UPDATES

In the last few days, I have been working on (in addition to continuing with my book reading):

1) Finalizing the SLO research report.
2) Finalizing the Micro-Physio questions and adding a special note about how some questions may be beyond the scope of the 30A course in terms of time required to cover some of the more complex, detailed word problems.
3) Finishing revisions on the pre-labs for experiments I do in 30A.  I will upload these along with the revised lab procedures to share with other instructors.
4) Updating my sabbatical report and starting to collect in a folder the final supporting documents for my sabbatical report
5) I am almost ready to send the micro-physio questions

I also worked on the following non-sabbatical activities:
1) I cleaned up the data reports for all the SLO assessments for Chemistry
2) I identified SLO's that can be deactivated and sent it to Mike and Rich for feedback.
3) Downloaded all the EVST 5 files from blackboard for review and prep.
4) Complete drafts of my 1A and 30A classes in the fall.
5) I also worked on the nomination points.

SLO Implementation Update

STEPS TAKEN:
I have contacted 7 chemistry faculty and department chairs inquiring about their SLO implementation process.  I also perused at least 10 College websites as a source for SLO Implementation Process.

OUTCOMES and DOCUMENTATION:
1) Only 3 of the 7 faculty replied and of the 10 college websites, only 1 had substantial information from which I can glean answers to the questions I posed.  A summary of the responses and website information a sample copy of the e-mailed questions are included in the appendix.

2) Based on what I learned from these investigations, I came up with a plan for our Program to help us carry out the implementation in the most meaningful, efficient, transparent, collaborative, and timely manner.  A copy of the document that I shared with my Mike Ansell and Richard Grow summarizing what I learned and how we can implement it for our discipline is given in the appendix.

3) My work on this further inspired me to work with other chemistry faculty in ensuring that our SLO’s are recent, meaningful, consistent, and easy to implement.   I have worked with some adjunct faculty on developing new SLO’s and analyzing and entering SLO data to make it easier for them to participate in the process.  In the past several years, there have been many missteps in terms of coming up with relevant SLO’s whose assessments are meaningfully telling not just for our own self-evaluation but also for Program evaluation.  Data analysis was complicated by changing rubric scales, changing exams for assessment, and small number statistics which have disallowed us from completing a full cycle of assessment and improvement implementation.  We began with very simple SLO’s that soon became apparently trivial and we are now in the process of moving all courses to have SLO’s more comprehensively assessed by the American Chemical Society National Exams.  Four of our seven courses currently use this (31, 1A, 1B, and 12B).  We are looking into reviewing the ACS Exams for the 30A and 30B content to see if they would be appropriate.  Because of less uniformity in introductory chemistry courses as far as content coverage, these exams may not necessarily be the best approach.  In the meantime, we have created a new SLO for both 30A and 30B as the data show that the previous ones have been well-covered and have had successful SLO evaluations in the past several years.  I had dialogues with Mike Ansell on ways to make the whole process more quickly evolve into one where there is enough consistent data to analyze so we can focus on closing the loop.  We agreed that the first step is to streamline and simplify the assessment process and the data entry and analysis.  At the inspiration of Mike Ansell, we created a simple Excel spread sheet that we can send to instructors to fill-in with the most pertinent data.

SLO Research Update

I checked my notes:  I have sent 7 e-mail inquiries about SLO implementation but only heard back from 3 of them.  It may be that they are waiting till they are less busy (I did say to take their time).  I might send another set of e-mail, perhaps after finals week and during winter break.

Overall Update

Today:

SLO Project

1) I studied the CCSF Chemistry SLO website in more detail to extract information pertaining to the four questions I have about the SLO process.

2) I sent two more email inquiries to a Glendale Community College chemistry professor and division chair and to a San Jose City College chemistry faculty and member of the SLO committee.

Lab Manual

1) I received a response from Mike about looking at the revised 3102 lab as he concedes that he has the same issues with the current one.

2) I checked on my copper oxide compound left overnight drying in the fume hood.  It seemed pretty dry but the mass I got for the compound indicated a CuO2 formula which does not make sense.  I suspect  that there is still water so I left it again overnight in the fume hood for weighing tomorrow.  It might be better if students use the oven for drying and dry to constant weight.

Physio-Micro Questions

1) I finally finished reading Chapter 18.

2) I have now about 36 questions from Silverthorn's text.

3) I added more notes about O2 and CO2 transport.

Articles:

I downloaded more articles for reading.

Others:

First day of installation for the GC-MS.  I chatted with and watched the guy installing it for a while.

I looked for LLNL posters in my email for archiving.

SLO UPDATE

Here are some of the things I learned so far that seem to contribute to what I perceive as a successful SLO implementation process for Chemistry Programs based on information from 4 colleges.  I define successful as the SLO process being sustainable and providing meaningful data valid for planning.

1)  There is usually a leader - soimeone who takes responsibility for ensuring that the process is ongoing, SLO's are being assesed, data being collected, analyzed, and discussed, and plans are developed.  In 3 out of the 4 colleges, SLO reports (usually there specific forms to turn in) are submitted to a department chair and then to Deans and/or VP.  In one college, the DC directs what SLO's are to be assessed and assigns them to certain instructors.  In another college, all the part-timers participate in the assessment, ananlysis, and discussion.  In one college, a group of instructors (the number of which depends on the total class size for the course) takes responsibility or coordinates the SLO process from start to finish every semester.

How might we implement this for the LPC Chemistry program:

Since we do not have a department chair, the program has to agree upon who would take the coordinating role or lead in ensuring that the full cycle of SLO impelementation is completed every year.  One possibility is for one instructor to take responsibility for ALL courses or each full-time faculty take responsibility for a cluster of courses (12A/B, 1A/B, 30A/B and 31).  Each of these faculty should then ensure that:

i) the SLO is assessed

ii) the SLO data are entered into elumen

iii) the SLO data is analyzed

iv) the SLO data and analysis are disseminated and discussed

v) consensus is reached in terms of next action plan

Action plans may include:

a) consistent satisfactory results have been achieved --> new SLO needs to be assessed

b) no consistency in the data --> SLO needs to be reworded or continue to assess SLO for more data

c) unsatisfactory results or declining scores --> continue to assess, come up with possible reasons for decline, come up with possible plan for improvement, assess in a different way, 

2) Specific timeline for completion of specific steps

There seems to a be solid timeline as to how the SLO process is conducted.  At least in two colleges, SLO results are analyzed and discussed at the end of the year if not at the end of the semester.

Possible timeline and process for LPC Chemistry Program:

SLO faculty coordinators meet at the beginning of the fall semester:

-Analyze data from the previous academic year, discuss, and come up with an action plan.  The analysis and action plan can be disseminated in the form of a report.  Each faculty can be surveyed as to whether or not they agree with the analysis and can add their own comments.  Same with the action plan.  This can be done in e-lumen or in a separate form.

-Arrive at a plan for ensuring that each course SLO is assessed either by a full-time faculty or by providing as much help to a part-time faculty to assess a course, enter and analyze data, incorporating any findings from the previous year's analysis and discussion (either to assess the same SLO, add another SLO to assess, change the assessment method, add a new SLO to assess, etc.)

Toward the end of each semester, each coordinator should:

-follow-up to ensure that at least one instructor has assessed or will be assessing the course SLO.

-if part-time faculty, ensure that he or she has all the hep they need

3) What needs to be reported is very specific

All 4 colleges have a very specific form to complete and submit for reporting purposes.  Two of them are very simple asking 4- 5 important questions:

a) List the SLO

b) Describe assessment method and criteria for success

c) Summarize asssessment results and conlcusions

d) Describe projected changes, improvements, etc. based on results

e) Describe plans for follow-up assessments

SLO UPDATE

I have just finished reviewing the CCSF Chemistry SLO Progress Reports.  I am very impressed by the following points:

1)  The degree to which these results are well-laid out online and accessible by everyone.  The level of detail makes it noit to difficult for one to have an idea of their SLO implementation and maintenance process.

2)  THE CCSF Chemistry faculty use outcomes taken directly from their course outlines.

3)  Assessment methods vary and primarily use surveys, lab performance and report, quiz/exams, etc.

4)  There appears to be a more coordinated effort to get course outcomes assessed, analuzed and discussed.  From my reading, a group of instructors seems to be tasked with coordinating the SLO process for each course and they are responsible for ensuring that there is a continuous cycle.

5) They use a grading system to indicate where the SLO process is for each course.  Most of their courses have achieved and sustained the highest score of continuous cycle.

6) They seem to get good data that can provide some meaningful analysis and very clear about whether or not expecations have been met.  They also seem to have a very well-thought out plan on what actions to take next based on the analysis and discussion of data.

7)  Overall, they seem to have achieved an SLO implemenation process that is sustainable and meaningful.

SLO UPDATE

 I finally got a chance to read all of the responses from three colleges so far and organize the data into an excel spreadsheet.

I have not heard from two other colleges I have contacted, Chabot and Sac City.

I have done some internet research for Cabrillo and Mira Costa so I may contact them next.

I also started to do some internet research for CCSF and pleasantly found that most of my questions may be answered by information on their website.

SLO Update

Contacted the 4th and 5th Schools:

Terr Beam

Department Chair

Chemistry

Mt. SAC

Tbeam@mtsac.edu

Laurie Dockte

Chemistry Faculty

Chabot College

SLO UPDATE

Just sent an inquiry email to

Marisa Alviar-Agnew

Chemistry Department Chair

Sacramento City College

SLO Update

I got responses from the second college I contacted!

I will have to review the results of my previous internet search to determine who I will contact next.  Maybe Sacramento City College.

SLO RESEARCH UPDATE

I have done some preliminary web search on Chemistry SLO's for community colleges.

I have sent emails to a couple of schools, Santa Rosa JC and Contra Costa College.

At SRJC, I addresed the email to Joe Fassler.  I got a very immediate response which was quite appreciated.  I have sent him a follow up question since then to which he also has repsonded.

I have not heard back from Thuy Dang from CCC.

The third email I will send to someone from Sacramento CC.  Based on some web search, they seem to have a well-established process for SLO implementation.

Start of Chemistry SLO RESEARCH

Today I took the first step in my research for the implementation of student learning outcomes process for various community college programs.  I decided that my strategy would be to, first of all, gather as much as I can from websites and then contact individuals by email to request responses to four or five questions I have outlined in my sabbatical proposal:  what the SLO's are, how they are assesed, what type of analysis and dialogue take place, and how they are integrated into program planning.

My first google search used the keywords chemistry student learning outcomes.  One of the surprising results to me was the fact that less than 10% of the first 4 pages of results were for community colleges.  Some of these include, Mt Sac, Sacramento City College, Moorpark, and College of San Mateo.  I believe all of these list their chemistry SLO's online but only one showed a full report showing the SLO, assessment method, results, analysis, and plans.  This was Sacramento City College.  I like the excel spreadsheet they use to document results and I plan to suggest to Mike and Rich the use of a similar spreadsheet to document our own results.

I also looked at the Santa Rosa Junior College's website to see what their SLO's are but I couldn't find them on the website. I chose this college because I know that they typically get very good accreditation evaluations.

After further internet research, my next plan is to identify ten colleges to contact by email with the questions.  I will likely share with them what our current process is.  I am hoping out of these 10, at least three will give me a complete report!