Content of Workshop
Twenty-eight individuals attended an Assessment Workshop, conducted by Dr. Eileen M. Kolich, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Benedictine University on Dec. 9, 2004.

The purpose of the workshop was to:

• review the expectations for Criterion 3: Student Learning and Teaching Effectiveness, in preparation for the upcoming NCA Team Visit in Nov. 2005;
• discuss the institution's assessment progress to date based on the concerns expressed by the NCA Team Visitors in 1995;
• provide recommendations for enhancing current assessment efforts so that the institution can prepare to meet the expectations for Criterion 3.

The workshop focused on developing an understanding of how the College's mission serves as a framework, which guides and shapes how curriculum is taught and how co-curricular activities are selected.

According to the institution's mission statement, the College "prepares students for a life of learning, leadership and service in a diverse world. Participants, in groups, were asked to identify the skills that the College needs to nurture in order to prepare students for those enduring outcomes contained within the mission.

The participants addressed each of the Mission's enduring outcomes separately, and as a result of their work, student learning objectives were identified. These objectives will provide the foundation upon which the effectiveness of the curriculum can be assessed at the College, Program and Course levels.

Workshop Evaluation
There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the workshop on many fronts. Participants found a number of the workshop activities particularly helpful and meaningful, e.g., : exploring and defining the mission statement; understanding assessment and its importance; identifying student learning outcomes more concretely, particularly in relationship to the mission; working collectively with others to share concerns and generate ideas; learning how to integrate the mission into course syllabi.

A number of the suggestions/recommendations offered by the participants were particularly useful relative to future planning: provide training on using technology to enhance teaching and learning; clarify the faculty's role relative to assessment; review current assessment practices used in courses to determine effectiveness; provide for more workshops.

There appears to be support for Professional Development in the area of assessment and its relationship to student learning and effective teaching. The development of a culture of assessment, which has been promoted by the Assessment Committee, appears to be taking hold with many of the full-time faculty. Additional efforts seem to be needed to garner an understanding of assessment and its importance on the part of the adjunct faculty.

Report Submitted by:
Eileen Kolich
Dec. 13, 2004