Hocking College 3301 Hocking Parkway Nelsonville, Ohio 45764-9704 Phone: 740.753.3591

Hocking College 21st Century Learning Outcomes Plan Executive Summary

Hocking College is undertaking a process of developing and assessing student learning outcomes for a set of success skills essential to performing effectively in the twenty-first century. As part of its ReVISIONing Learning Project, all programs are in a process of review and change that includes incorporation of the success skills into the curriculum.

Hocking has defined a set of eight success skills necessary for all graduates. The success skills are Communications, Computation, Learning and Critical Thinking, Professionalism, Human Relations, Science and the Environment, Community and Ethics. Each program area is creating a curriculum map to determine where specific success skills are already embedded in courses and experiences. Success skills not currently included will be integrated through the ReVISIONing process. Co-curricular activities are also being reviewed for integration of success skills and will be using a similar process for full implementation.

The success skill "Communicates Effectively" has been selected as the focus for Project Year One. Chosen for its importance, its partial integration across the curriculum, and the current practices in place to assess it, it will serve as a model for developing, delivering and documenting the other success skills. After levels of student performance are identified and concrete indicators of them are defined for "Communicates Effectively," an assessment plan will be developed that will include such tools as portfolios and capstone courses. Campus-wide rubrics for oral presentations, essays, and other written work also will be constructed.

Six technical or general programs will be selected for initial implementation, providing models for the remaining programs to use. To maximize the success of the success skills project, multiple instructional strategies will be employed. Students will be informed about the value of the success skills and the ways in which they will be taught, assessed and documented. The project will support significant instructional change through faculty development activities, a handbook of best methods and practices, and faculty mentoring. Teachers will be encouraged to employ such methods as project-based learning, service-learning, and interdisciplinary cohorts to help students achieve the success skills. The focus of this entire process will be student learning outcomes. Student achievement will be documented using electronic portfolios.

Hocking will share its plans, progress and successes with other colleges through the project website, state and national conference presentations, and information sessions with its own faculty and community.