"SUNY needs to move forward on academic assessment not because we are forced to by state mandate but because we want to as responsible academics."

- Joseph C. Burke, Provost, State University of New York, 1988

ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES (All Degrees)

All degree and certificate-seeking students must participate in a final summative assessment of the cognitive, psychomotor and/or affective skills relevant to their declared majors or programs of study. Such assessment requirements, procedures, methodologies, and scheduling is determined by the appropriate academic departments. Please see the Learning Outcomes Reports accessible from this website's home page for specific information relative to methodologies in academic programs.

ASSESSMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATION SKILLS (All Degrees)

All degree and certificate-seeking students must be assessed for general education skills prior to graduation. Students are currently assessed in communication skills through the Writing checklist and the Oral communications Checklist.

STUDENT TRACKING SUBCOMMITTEE

The Student Tracking Subcommittee was established to assist the Assessment Steering Committee with developing and interpreting data with respect to the consequences of the educational experience provided by Sinclair for its students over time. Of particular interest has been the tracking of students' progress over time during and after their enrollment at the College. To further that endeavor, the Subcommittee has developed a conceptual model (see page 67) for tracking cohorts of students based on certain attributes about their incoming characteristics, progress while enrolled, and post-enrollment outcomes attributed to their experience at Sinclair.

While two of the categories of attributes, entering characteristics and student progress attributes, are maintained on the College's student information system, there are no comprehensive student outcomes attributes maintained systematically college-wide. Efforts are now underway to improve the collection and maintenance of outcomes attributes including: employer surveys, data exchanges with the institution receiving the greatest number of transfers from Sinclair, and development of a statewide student tracking system.

Sinclair is one of five public and private institutions (both two- and four-year) participating in a pilot project to implement a statewide student tracking project under the auspices of the Ohio Board of Regents. Further progress on refining the student attributes used for tracking at Sinclair awaits the implementation of the statewide system in 1996. Through its participation in the project, Sinclair has advocated as much congruence between its own data elements used for tracking and those that will be used by the state. Because it is anticipated that meaningful information regarding students' further educational progress beyond Sinclair depends on this statewide tracking system, most of the Subcommittee's efforts with respect to outcomes data have concentrated on what happens to students while still enrolled here.

Due in part to the limitations of current tracking efforts and in part to the need to augment tracking data with direct student responses about various aspects of their experience at Sinclair, surveys are also employed to document student outcomes. Included below in the summary of the status of the Student Tracking Subcommittee's projects are the surveys used to date to support the College's Plan for Student Academic Achievement, which has been approved by its regional accrediting body, the North Central Association of Schools and College.

STATUS OF STUDENT TRACKING PROJECTS

Patterns of Progress -- Developmental Education Students:

The intent of this project is to track entering students requiring remediation. Students will be assigned risk levels based on entering abilities. These students will be tracked to determine: 1) how long it takes to complete their Developmental Studies sequence, and 2) to determine if and when they satisfactorily complete selected entry-level college courses. This project is complex and took considerable time to establish. However, specifications computerizing this process were designed and the data was available in Spring, 1995.

Impact of Developmental Education on Student Progress -- A Three- Year Longitudinal Analysis:

Designed to examine the effects of developmental (aka remedial) course participation on student retention and academic performance over a three-year period. The study demonstrated that following prescription can be advantageous to the student in subsequent retention and some performance measures.

Tracking by Program Major:

Programming is written, but the process of how majors are determined and updated is being reviewed in order to increase accuracy and properly reflect student retention efforts. Anticipated completion of the process review and ensuing change is Summer, 1995.

Characteristics Associated With Success:

This will be a descriptive report of graduates. The report prototype has been drafted and collection of data has begun.

Tracking by Goal Certainty Indicators:

This project is still under discussion. This tracking project is forward thinking, as student goals for enrolling at the College is a new field being collected in the student information system database.

The Student Right to Know Cohort, Analysis of Leavers:

This project stems from federal legislation (Student Right to Know Act) which now requires colleges and universities to disclose to all current and prospective students the graduation rates for cohorts of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students enrolling in higher education beginning with the fall term of 1989. Programming has been completed that will allow us to explore what factors contribute to the 30% loss within the first year enrollment of this cohort of students. As a result of this effort, we hope to be able to provide feedback that will allow some intervention strategies. Analysis is in progress.

Current Student Survey:

Over the years the College has surveyed currently enrolled students during Fall quarter to learn more about their assessment of their experience at Sinclair. This survey has been revised and re-focused to concentrate on the extent to which students have adapted to the College's environment. The first such revision was administered to a sample of students during Fall 1993 and the second during Fall 1994.

This study is based on a survey of a cross-section of students registered for classes at Sinclair during the fall quarter of each academic year. The study is part of a continuing series of reports prepared during the fall and summer quarters focusing on student satisfaction.

The major purposes of this student profile are:

• To provide information for faculty and administration to obtain a "snapshot" of the college student body which can be used in understanding who exactly we are serving.
• To provide information for student services' personnel to have current information on the college's clientele, their aspirations, and their needs which can be useful for either establishing or reorienting student development initiatives.
• To provide information for recruitment personnel to examine the potential market utilizing the data of those currently enrolled which can be useful for focused marketing efforts in the future.
• To provide information for student activities coordinators to be aware of student interests which can be useful for purposes of programming student activities.
• To obtain the views and attitudes of students on various issues which can be useful for comparison with national trends.
• To build a data base over a period of time about the clientele and their educational needs which can be useful to examine to what extent the collegiate mission and purposes are being fulfilled.

This report is based on data obtained by using a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire is administered to the students by faculty members during their regular class periods. The questionnaire is standardized; there is limited room, however, for the inclusion of additional items of interest to faculty and staff. Such items can be communicated to the Office of Institutional Planning and Research.

The student profile is distributed to members of the President's Cabinet, Department Chairpersons, and counselors.

Sinclair Graduates -- Point of Graduation, One Year After Graduation, and Three Years After Graduation:

The graduate report is based on a survey conducted by the Office of Institutional Planning and Research (IPR). The overall purpose of the study is to obtain a "snapshot" of each year's graduates, with a particular emphasis on what they do upon graduation and how the Sinclair experience has impacted either their postgraduate placement in jobs or further educational work.

The Point of Graduation Survey was designed to gain insight as to the recent perceptions of students regarding the College near the end of their educational experience with Sinclair. Prior to the spring of 1992, graduates were not surveyed until a year or more following graduation. It was thought the data based on recent experience might provide a more reliable evaluation.

The general purposes of the annual one year and three years after graduation surveys are as follows:

• To obtain a demographic profile of those who graduate.
• To obtain an inventory of their aspirations.
• To conduct an assessment of the Sinclair experience, and how the experience had an impact on their aspirations.
• To obtain an overview of what the graduates did soon after graduation.
• To obtain data on the placement of career graduates from Sinclair technical programs.

The total number of students who graduate during each academic year is covered by this survey research.

Specialized Graduate Surveys:

Some academic departments request specialized research of their graduates in specific career or technological areas. These reports are based on a survey of employers within the service area of Sinclair Community College. The surveys are conducted by the Office of Institutional Planning and Research (IPR). The major purposes of these surveys are:

• To determine the demand for specific skills within the discipline.
• To determine how well Sinclair's career graduates perform in their work environment both as individual and in comparison with graduates of other similar career programs.
• To determine, from the employers' point of view, the areas which Sinclair graduates are best prepared for and the areas that need improvement.

IPR designs the questionnaires in consultation with the chairperson of the specific department requesting the study.

Technical Education Placement Report:

One indicator, among many, for assessing the continuing effectiveness of technical education is an annual survey of the employment status of graduates of technical programs. Each year the Ohio Board of Regent's Office of Two-Year Campus Programming requests all institutions offering technical associate degree programs to conduct a technical education placement report.

The annual placement report serves numerous purposes for the Ohio Board of Regents. As the planning and coordinating agency responsible for approving new technical programs and for working with the colleges and universities to ensure the quality of all continuing programs, the Board has an ongoing need for current data on job placement. Decisions by the colleges and universities to forward requests for new technical education programs for approval by the Board are predicated on a number of factors including labor market demand. Decisions of whether to continue previously-approved programs are also made by the colleges and universities, in consultation with the Board, with particular attention to changes in labor market demand. Colleges, universities, and the Board work cooperatively to develop and maintain excellence in two-year academic programs, and mutually support each other's efforts in this regard.

The placement report is also used to identify yearly changes in labor market conditions which may indicate that a given labor market is saturated with a particular type of program graduate. In such instances, the report may provide a basis for dialogue between the colleges, universities, and Regents' staff and lead to recommendations concerning the number of programs needed statewide or in a particular region.

Finally, as the state agency responsible to the citizens of Ohio for the effective expenditure of state resources for higher education, the Board has an interest in gathering information regarding program quality and effectiveness and sharing this information with the public and elected representatives. The placement report, which serves a variety of purposes described above, is an important mechanism for fulfilling this responsibility.

The job placement profile provided in this report is a snapshot taken within the first six months after students graduate. Institutions are asked to report the total number of degrees awarded in each technical program offered, the number of those graduates placed in jobs related to the specific area of technical training, the number of graduates placed in jobs not directly related to the area of technical training, and the number of graduates reporting themselves as available for employment but unemployed. In addition, institutions are asked to report the number of graduates who are unavailable for employment because they are furthering their education or for other reasons, such as military service or parenting.

Transfer Study:

The Transfer Study is conducted to determine how many graduates had furthered their educational pursuits and how well they had subsequently succeeded at other institutions. The graduates are asked to provide information concerning the baccalaureate institutions they had attended since graduation and the extent to which they believe their experiences at Sinclair prepared them for their baccalaureate endeavors. It should be noted that attendance and progress at other institutions in this survey is entirely self-reported and, at least at this time, cannot be verified by actual information from these institutions.

A data exchange has been initiated with neighboring Wright State University, the largest recipient of students transferring from Sinclair to baccalaureate institutions.

Sinclair is a member of The National Effective Transfer Consortium (NETC) along with 27 other community colleges. The consortium conducts research that assists community colleges in improving their capability to transfer students to four-year colleges and universities. During 1989-90, Sinclair participated in a research study designed to establish a comparative data base and identify effective transfer practices for the different conditions faced by community colleges. The results of this research should assist community colleges in enhancing transfer practices that are more effective for students.

Employer Satisfaction (AAS Degrees):

To date the College has not developed an overall approach to learn about employers' assessment of the quality of the preparation of their employees provided by Sinclair. A pilot survey of the employers of 1994 graduates is underway at this writing.

Retention/Persistence/Completion Studies:

Aggregate retention information on the total student population is monitored by the Office of Institutional Planning and Research. This data is contained in a quarterly enrollment analysis and made available to the Vice-Presidents, Deans, Directors, and Department Chairpersons.

Course by course completion rates and grade distribution reports are made available to each academic department through the Deans' offices. These reports are distributed on a quarterly basis by the Office of Registration and Student Records. How the information is used is determined by each department.

Recycling of Former Students:

The Student Tracking Subcommittee is interested in documenting the extent of the "stop-out" phenomena at the College as well as determining the extent to which graduates re-enroll at Sinclair at later points in time. This project has yet to be defined.

Sinclair Freshman Tracking Report:

To date two of these reports have been completed as part of the College's compliance with federal legislation (Student Right to Know Act) which now requires colleges and universities to disclose to all current and prospective students the graduation rates for cohorts of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students enrolling in higher education beginning with the fall term of 1989. This effort reviews and compares the retention, graduation and transfer of this cohort of students who entered the institution in Fall 1989 and Fall 1990.

Former Student Survey:

Due to the intermittent and/or short-term attendance patterns of many of Sinclair's students, this survey was developed to learn more about the perceptions of those individuals regarding their experience at the College. So far two of these surveys have been completed of students who have not enrolled for either three or six consecutive quarters.

LICENSURE/ACCREDITATION

Licensure and accreditation results are included in appropriate departmental biennial reviews.