Measuring Student Success

The 15th annual Western Assessment Conference will address the use of assessment through technology and the student portfolio and creating a culture of assessment for academic support units. The 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 17, program features speakers from campus and throughout the state.

The program is co-sponsored by the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, Academic Affairs and Faculty Development Center. All programs will be held in the Titan Student Union.

The keynote speaker during the luncheon is John C. Ittelson, director of communication, collaboration and outreach for the California Virtual Campus, a project funded by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Ittelson’s talk, “ePortfolios and Change in Higher Education,” will focus on ePortfolios and student identity, national and international trends, as well as the influences that ePortfolios have on teaching, learning and assessment in higher education.

Also speaking will be:

• Corey McKenna, associate professor at Point Loma Nazarene University, “Learning by Doing: A Constructivist Approach to Assessment and Action Research Through the Lens of Professional Learning Communities.”
• Betty Makani-Lim, director of assessment, and Prabha Chandrasekar, an instructional technology consultant, in the College of Business, San Jose State University, “Integrating Technology (Using LMS) Into Assessment.”
• Iren Girton, chair of music and associate dean for academic affairs, and Brian Harlan, senior director of assessment, institutional research and planning, Occidental College, “Creating a Culture of Assessment for Academic Support Units.”
• Steve McGuire, professor of management and director of Cal State Los Angeles' Entrepreneurship Institute, “Assessment of Negotiation Skills, Master of Business Administration Program.’
• Lea Jarnagin, dean of students, and Carlos Lopez Garcia, graduate student in master of science in higher education, Cal State Fullerton, “Building a Culture of Assessment in Student Affairs: Infrastructure, Education and Outreach.”
• Marsha Orr, distance education faculty liaison, and Barbara Haddad, lecturer, Cal State Fullerton’s School of Nursing, “Preserving Assessment of Student Oral Presentation Skills in the Online Course Environment: The Webinar.”
• Pamela Caldwell, Dennis Gaschen and Doug Swanson, lecturers in communications, Cal State Fullerton, “The Student Portfolio: A Valuable Tool to Document Student Success and Evaluate Program Effectiveness.”

For more information, visit the conference website or contact B. Thomas Mayes at mayes@fullerton.edu or Joanne Carter-Wells, jcarterwells@fullerton.edu.

March 10, 2011