Building the Narrative
“As educators we have remarkable opportunities to create environments that will engage students in richer and broader learning.”
-Learning Reconsidered, 2006
There are many narratives that tell a unique story of both curricular and co-curricular student experiences that demonstrate competency attainment. In the curricular experience, student assignments are the driving force that provide evidence and allow us to build the competency narrative. The details are in the assignments we gather, the big picture is in our ability to create thriving communities as a result of what we learn from these efforts. For the co-curricular experience, it is in the assessment of learning acquired through the services and programs offered.
Simply put, assessment helps us to understand how well an institution contributes to student learning. It also allows us to identify and unpack spaces of learning that are not equitable, that do not meet student learning outcomes and call for improvement. The investigation of this work with change in mind contributes to advanced learning, degree attainment and career readiness.
Building a culture of evidence opens up the discussion for resource development and the results inform our practice.
- What happens to students during their college experience?
- What can we anticipate to change or shift when students are integrating into the institutions culture?
- What are the different experiences that are happening between and within racial, ethnic, gender, and nontraditional student populations.
- How are these experiences informing policy and practice?
- How does data drive decision-making?
- How effective are the current learning spaces/experiences we provide?
- What General Education competencies are being demonstrated?
- What Life Skills are students demonstrating that are valued by industry standards and promote student success?
- Have we developed ways to improve student and institutional performance by providing these experiences or will we, by providing improved experiences as a result of assessment.
Listen to “Student Voices: General Education Competencies and the Student Narrative" from Bristol Community College Assessment Day 2022
Listen to “Student Voices: General Education Competencies and the Student Narrative" from Bristol Community College Assessment Day 2021