Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs for Students

What are artifacts and why are they submitted?
An artifact is an example of student work such as a research report, video recording of a presentation, or a poster session that is meant to demonstrate the level of mastery of skill or knowledge achieved.

What will happen to my assignment?
Assignments are used for two things – 1) grading by your instructor which counts towards your course grade, and 2) assessment of learning which does NOT count towards your grade – an artifact. The artifact is used to measure the College’s progress in ensuring students are learning and meeting intended outcomes. A panel of reviewers will compare the assignment to the outcomes and determine the level of mastery of the knowledge or skill expected. The results are then shared with faculty and staff to help improve teaching, learning, and academic support.

FAQs for Faculty

Why aren't course grades enough?
Course grades are a useful assessment tool, but they don’t provide more comprehensive, long-term indication of student learning. By submitting artifacts, faculty members are provided with a random, comprehensive look at how well students across the College are meeting learning outcomes over time.

How do I know if my course applies to an ELO?
Check out our guide, check your official course outline, or contact your on-campus CLOA member. 

Will artifacts and assessment be used to evaluate faculty?
No. Outcomes assessment is part of the teaching and learning process and can be used by faculty members to “document, reflect upon, and improve subsequent student learning experiences.” The process assesses the effectiveness of programs and courses in meeting outcomes and is not used to evaluate faculty members.

Is submitting artifacts a requirement?
Yes. Submitting artifacts is a requirement of Essential Learning outcomes assessment, which provides evidence not only for faculty members and programs, but also the Higher Learning Commission and other accrediting agencies, as to how well our students are meeting our stated Essential Learning Outcomes. 

What is an “application-level” assignment?
“Application” is one of six levels of cognitive skills according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, which ranges from less to more complex. At the application-level, students are able to take new concepts and apply them. Other verbs related to application-level are: construct, demonstrate, discover, modify, operate, predict, prepare, produce, relate, show, solve, use.

What happens if there are 2 CRNs in my Blackboard site?
Blackboard will pull assignments from both CRNs.  If the non-selected CRN's faculty does not want their students' artifacts pulled, two separate assignments should be created.  

Do I have to create a special assignment?
No. You do not have to create a new assignment that maps to the Essential Learning Outcome (ELO). The ELO was selected based on course outcomes. Any assignment the students produce to meet the course outcome should also meet the ELO by virtue of the outcomes mapping (i.e., course outcome to ELO) that faculty counterparts have agreed upon.

What if I don’t have an assignment that maps to the Essential Learning Outcome (ELO)? 
Counterpart chairs, counterparts, program managers, and program faculty are responsible for mapping courses to Essential Learning Outcomes. If a course appears to be mistakenly mapped to a particular outcome, then contact either your counterpart chair or program manager to conduct a review. Then, contact the Office of Curriculum Development to revise or remove the ELO from the course outline.

Do all students in a course submit artifacts or can it be a sample of students?
Essential Learning artifacts are submitted by all students in a course.
 
Should students submit multiple artifacts?
No. There should only be one assignment identified to be submitted as an artifact. Occasionally faculty might have an assignment that has an additional component, such as a research log. In that case, students would submit all components of the assignment in a single file, and a context statement from the instructor.
 
When and how do students submit artifacts?
Student artifacts are automatically submitted once the chosen assignment is aligned in Blackboard.  No further steps are needed.