For immediate release March 30, 2006

Contact: Hope Davis 443-840-5053

CCBC receives national recognition for its work
in assessing student learning outcomes

Baltimore County, Md. – The Community County of Baltimore County (CCBC) is one of four colleges, and the only community college, to be recognized nationally by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for its work in measuring student learning outcomes. In addition to CCBC, James Madison University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis were recipients of the 2006 Award for Institutional Progress in Student Learning Outcomes.

This is the first in a series of annual national awards that CHEA plans to give to institutions successfully evaluating and demonstrating student knowledge, skills and outcomes. The awards are meant to encourage institutions nationwide to utilize new, effective and innovative systems to evaluate and demonstrate student outcomes and provide increasing accountability of that information to the public.

According to Judith Eaton, CHEA President, “The ability to define and demonstrate success in higher education is a critical factor in raising the overall standards of educational quality. Students, colleges and society need public evidence of educational excellence in schools and programs in order to compete in a global economy, and accrediting organizations are leading the way in driving these innovations, and in quality assurance and public accountability.”

Having intimate involvement with the learning outcomes initiative at CCBC, Rose Mince and Tara Ebersole, assistants to the vice chancellor for Student and Learning Development, agree about the importance of assessing student outcomes. “Assessment lies at the very heart of a learning organization,” said Mince. “Through assessment we discover exactly what students are mastering and where improvement is needed. Most people become teachers because they want to help others. Assessment tells us how to do that.”

Faculty members play a major role in assessment within any college or university. At CCBC, student learning outcomes are assessed through a comprehensive plan which includes data collection, data evaluation and reassessment after implementing curricular and administrative changes.

“Faculty members are the driving force of the assessment process,” said Ebersole. “Although our faculty members are extremely busy with their regular teaching duties; they are in the best position to know what students should know.”

Judging for the awards was based on articulating and providing evidence of outcomes; providing evidence of success with regard to outcomes; informing the public about outcomes, and using outcomes for institutional improvement. Thirty-two institutions from across the nation applied for this award. Each developed its own way to assess the knowledge and skills that students acquired in individual courses, as well as a comprehensive view of their college learning experiences.