February is the month to celebrate assessment at Lake Land College. Students and staff members are encouraged to participate in this year’s activities to learn about the importance of assessment.
According to Lisa Madlem, director of academic support and assessment for the college, the assessment process at Lake Land is essential in order to make informed decisions that ultimately improve the teaching-learning process.
“Assessment seems fairly straightforward, but in reality, it is an involved process that systematically measures student performance in order to improve the quality of educational programs, courses and the institution overall,” said Madlem.
Lake Land College uses institution-wide measures and program- and course-specific measures to assess student outcomes. Learner outcomes have been established for each of the college’s associate degree and certificate programs, as well as all courses.
During Assessment Week, Feb. 6-10, Madlem will set up a student booth in the Luther Student Center with assessment information and prizes for students. Additionally, a student quiz will be posted on the student portal, the Laker Hub, where students can enter to win Subway gift cards and a grand prize Lake Land College Assessment Highway Companion Safety Kit.
“Overall, the college is actively assessing courses, programs and institutional departments” said Madlem. “Each component of assessment is working toward assessing the student experience and we are continuously learning from the assessment process in order to make necessary changes and plans of action to ensure that every student at Lake Land College is provided with a continuous learning environment.”
Assessment is an important step in developing Lake Land College’s programs to best suit its students and their growing skills in order to prepare them to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year university. It is thanks to previous assessments that the Business Division realized a need for students to learn spreadsheet software and began integrating it into already available classes. Similarly, the Agriculture Division has focused on integrating more precision agriculture information leading from a recommendation from the Lake Land College Agriculture Advisory Council.
For more information about assessment at Lake Land College, contact Madlem at 217-234-5088 or lmadlem@lakelandcollege.edu or visit: http://www.lakelandcollege.edu/as/es/assessment/index.cfm.