Cabrillo has centered its assessment activities around our core belief that the entire campus contributes to student learning.   Our assessment philosophy embraces the notion that it “takes a village” to help students master our four college core competencies and the student learning outcomes of our every course, program and degree.  Some areas of the campus directly assist students in mastering learning while others indirectly aid them by creating the conditions where learning can occur.
Cabrillo’s SLO Assessment Plan divides the college into five sectors:

1. Transfer and Basic Skill Programs
2. Occupational Programs
3. Student Services
4. Library
5. Administrative Services.

    Each of those sectors has created a self-reflective assessment process that is embedded in the campus’ on-going rotating cycle of Instructional Planning and/or Departmental Review.

    As departments proceed through the Instructional Planning or Departmental Review process, their assessment results become the foundation for planning, evaluation and budgetary requests.  These results and the plans for improvement that arise from them are evaluated within the sector as part of the regular Departmental Review or Instructional Planning process and, if appropriate, are sent on to other campus governing committees.

    At the center of Cabrillo’s SLO Assessment Plan is the SLO Assessment Review Committee.  This campus-wide committee, composed of faculty, administrators, staff and students, receives the assessment results portion of every department’s Instructional Plan or Departmental Review.  ARC provides the wide-angle lens for the college’s assessment process, scrutinizing the results for issues of overall concern.  If any are perceived, a college-wide dialogue process is initiated and facilitated by the committee.

    At the same time that ARC receives assessment information, it is also charged with disseminating it.  The committee reflects on the year’s assessment results and writes a report about them that is sent to the Governing Board, the Master Planning Committee, the College Planning Council, the Faculty Senate, the Student Senate and the faculty and staff unions.   Those groups use the report to provide evidence for and to initiate overall change and improvement of the college.   As the campus communicator about assessment, ARC also archives all the reports it receives and the report it writes for accreditation.

    The Learning Outcomes Assessment Coordinator chairs the SLO Assessment Review Committee. Her primary charge is to offer assistance with assessment planning, activities and training to any department on campus.  She also chairs the subcommittee on Student Learning Outcomes of the college Curriculum Committee which reviews the SLOs written for course outlines.   She writes a yearly report about her activities that is presented to the Vice President of Instruction and posted on this web site.