Broome Community College

 Student Learning Assessment Committee

Mission and By-Laws

MISSION:

            The Student Learning Assessment Committee (SLAC) is responsible for the ongoing assessment of student learning outcomes at Broome Community College.  Its scope encompasses all courses, academic programs, co-curricular programs, general education requirements, or other specific educational experiences offered under the auspices of Broome Community College, irrespective of delivery model.   

              The members of the SLAC will provide leadership in establishing a culture of assessment across the campus and will recommend student learning assessment policies and procedures to campus governing bodies.  The student voice is critical to this endeavor and the committee will ensure that student feedback is sought and included in all classroom and program/department learning assessments.  The Committee will provide an annual report of Student Learning Assessment to the Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Committee.  The report will be available to the entire campus on the SLAC website. 

              The Student Learning Assessment Committee is accountable to the various College constituencies and to the broader community of which the College is a part.  The Committee is responsible for adherence to the guidelines for assessment established by the State University of New York and by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, both of which require that the assessment process at every level be organized, sustained and effective.      

BYLAWS:

I.                   Functions of the Student Learning Assessment Committee:

a.       Collect, organize and maintain up-to-date information regarding all assessments of student learning and make the information accessible to all constituents.

b.      Create an annual report on student learning and student learning assessment in a timely way for use in decision making at the institutional level. 

c.       Provide guidance and/or assistance to academic units to ensure that the articulated student learning outcomes at points of delivery are aligned with outcomes at the next level up and that student feedback is included in classroom and program/department learning assessments. 

d.      Create outcomes and measures to assess the Student Learning Assessment at BCC and carry out the assessment on a periodic basis. 

e.       Use the results of the assessment of SLAC to make recommendations regarding professional development opportunities for faculty and staff as well as changes to policy and procedure. 

f.       Make recommendations for continued support for Student Learning Assessment on such issues as personnel, budget, released time, and structures for extended discussion across departments, divisions, and the College as a whole.

g.       Celebrate milestones and recognize individuals and units for their successful approaches to assessment and the use of results. 

h.      Disseminate updates regarding SLA to the campus by means of the committee website.

i.        Coordinate with the Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Committee, Council for Academic Issues, Curriculum Committee, General Education Steering Committee, Student and Community Engagement Division and other campus bodies as needed to fully integrate student learning assessment into every aspect of the College mission. 

II.                Membership:

1.       Voting Membership

The Broome Community College Student Learning Assessment Committee voting membership is representative of faculty, staff and administrators responsible for assessment and improvement of teaching and learning.  Members of these constituencies not currently serving on this committee may attend as non-voting members.

Committee Members:

A.  Faculty:

·         Four Teaching Faculty Representatives, one representing each of the academic divisions, to include a Department Chair, if possible.  A tenured teaching faculty member will serve a three-year term as chair of the SLAC and will be afforded some released time to fulfill the duties of the chairperson. 

 At the startup of the committee in fall 2011, the faculty representatives from the STEM and Health Sciences Divisions will be appointed for a term of two years and the faculty representatives from Liberal Arts and Business and Public Services Divisions will be appointed for a term of three years.  After the initial development of the committee, faculty will be appointed for a three year term by the divisional Deans through a process decided within each division.  The SLAC chairperson will notify the Deans in April of the need for a representative whose term will begin in fall of the same year.  Should any faculty member not serve the full term, the dean will appoint a replacement for the remainder of the academic year if applicable and the division’s representative will begin a new three year term in the following fall.

Chair of Learning Assistance Center or designee

General Education Steering Committee chair or designee

Distance Learning Committee representative

With the exception of the chair of the committee, a single faculty member may represent more than one constituency in the above list.  (For example, if the GESC chair is also a department chair, then there need not be another department chair among the teaching faculty representatives.)

B. Administrators:

·         Institutional Effectiveness Officer

·         Vice President for Student and Community Engagement or designee

·         Dean of Liberal Arts or designee

·         Dean of STEM or designee

·       Staff Associate to the CAO

C.  Other

In the event of a vacancy on the SLAC, an interim representative may be appointed by the CAO.

The number of voting members may be changed as the college constituencies change, and as voted on by the voting membership. 

A Secretary will be chosen from among the members who will record and post the minutes of the SLAC meetings in a timely fashion, including the attendance.

2.      Ex- Officio

·         CAO (invited as appropriate)

3.      Duties:  As set forth in the “Functions of the SLAC” above, this is a working committee.  Members must be willing and available to participate in the work of the committee and to act as liaisons and as resources to their respective constituencies to aid them if necessary in reaching compliance with assessment requirements.

The duties of the chair will include:

a.      Prepare the agenda for each meeting of the SLAC.

b.      Preside at the SLAC meetings.

c.       Act as liaison with the IEAC, the CAO and the Council for Academic Issues.

d.      Provide leadership and facilitate ongoing communication among various groups involved in assessment of student learning.

e.       Create an annual report after reading and responding to (if necessary) assessment reports on student learning submitted by academic programs, service departments, and student development units.

f.        Oversee website maintenance and updates. (can be delegated)

g.      Provide guidance and/or assistance to academic units (can be delegated).

h.      Create and disseminate reminders regarding SLA timelines and deadlines to the campus.

i.        Oversee the assessment of the SLAC and the student learning assessment process.

j.        Coordinate with the TRC for professional development offerings. (can be delegated)

k.      Notify annually those responsible for providing designees to SLAC.

III.             Reporting Structure

The Student Learning Assessment Committee reports to the CAO, the IEAC, and the Council for Academic Issues.  One or more members serve as liaisons for communication purposes to the Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Committee, the Council for Academic Issues, the Student and Community Engagement Division, and to the Chairs and Deans Council.  The SLAC reports to the campus at large via the SLAC website.

IV.             Committees and Subcommittees:

The Student Learning Assessment Committee may establish standing and ad hoc committees from among its membership, and it may include on these committees representatives from any area of the campus or the larger community, as it chooses.   Creation of such committees will be accompanied by a specific charge or mission, a constituent list, and a time of expiration, where appropriate.  At least one member of the Student Learning Assessment Committee must serve as a liaison to the larger Committee for each subcommittee established.

            There will be a standing subcommittee on General Education Assessment chaired by the Dean of Liberal Arts or designee.

V.                Meeting Times:

          The regular meetings of the Student Learning Assessment Committee will be held one to four times monthly, depending on the number and urgency of its current tasks.   A meeting time will be set at the beginning of each semester, based on the times that best fit the current membership’s schedules.  When possible, a tentative schedule of meetings for the semester will be distributed to the membership at the beginning of the semester.  Unscheduled special meetings may be called by the chair or the CAO.

VI.             Establishments of a Quorum for Committee Business:

          Attendance of at least 60% of the membership is required to approve recommendations for forwarding to the CAO and/or Council for Academic Issues.

VII.          Rules of Order:

          The meetings of the Student Learning Assessment Committee of Broome Community College shall generally use an informal process wherein consensus is sought and obtained from among voting members attending.  Decisions on issues where consensus cannot be reached will be decided by a simple majority vote of the members in attendance.