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College Effectiveness

College effectiveness refers to continual and integrated processes that focus on institutional quality, especially as that quality relates to student learning and achievement. The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness coordinates and facilitates Palm Beach State College's engagement in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide planning and evaluation. The College systematically reviews all outcomes for programs, administrative units, general education, and indirect institutional measures that contribute to an overall understanding of student learning. Most reviews are conducted annually and all align with regional accreditation requirements to identify expected outcomes, assess the extent to which students achieve these outcomes, and to provide evidence that the findings from these assessments are utilized to make improvements designed to enhance student learning.

A significant element of college effectiveness is student learning outcomes. They exist to broadly describe what students are  expected to know, and have the ability to demonstrate, upon the successful completion of a course, program or credential at the College.


Student Learning Outcomes consist of:

  • Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
  • Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
  • Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs)

View Learning Outcomes

The College is committed to continually improving student learning and institutional processes. In doing so, assessment becomes a critical resource.  Ongoing assessment of student learning outcomes includes the use of rubrics, projects, case studies, technical skills demonstrations, lab work, licensure and certification exams, presentations, performance in internships or externships, research, and product development or analysis. Non-academic units are also assessed, and students are invited to assess courses and faculty.  

 

Faculty and staff can contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness for resources or services that are not listed below or otherwise apparent on the web page or if additional help is needed.

The program review process is the means by which the College looks at the quality of learning that is occurring in each program or discipline in addition to several quantitative metrics. It is completed annually for all academic programs.

 

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness is available to help students understand Gordon Rule writing requirements or the use of assessment at the institutional level. Students are invited to view the rubrics for institutional learning outcomes to gain an understanding of the College-wide expectations of student achievement in PBSC programs.

The College is accredited regionally by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and remains accountable for federal and state reporting. Additionally, many academic programs are accredited by specialized accrediting bodies or otherwise affiliated with external certification and standards. 

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