Assessment is not the special purview of a few faculty and staff at St. Olaf; it is increasingly part and parcel of ongoing faculty work and can build relationships among faculty, staff, and students. Nevertheless, there are several groups of individuals with leadership roles in fostering a commitment to assessment, gathering assessment data, and/or analyzing its implications. Their roles are described below.
Evaluation and Assessment (E&A)
The mission of the Office of Evaluation and Assessment is to provide educational research and evaluation services that strengthen academic programs and enhance student learning. A core function of E&A is to improve student learning through mission-driven, meaningful, and manageable assessment at the course, program, and institutional levels.
Institutional Research (IR) makes available a variety of reports, data, surveys, and analyses concerning all aspects of life and work at St. Olaf College. Some of the data collected and disseminated by IR provides information about student learning and thus contributes directly to the College’s program of assessment. IR partners with E&A on a number of assessment projects, such as the CALL initiative and the development and maintenance of the Student Learning Item Catalog (SLIC).
Curriculum and Educational Policies Committee (CEPC)
CEPC is the elected faculty committee with oversight over the College’s program of assessment. It is responsible for “recommend[ing] agendas for Evaluation and Assessment, and promot[ing] the use of results for program improvement” [Faculty Manual, Section 3.IV.B.5.b)(xi)]. The Director of Evaluation and Assessment is an ex officio member of the committee.
Inquiry in Support of Student Learning Workgroup (ISSL)
The Inquiry in Support of Student Learning (ISSL) workgroup is an ongoing group consisting of faculty, staff and students, convened by the Curriculum and Educational Policies Committee (CEPC) and chaired by the Director of Evaluation and Assessment. Its purpose is to foster mission-driven, meaningful, and manageable assessment of student learning at St. Olaf College. Its charge includes advising the Office of Evaluation and Assessment on assessment priorities and projects, and promoting conversation about the significance of assessment results for improving teaching and learning.
Collaborative Assessment for Liberal Learning (CALL) Learning Outcome Teams
The CALL initiative is one of six inter-institutional assessment projects nationwide funded by a three-year grant from the Teagle Foundation. The CALL consortium includes St. Olaf, Carleton, Macalester, and Grinnell, and is focused on four key learning outcomes: critical thinking; effective writing; quantitative reasoning; and global understanding. Each institution has established a four-person Learning Outcome Team for each of these key outcomes, responsible for developing a shared understanding of that outcome both within and across the four institutions; assisting with the selection and use of assessment instruments; and considering the implications of assessment results.
Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts (CILA)
The Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts (CILA) is "a campus locus for conversations about learning and teaching in the liberal arts." Since its establishment in 2000, CILA has provided support for faculty members interested in systematic inquiries into student learning. At St. Olaf, this takes place through programs for faculty engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning, through workshops on classroom assessment, through an invited speakers series, and in lunchtime faculty conversations on teaching and learning. Each year, three faculty associates receive a one-course released-time award to lead scholarship of teaching and learning projects. CILA has collaborated with other campus initiatives to host sessions on topics such as the National Survey of Student Engagement and the Intentional General Education Initiative. The Student Learning Item Catalog (SLIC) was developed with support from CILA as well. CILA also provides leadership to an international cluster of schools, organized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which collaborates on the scholarship of teaching and learning.
North Central Association Higher Learning Commission
The NCA Higher Learning Commission is the nongovernmental organization that accredits St. Olaf. Accrediting associations have been important contributors to the development of a “culture of evidence” on college campuses, and the North Central Association is no exception. The assessment of student learning is integrated throughout the commission’s recently-revised criteria for accreditation.
