Assessment at Wilbur Wright College
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Assessment Committee Chair
ASSESSMENT AT WILBUR WRIGHT COLLEGE
In accordance with the City Colleges of Chicago Academic Assessment Policy, Wilbur Wright College’s program of assessment is a faculty-led enterprise, dedicated to continuous improvement by developing systematic and ongoing processes to collect aggregate data about what students will know and can do based on measurable student learning outcomes.
ASSESSMENT VISION
At Wright College, assessment of student learning is a collaborative, faculty-led process that supports our mission to provide culturally responsive, high-quality education for a diverse community of learners. Grounded in our commitment to student success and continuous improvement, we use assessment to illuminate how effectively the Wright College experience fosters learning, preparing our campus community for transfer, career advancement, and personal growth. Through data-informed reflection, we strive to create a learning environment where all students can thrive.
Wright College conceptualizes the assessment of student learning as "measuring the degree to which students achieve student learning outcomes (SLOs) for the purpose of improving student learning.” Assessment occurs across both curricular and co-curricular contexts. Curricular assessment examines student learning within courses, academic programs, and pathways toward an associate degree. Co-curricular activities relate to the experiential learning opportunities that contribute to gaining skills and abilities which complement the core competencies and/or outcomes established by the institution and its governing bodies (CAS, 2022, para. 23-24).
Data and information resulting from the assessment process are used for continuous improvement across the college. This includes, but is not limited to, pedagogical changes, curriculum changes, course (re)design, Faculty Development Week/Day, and changes to co-curricular learning experiences. In addition, Student Services areas make changes to ensure experiences that complement the learning experience undergo continuous improvement processes via co-curricular assessment activities. In addition to campus continuous improvement efforts, results of assessment activities and documented changes (i.e., closing the loop) are used as evidence for accreditation purposes.
ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
Wright College’s assessment program employs a multi-tiered framework to measure student learning at the course, co-curricular, program, and institutional levels. Faculty and staff members demonstrate the vertical connectivity of this framework by developing student learning outcomes (SLO) maps, illuminating the interconnectivity between college activities and the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs). More on the framework can be found in the college’s Assessment Plan.
Wright’s college-wide assessment activities are led by the Assessment of Student Learning Committee (ASLC). The ASLC membership is represented by full- and part-time faculty members from across the college. Some college administrators from across the college serve as ex-officio (non-voting) members. These leaders comprise the Assessment Steering Committee (ASC), a conglomerate of college administrators whose roles support the successful completion of college-wide assessment activities.
ASSESSMENT GOVERNANCE
Wright College maintains an assessment culture that supports faculty and staff members at the college. Assessment activities are ongoing and continuous. The college’s assessment activities are maintained by the following committees: The Assessment of Student Learning Committee (ASLC), which reflects the college’s faculty-led enterprise, and the Co-Curricular Assessment Committee (CCAC), which reflects the college’s student services-related assessment efforts. Both committees are supported by the Assessment Steering Committee, comprised of college leaders and assessment committee leadership teams. Collectively, Wright College’s governance structure works collaboratively to ensure assessment practices are representative of the mission and values of the college, while adhering to accreditation standards (i.e., Higher Learning Commission, specialized accreditors).
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING COMMITTEE
The Assessment of Student Learning Committee (ASLC) provides leadership for the college’s assessment of student learning. ASLC facilitates college-wide assessment of Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) while supporting and documenting assessment activities at the program and course levels. The committee promotes a coordinated, multi-level approach to assessment by supporting the collection and use of evidence of student learning, documenting assessment activities and results, and sharing assessment findings and accomplishments across the college. Through this work, ASLC supports a culture of continuous improvement focused on strengthening student learning.
ASLC comprises full- and part-time faculty representing academic departments across the college. Wright College administrators serve as ex officio members of the ASLC. The committee is led by the following faculty members:
- Matthew Fitzpatrick, Chair, Mathematics Department
- Krzysztof Ochwat, Data Analysis Subcommittee Chair, Physical Sciences Department
- Matthew Fitzpatrick, Working Group Subcommittee Chair, Mathematics Department
- Johannah Agnes Silva, Secretary, Visual & Performing Arts Department
CO-CURRICULAR ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE
The Co-Curricular Assessment Committee (CCAC) provides leadership for the assessment of student learning and development across the college’s co-curricular programs, services, and activities (PSAs). Through systematic assessment, CCAC helps ensure that co-curricular experiences make meaningful, evidence-based contributions to student learning, development, and success.
Comprised of leaders from student services, enrollment management, and academic areas, CCAC supports the collection and use of assessment evidence to inform decision-making, strengthen programs and services, improve student learning and development outcomes, and demonstrate institutional accountability to internal and external stakeholders. CCAC is led by the following staff and administrative leaders:
- Melissa Matheny, Chair, Financial Aid Department
- Vacant, Co-Chair
- Vacant, Data Analysis/Working Group Subcommittee Chair
- Vacant, Professional Development Subcommittee Chair
- Tremel Moody, Secretary, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management
ASSESSMENT STEERING COMMITTEE
The Assessment Steering Committee (ASC) provides strategic oversight and guidance for the institution’s assessment processes. Comprising senior campus leaders and assessment committee leadership, the ASC works to ensure the necessary supports are provided to all who facilitate assessment activities across the college. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring alignment between assessment activities and the college’s assessment plan, adhering to institutional priorities, meeting accreditation standards, and providing support of fostering a culture of continuous improvement in student learning at the College.
ASSESSMENT TIMELINE
At Wright College, assessment activities occur at regular intervals and employ a 5-year cycle to attend to the college’s Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs). The College measures 1 Institutional Learning Outcome per academic year as a component of this 5-year cycle. To ensure successful completion of all activities and adherence to the college-wide assessment plan, the assessment cycle below guides the college’s assessment activities:
Adhering to the plan’s listed timelines, the assessment cycle below guides the associated activities for assessment annually:
