Co-Curricular Learning Assessment

Academy for Student Centered LearningFall 2013

Co-Curricular Learning

Includes both formal and informal out-of-class learning opportunities that contribute to the

professional and personal growth of students.

Two Guiding Assumptions

• “We should focus on student learning rather than teaching in order to improve students’ college experiences.”

(Huba & Freed, 2000, p. 3)

• “Learning is a complex, holistic, multi-centric activity that occurs throughout and across the college experience.”

(Learning Reconsidered, 2004, p. 5)

Traditional Assessment

• Learning outcomes need to be aligned at course, program, and institutional levels

• But where are many general education goals, like “leadership” and “teamwork” and “the ability to function in an increasingly diverse world” taught and assessed?

• Can you “teach” this?

Shifting Perspectives

• What happens when we shift our emphasis from teaching to learning?– Responsibility for learning can be understood and

shared.– Emphasis on student demonstration, not topic-covering.– Ability to “do” or “apply” supersedes knowing.– Sites of learning become less specific, and boundaries

become more flexible.– All interactions and activities can be conceived as

learning experiences related to institutional or program outcomes.

Integrated Learning Environment

Students learn across all domains of their lives and do not make distinctions about their

learning based on their setting.

Integrated learning speaks to the

whole student(discipline, general education, co-curricular)

(academic content, student development, identity formation)

• Civic Responsibility• AA: Service learning• SA: Student government, voter registration, student

judicial boards

• Think and Engage as a Global Citizen• AA: Business, Psychology, Sociology• SA: International experiences, diversity programs,

residence halls

Integrated Points of Learning

IDENTIFY POINTS OF LEARNING

Gathering Evidence

• Challenging as students are often “one-stop shoppers” in co-curricular activities

• Not serving a consistent group of students• How to assess transient student population for

anything but satisfaction of services?

Assessment Plan

• Identifying student learning outcomes, helps professionals see how functions contribute in curriculum development

• LGBT Center wants to move from offering a variety of workshops and speakers on several topics to a curriculum-driven model that focuses on particular LGBT identity development outcomes.

Recasting Services

• Assessment plan helps program staff reflect on what it is they want to accomplish and the best way to achieve outcomes.

• Repackaging or recasting services moves from focusing on satisfaction to student learning and development.

CAS Standards• Standards for 40 functional areas• Thirteen component parts:

• Mission• Program• Leadership• Organization and management• Human resources• Financial resources• Facilities, technology, and equipment• Legal responsibilities• Equity and access• Campus and community relations• Diversity• Ethics• Assessment and evaluation