Assessment FAQs
What is assessment?
This broad term can have very different meanings, but the overall goal of assessment is to improve student learning. Perhaps Linda Suskie (2009) of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education defines it best, “Assessment is the ongoing process of establishing clear, measurable expected outcomes of student learning, ensuring that students have sufficient opportunities to achieve those outcomes, systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well students learning matches the expectations and using the resulting information to understand and improve student learning.”
Why do we participate in assessment?
The main purpose of assessment is to improve student learning, therefore assessment provides the opportunity to make necessary changes to a curriculum, pedagogy, advising and student support. Assessment assists instructors to evaluate whether students are achieving identified outcomes/objectives and provides information to improve a course or program.
In addition, because Lake Land College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), it is required to document assessment outcomes, measures, achievement targets, results, and the overall changes made to a program or course.
How is assessment different from evaluation?
Assessment is sometimes confused with evaluation. But it is important to differentiate between the two. Evaluation is the analysis and use of data by faculty to make judgments about student performance. This can many times determine what aspects of a particular assignment students, as a group, do well with and what aspects they are less proficient at. When faculty use this information to change their teaching methods, for example, in an attempt to improve student performance on a particular assignment the next time the course is taught, they are doing “assessment.”
What are the benefits of assessment?
Course and program assessment can provide data that will help course instructors, programs, and departments make informed decisions in terms of the program strengths and areas for improvement. In addition, the data collected for assessment can also be used for other purposes such as annual reviews (ICCB Program Review, for example).
What should I be assessing? How often are we required to assess courses, programs, and/or divisions?
Assessment is an ongoing process of identifying outcomes, collecting and analyzing data, and making changes (when necessary for improvement). That being said, you do not need to assess every outcome each time you run the course. Each term, you should assess by assignment linking to at least one course outcome, one program outcome, and two Laker Learning Competencies. Course and program narratives must also be completed to provide a full picture of assessment.
Please refer to the “Important Dates” section for specific deadline due dates.
Where do I access HelioCampus?
In Fall 2025, Lake Land College implemented HelioCampus Assessment Software. HelioCampus serves as a central housing location for all assessment components (course, program, and institutional).
- You can access HelioCampus from Canvas for Assignment Linking. For a tutorial on accessing HelioCampus from Canvas, visit the Laker Learning Collective.
- For your convenience, a HelioCampus link is located in the gray section on the left side of this page to use to submit course and program narratives and review course or program data for the narratives.
Important Dates
Assessment deadlines will be set to recur consistently:
a) Assignment Linking is due by Census day of each term
b) Program Narratives and Lead Instructor Course Narratives are due October 1 for the previous academic year’s data and improvements (Fall, Spring, and Summer)
c) Assessment Office: May 31 deadline for disseminating Course and Program Data and Narratives
Whom do I contact for assistance with assessment?
- For general assessment and HelioCampus questions, contact Josie Brockett, Assessment Coordinator, at jbrockett1331@lakelandcollege.edu, 217-234-5088 or Webb Hall 027.
- For Learning Excellence Committee questions, please contact Sarah Wright, Faculty Assessment Liaison, at swright2756@lakelandcollege.edu, 217-234-5355 or Webb Hall 007.
- For general Assessment and Curriculum questions, please contact Shannon McGregor, Associate Dean of Curriculum and Assessment, at smcgregor2@lakelandcollege.edu, 217-234-5334 or Webb Hall 025.
- For any other questions, please contact assessment@lakelandcollege.edu.