ASSESSMENT AT NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI COLLEGE

The Scholar & The Scores: The Student's Role in the Assessment Process Video

Click here for discussion questions for use with video (Click here for instuctor copy).

Assessment at North Central Missouri College should be guided by clearly stated, externally validated student learning processes and outcomes that flow from and support the institutional mission. Assessment, as the culture of evidence, should be fully integrated into the college’s entire operational system, both academic and non-academic. NCMC concurs with the purposes of assessment as outlined by Learning Assessment in Missouri Postsecondary Education (LAMP):

            1. Improve student learning

2. Improve program of instruction

3. Improve educational effectiveness of the institution

4.  Document student learning, program improvement, and educational effectiveness to outside stakeholders (accountability)

Assessment is an opportunity for continuous improvement and accountability that occurs at different levels and in different contexts through a “multidimensional approach that can be used to assess student learning for the purposes of monitoring and improving institutional effectiveness in the teaching and learning domains” (Dwyer et al, 2006).

The college shall assume responsibility for conducting assessment by gathering meaningful information, analyzing and interpreting the collected data, using the information to identify strengths and barriers, thereby making improvements. Assessment should be transformative in nature, viewed as a process not a product. It is the responsibility of NCMC to ensure that its graduates meet appropriate standards of performance; although in joint ventures, this shall be done cooperatively with other institutions. The college has an obligation to disseminate assessment results for accountability and improvement through appropriate channels in a professional and ethical manner.