the program assessment process at MCC. Refer to the MCC Assessment Handbook (internal site - login required) for additional information.
Assessment plans and reports information must be entered through the MCC APR and Assessment Portal (internal site - login required).
Contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
REF:
Suskie, L. (2018). Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Important Dates
- Program Assessment Report due on September 30. Submit it through the MCC department assessment portal (internal site - login required).
- Program Assessment Plan due on October 15. Submit it through the MCC department assessment portal(internal site - login required).