HCTC to receive grant for Learning Outcomes Assessment

Hazard Community and Technical College is one of 68 institutions in nine states to pilot a new approach to Learning Outcomes Assessment. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACamp;U) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) announced today the 68 institutions including both 2-year and 4-year institutions.

HCTC President Dr. Steve Greiner noted, We re happy to be participating in the Multi-State Collaborative to Advance Learning Outcomes Assessment (MSC), which is supported in its initial planning year with funds from the Bill amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. It s important to assess students work with a common approach and we will learn from this process, Dr. Greiner said.

The pilot project will test a cross-state and cross-institutional effort to document how well students are achieving key learning outcomes like quantitative reasoning, written communication, and critical thinking by assessing authentic student work products using a set of common rubrics. Faculty members across the 68 institutions will be sampling and assessing students work and establishing the reliability and validity of cross-institutional assessment using this new approach. During its initial year, the project will be building faculty assessment capacity and collecting student work products. The project will also be developing a Web-based data platform for uploading student work samples and assessment data.

Besides Kentucky, the eight states currently participating in the MSC include: Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Utah.