Student learning outcomes (SLOs), quite simply, are the skills and abilities we strive to instill in our students. Our SLOs are focused, specific, and measurable. In order to make sure our students are learning, we—as a college—must be able to specify and measure what we want our students to learn. That’s why assessment outcomes are so important.
- College assessment: Faculty and staff use Essential Learning Outcomesto improve the student experience at our College. We have four College Core Outcomes that we assess inside and outside the classroom.
- Course assessment: Our common course outlineshave SLOs that faculty use to assess student learning in their individual courses and in shared courses as well. Sections of the same course that are taught by many faculty—such as speech, psychology, and freshman composition—are examples of shared courses. These assessments improve courses.
- Program and discipline assessment: Faculty assess their curriculum with program/discipline learning outcomes. These outcomes are available on each program/discipline home page. Degrees, certificates, and course sequences are all examples of the curriculum. These assessments improve our multiple-course sequences.
Evidence of Student Learning: We have proof our students are world-class learners. It’s not enough to assess student learning within our college. We also want to know how our students use that learning once they graduate. We want to know that they have the necessary skills to achieve their goals. We have that evidence. Here are some examples.
- The Practical Nursing and Associate Degree Nursing programs consistently pass the national licensure exam above the state and national averages. The PN program was ranked #1 in the State of Minnesota and the AD nursing program was ranked #6 in the State. Both programs have continuing accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) through 2028.
- Since 2015, 97% of students (117/120) in RCTC's Facilities and Service Technology (FAST) program have scored at or higher than the national average on the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) assessment for buildings, utilities, and maintenance.
- Since 2015, all RCTC carpentry students (55 total) have scored higher than the national average on the NOCTI Carpentry Assessment.
- The pass rates for the Surgical Technology exam were 100% in 2019 (20/20), 77% in 2018 (17/22), and 100% in 2018 (19/19).
- In 2019 10 RCTC graduates took the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam and 10 passed on their first attempt, resulting in a 100% pass rate. The national average for the same period is 76%. Additionally, RCTC scored above the national average in all 6 domain areas.
- The pass rates for the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) Exam for the Cancer Registry Management Program (CRM) was 83% in 2019, 100% in 2018, 100% in 2017.
- There have been 26 graduates of the CRM program and 18 have taken the CTR National Exam. As part of the assessment for a transcultural nursing course, for example, one student commented,
“This trip taught me to follow my passion. It reinforced that we have differences, but we all love, grieve, and are all human. This taught me that patient care should be individualized but our basic needs are all similar and how nursing is the heart of healthcare.”
Assessing student learning takes time, energy, and people. That’s why our college makes sure we have the necessary resources to further our efforts on behalf of student learning. We have a dedicated Assessment of Student Learning Committee. Our administration is committed to embedding a culture of assessment. Our faculty and staff care deeply about assessing student learning because learning is how we help our students have bright futures. Here’s how we help our faculty and staff.
- We systematically keep track of all our assessment data in the IAP with Taskstream, a subsidiary of Watermark.
- Faculty Instructional Development Grants (FIDG) provide stipends for faculty engaged in assessment projects.
- We rely upon the collected repositories of wisdom from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.