New President was Keynote Speaker at QCC's 9th annual August Assessment Academy

QCC President Luis G. Pedraja delivered the Keynote Address at QCC's 9th annual August Assessment Academy to an enthusiastic audience of faculty and staff in the Center for Academic Excellence.

Each summer, the Academy brings together faculty and professional staff from all five schools and several departments inside and outside Academic Affairs. It’s one of several annual teaching, learning and development events offered through the Center for Academic Excellence. Each Academy's agenda is split between a morning session focused on best practices or new skills and ideas, and an afternoon session engaged in authentic assessment of student work.

Given Dr. Pedraja's rich and varied background in all phases and levels of assessment, including accreditation, the Academy's organizers were eager to invite him to speak about his experiences and vision for assessment at QCC. Dr. Pedraja shared a refreshingly down-to-earth and practical vision of how student learning outcomes assessment can elevate teaching and learning at QCC, as well as address some of the challenges QCC shares with other institutions of public higher education, such as student retention.

After Dr. Pedraja’s well-received address, he participated in a lively roundtable discussion of current assessment-related projects with faculty and staff from a range of programs and disciplines: Judy Colson (Psychology); Jean Kennedy (Human Services); Kirsten Patey (English, Writing Center); Kristie Proctor (Disability Services); Pat Schmohl (Health Care); Nancy Schoenfeld (Academic Affairs); and Tiger Swan (Library).

In this year’s afternoon session, Quinsigamond Outcomes Research for Excellence (QORE) launched a semester-long pilot project to assess oral presentations using its locally-developed Toolkits for Signature Work. For more information, please email QORE at MSC [at] qcc.mass.edu.

The August Assessment Academy was funded by Academic Affairs and organized by Quinsigamond Outcomes Research for Excellence: Amy Beaudry, Gaelan Lee Benway, Maureen Giacobbe and Tiger Swan.

Photo credit: Steve Erickson, QCC Media Services.