ASSESSMENT PROGRAM - Fall 2005 & Spring 06

ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT

September 27, 2005

Coordinators: Doyle Garrigus, Accounting Adjunct Faculty

Lewis Schlossinger, Accounting Department Chair

During the Fall 05 and Spring 06 terms we will concentrate on improving the following:

1. Learning Outcomes/Benchmarks:

· Learning outcomes for one or more of the Lifelong Skills stated as measurable objectives: (occupational programs only)

The results of the pre-test and post-test will be analyzed in detail on a question by

question basis to determine the effectiveness of each weighted question. The test

will be reviewed and perhaps rewritten by Lewis Schlossinger, Doyle Garrigus

other faculty members and reviewed by the Accounting Advisory Committee

members.

Accounting Program Objective

To provide opportunity for students to acquire and apply skills and

knowledge requisite to the accounting industry.

Students enrolled in a college prep accounting course be able to apply accounting

strategies that demonstrate all of the Life Long Skills effectively and advance to

the next level course. Principles of Accounting I and Auditing our capstone

course will be assessed in all areas of the Life Long Skills

Accounting Program Assessment Plan

To identify, analyze, assess, and improve student learning while participating in selected accounting classes, certificate, and degree programs at CCA.

Students will demonstrate knowledge of all of the Life Long Skills: Quantitative Reasoning, Critical Inquiry, Communication, Personal Responsibility, Aesthetic Perception and Technology through a pre and post test.

The Accounting students tested should demonstrate competence in accountings Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning and Communication skills. 80% of the students will achieve a 70% average rating on the ACC 232 accounting auditing skill questions in the ACC Post Test.

Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning and Communication skills

Direct Measure: The major objective was to develop and administer a test to students entering their studies at CCA and to students completing their studies. This would indicate what was learned. We did achieve this goal.

Indirect Measures: Measures for students to evaluate their progress regarding Life Long Skills was planned through the student evaluations and the results have not been reviewed to date. When the evaluations will be

Completed then we can review them and suspect that the students will have achieved their goal.

Assessment Process to be considered:

Relate ACCOUNTING Learning Objectives to selected industry accounting GAAP ( Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ) and FASB ( Financial Accounting Standards Board), practices & standards

Assess ACCOUNTING performance relative to the top three skills as identified by the accounting assessment committee.

Relate the CCA Lifelong Skills to the ACCOUNTING Learning Objectives and assess student achievement of those skills.

Accounting: Capstone Demonstrate knowledge and skills requisite to the systems approach, fact gathering techniques, forms design, input/output, file design, file organization, various charting techniques system audits and controls, project management, implementation and evaluation

Accounting: Demonstrate knowledge and skills requisite to selected accounting concepts needed in the computer industry that relate to the determination of financial results and analysis of the results to include the matching principle and the cost principle

2. Measures of Student Learning ( direct and indirect ):

Assessed Areas:

The pre and post tests are given to the Accounting I and Auditing students and are assessed in all of the Life Long Skills. This direct measure is assessed through testing the initial Principle Accounting class and then in the higher level class of Auditing.

Assessment Tools:

Direct measures

Pre-test / Post-Test in sample sections of ACC 121, and ACC 232. Specific populations will not be tracked; however, averages will be trended and compared. Test questions and outcomes are selected from each of the above classes and intended to assess general accounting skills applicable to the degree.

Pre-test / Post-Test questions will be weighted to indicate scores for Lifelong Skills achievement

Capstone course work for sample students will be assessed by instructor

Indirect measures

Student Evaluation of Instruction, Lifelong Skill questions

Student Self Evaluation of Lifelong Skills survey in sample sections of accounting classes ( students will be required to go to a lab for this measure )

If Possible for 05-06 Other Direct and Indirect Measures maybe be possible to be developed.

They may include:

Direct Capstone Project Rubric Capstone Assessment excel work book Pre-Post Test Pre-Post Test Lifelong Skill Indicators Indirect Student Evaluations Questions identified as indicators of Lifelong Skills Student Self-Assessment Online survey for students to self assess

3. Data Collection:

Data is collected through random sample of pre and post-tests for the Accounting courses. The study will include students from Principles of Accounting (pre & post-test) and Auditing (pre & post-test). The questions are identified as indicators of Life Long Skills. All tests questions taken are graded by Scrantron and are done at the beginning and end of every semester..

How and by whom the data is analyzed during the fall and spring semesters of 2005-06 by

Lewis Schlossinger and Doyle Garrigus and was given to students enrolled in the beginning Principles of Accounting I, ACC121. The same test was then given to students taking Auditing, ACC232, which has become the Capstone Course.

4. Data Recording and Storage:

Documentation and Responsibilities kept within the Accounting Department:

Test results and student Lifelong Skill survey to be stored on CCAurora server with copy on

Department Chair PC

Results will be analyzed and graphed using Excel

Sample Capstone course assessments will be maintained by Instructor and/or Department Chair

Student Evaluation of Instruction will be stored as normal

ACCOUNTING Assessment Plan Decision Making and Program Change Based on Data Adjunct Faculty and Student Involvement Activity Responsible Parties Location of documentation

Analyze Excel workbooks using charts and other readily available tools to detect trends and measure student achievement

Accounting Assessment Committee Summary to be maintained in loose leaf notebook

Accounting Assessment Committee Summary to be maintained in loose leaf notebook Department recommendations to Advisory Committee Department Chair Advisory Committee minutes Implementation of Approved Changes Department Chair Advisory Committee minutes Encourage all faculty to use assessment data to improve student learning Department Chair Summaries and Reports will be distributed as appropriate Adjunct Faculty and Student Involvement Solicitation in faculty meetings and distribution emails Accounting Assessment Committee N/A

5. Data Analysis and Reporting:

ACC Assessment Plan Documentation and Responsibilities Documentation data is analyzed and is reported to the program’s adjunct faculty who is the responsible person for the documentation of data for the Pre-Post Test

ACC website is recommended

Designated department Pre-Post Test database of student answers to the Department Chair

ACC website

Backup copy on designated department Pre-Post Test Excel workbooks to analyze and report test data

Designated department faculty

Backup copy on designated department Capstone Pre-Post Test Department Chair

Designated department Capstone Project database of student answers to Department Chair and adjunct faculty

The data will be analyzed by the adjunct faculty with the Department Chair to determine possible areas for improvement in the curriculum or improvements in standard syllabi in order to focus classes on specific Lifelong Skills and subject matter. These may include: more activities

involving the Life Long Skills, Changes in Syllabus, outside business leaders to speak to the class, team projects, etc.

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6 . Decision Making and Program Change Based on Data

We will be studying the need for improved test questions, especially in the

Communications Life Long Skill category. This will also allow us more

specifically to fine tune some of the other test questions as well and to test for

more specific information about Lifelong Skills. Also, we feel that an

extended period of time of testing will be needed in order to measure these

assessment criteria of our students more accurately in order to be much more

specific about how we are improving the skills of the students as a whole and

not on an individual basis. We will continue working on corrective measures

to improve some of the pre/post test questions and better analyze the

outcomes.

Further, we will be looking at the student evaluations and the Auditing

Capstone project to evaluate the student assessment, objectives, goals and

performance this Fall 05 and Spring 06.

· How faculty members (regular and adjunct) use the data to make decisions about improving student learning… Suggest that we require all instructors to emphasize all of the Lifelong Skills with emphasis on Interpersonal Responsibility at the Spring faculty meeting by requiring student attendance and meeting due dates on assignments. There would be some changes suggested to the Syllabi as a result of these discussions. These should be part of grades.

What changes in curriculum and instruction faculty members make based on these decisions… Recommended changes will be to focus on improving Critical Thinking and Communication skills by emphasizing applications of accounting theory by more case studies. To improve Quantitative Reasoning skills instructors will emphasize more computational problems. Perhaps later we could possibly get suggestions to make changes in the curriculum as recommended at a later date.

Other areas of improvement that may be incorporated into the syllabus with the approval

of the Accounting faculty and Advisory Committee members as the person(s) responsible for recording decisions and changes related to improving student learning

7. Adjunct Faculty Involvement:

Responsible Parties Location of documentation

Department Chair

Accounting Advisory Committee Summary to be maintained in loose leaf notebook

Adjunct Faculty & Students Summaries and Reports will be distributed as appropriate to Accounting Assessment Committee N/A

· Adjunct Faculty, Students and The Accounting Advisory Committee members will all have input on developing questions, gathering and interpreting the data, decision-making, and improving curriculum and instruction and determining areas of improvement that may be incorporated into the syllabus.

· Adjunct Faculty, Students and The Accounting Advisory will meet through out the semesters to discuss any changes gleaned from the data.

How have you shared and discussed these results with faculty members (regular and adjunct) in your program or cluster?

Results from the tests will be shared with the accounting faculty at the Fall faculty meeting. Ideas will be discussed how to improve testing and how the faculty can learn from the testing performed so far.

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