30 GEM Assessment Methods, Results and Interpretation, and Improvements:
Describe how GEM student learning outcomes are assessed and reviewed by faculty.
In the spring semester, GEM student learning outcomes are assessed in individual courses with assignments aligned to both course outcomes and state GEM competencies. General characteristics of these exemplars are discussed within the Professional Learning Community (PLC) for each GEM course. These assignments may be an exam question, a group of homework problems or a part of a project. The assignment is up to the individual professor, although many PLCs have collaborated to create assignments that assess the course outcome and corresponding GEM competency.
Once students have completed an exemplar, the MET/NOT MET data can be entered into the GEM 3 Outcomes Rubric in the Canvas class, where it is stored until pulled by the IT department in early summer. The IT department then populates the GEM data dashboards.
In the fall semester, the data displayed in the GEM data dashboards is available for each course. Data is typically presented at a division meeting to everyone and further filtered and analyzed in individual PLCs. Action plans are addressed, and improvements are discussed there. Any improvements are implemented in the spring semester and the cycle is repeated.
The GEM screenshots data can be found at the following link:
Based on the GEM assessment data, what learning improvements have you made.
With Outcome 1, Outcome 2, and Outcome 3 competencies having %MET over 70%, conversations about Outcome 4 will be the center of attention this semester. Traditionally, this competency is difficult for students and is often one of the reasons students can get frustrated in their mathematics classes. With no semester much over 70%, it appears that changes beyond low or high stakes assessments will need to be implemented. Ideas will be solicited within the PLCs and preparations throughout the Fall 2023 semester will take place for implementation in Spring 2024.
In our 2022 Action Plan, we noted that that there did not appear to be a trend that we could identify in the demographic data for any of the GEM Competencies. We did note in that Action Plan that for students earning an A, B, or C in their GEM course, the %MET proportion was around 80% and this trend has continued.