LEAP

In 2022, partially in response to the NECHE reaccreditation visit in September, OAA began to move ahead with plans to pilot Canvas Outcomes as an institution-wide method for evaluating student learning. Additionally, the Office expanded in Fall 2022 to welcome an Academic Assessment Designer. This second full-time position within the Office enabled OAA to begin offering expanded programming focused on equity-minded assessment and student voice in assessment practices. 

During 2022-2023, OAA and LEAP piloted Canvas Outcomes in CC100 and Journalism and First-Year Seminar Courses. Over the 2023-2024 academic year, we expanded the pilot to include all departments and the Marlboro Institute, and implemented a new Emerson Data Looking Protocol to assist in analysis and reporting.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, the Office of Academic Assessment (OAA) began implementation of the strategic plan and revised charge developed in consultation with the Learning, Equity, and Assessment (LEAP) Fellows during spring 2021.

LEAP Fellows worked with OAA to implement standardized processes for project planning, data collection, and evaluation of student learning across departments. This included creating rubric drafts to evaluate learning relative to program learning outcomes, used in the review of Fall 2021 student work. 

Over the course of the Spring 2021 semester, Student Learning Committee (SLC) members engaged in a strategic planning process to enhance our vision for assessment of student learning at Emerson. SLC had an initial “Assessment vision meeting" in February 2021. Subsequently, the Director of Academic Assessment met with the Provost and other leadership to share an initial draft of SLC's strategic plan. SLC members then reviewed and provided feedback on the draft in March 2021. We received the initial 2013 charge document after that meeting; this informed both updates to the strategic plan and the draft program charge below. SLC members provided feedback on the revised charge in our May meeting. The document below reflects further updates made after that meeting.

Past SLC Roles and Responsibilities

When it was originally formed in 2013, the role of Director of Academic Assessment had not been formed. This role was created in 2017. At that time, the roles for each of the participants on SLC were as follows:

Director of Academic Assessment's role: The Director of Academic Assessment provides expertise and support for Emerson’s assessment efforts by working collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to define, implement and document best practices for the assessment of comprehensive student learning across the College..The role of the Director of Academic Assessment in terms of the SLC is to oversee the committee and projects that take place within the scope of the committee. The director takes on a collaborative role, working closely with department chairs, sic members, and additional faculty members throughout the completion of each project.The director will also serve as a resource for SLC faculty members that may need assistance or guidance when completing their project 

Department Chair's role: Identifies faculty member to serve on Student Learning Committee. Collaborates with the Director of Academic assessment and SLC member to identify courses, curriculum, objectives, or learning to be assessed.

SLC member's role:  The SLC member will work with the department chair to identify the course, SLOs, curriculum, or other area of student learning to assess. The member's role is to complete a project each semester that they serve on the committee. The SLC member will receive a $1,000 stipend each semester a report is conducted and submitted.

Faculty member's role: Once identified, additional faculty members may be utilized to assist in carrying out the  SLC project for their department. Additional Faculty will be compensated for their efforts with a stipend of $250.

2013 Student Learning Committee Charge

As part of the college's Academic Excellence strategic priority, the Student Learning Committee was originally formed in 2013 by the Office of the Provost to consider what the faculty want Emerson students to learn and how faculty will know that  students are learning those things. The key question posed to the Committee was: if someone is an Emerson alum, what skills and/or content knowledge would we like to be sure they possess?