FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 • WESTMINSTER, CO

2025 Colorado Regional Assessment Council (CoRAC) Conference

Join Us at CoRAC 2025!

The 2025 CoRAC Conference is a one-day event bringing together professionals from two- and four-year public institutions in Colorado and surrounding areas to explore and share best practices in assessment. Whether you’re seasoned in the field or new to assessment, this conference is your opportunity to connect, learn, and grow.

  • Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
  • Location: Front Range Community College, Westminster Campus
  • Time: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
  • Cost: Free!

Key Details

  • Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in assessment at higher education institutions.
  • We have reached capacity and closed registration.

Event Highlights

  • Engaging Speakers: Gain insights from thought leaders in assessment.
  • Interactive Breakouts: Participate in discussions tailored to your interests.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with peers from across the region.

CoRAC 2025 Flyer

Schedule

Friday, February 21, 2025

8:00 AM-8:50 AMRegistration/Breakfast
9:00 AM-9:45 AMKeynote Session, Nassim Ebrahimi
10:00 AM-10:50 AMBreakout Session 1
11:00 AM-12:30 PMLunch
12:30 PM-1:20 PMBreakout Session 2
1:30 PM-2:20 PM Breakout Session 3
2:30 PM-3:00 PMSocial Networking

Dr. Nassimi Ebrahimi

Headshot of Nassim Ebrahimi

Recalibrating the Compass: Aligning with Purpose to Detangle Assessment

Assessment has the power to illuminate success, foster equity, and drive continuous improvement- when it’s purposefully aligned. However, without a clear direction, it can feel overwhelming and disconnected from meaningful change. In this keynote, Dr. Nassim Ebrahimi will explore how institutions can recalibrate their assessment practices to ensure they remain mission-driven, student-centered, and actionable.

Dr. Nassim Ebrahimi is a dedicated leader in higher education, recognized for her significant contributions to the community college sector. With a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Ebrahimi has built a career centered on improving outcomes and institutional effectiveness at community colleges nationwide.


As the CEO of Ebrahimi Consulting Inc., she offers strategic consulting services that focus on accreditation, assessment, and comprehensive system improvements. In her current role as an advisor to the Education Strategy Group, she supports the REACH Collaborative, helping community colleges in North Carolina and Texas develop equitable pathways to credential attainment for adult learners of color. This initiative focuses on aligning non-degree credentials with associate degree pathways and addressing barriers to success.


Previously, Dr. Ebrahimi served as Associate Vice President for Strategy, Planning, and Effectiveness at Prince George’s Community College, where she led critical initiatives that increased student retention and strengthened institutional capacity. Her ongoing work is shaping the future of community colleges as essential engines of equitable economic mobility for diverse student populations.


In addition to her endeavors in higher education, she is the CEO/Founder/ of Becoming My Stronger Me, LLC where she provides mental performance coaching and resources to elite athletes. She also has her own podcast, Becoming My Stronger Me, where she shares her journey and reflections on life’s major life transitions and mental performance training; is a certified indoor rowing coach; and is heavily involved in the local community.

Breakout Session 1

10- 10:50 am

Room c-0578

Student Basic Needs Insecurity at the University of Colorado Boulder

Dr. Crystal Cyr, Nash Albrecht, UC Boulder

The 2024 Basic Needs Survey at CU Boulder examines the scope and impact of basic needs insecurity on students’ academic performance and belonging. This session will explore key findings, discuss next steps, and highlight collaborative efforts by the Basic Needs Center and Student Affairs to ensure comprehensive support for students.

Dr. Crystal Cyr (She/Her), Director of Student Affairs Assessment and Research & Data Analytics

Nash Albrecht (They/Them), Assessment Specialist

room c-0401

Grants and Assessment

Edward Chusid, Front Range Community College

A discussion with FRCC’s Grant Director to discuss challenges, tips, and goals in building assessment into grant proposal design, and getting “clean data” for impact evaluation.

Edward Chusid (He/Him), Director of Resource Development

room c-0577

Pursuit of the Exceptional Student Experience through Continuous Process Improvement

Gabriel Castano, Kailee Henry, Front Range Community College

By Focusing on creating an exceptional employee experience, we can create an exceptional student experience. Through qualitative and quantitative data collection, and with Continuous Process Improvement mindset, leaders across Enrollment Management & Student Success division set out to identify and eliminate pain points, bottlenecks, and information gaps for staff leading to improved student support. As Front Range Community College aligned 3 separate campuses into a one-college model, many inconsistencies existed, but where to begin?

Gabriel Castano (He/Him), Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success

Kailee Henry (She/Her), Assistant to the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success

Room c-0403

Picturing Assessment: Using Questions, Pictures, Feedback, and Process to Create the Teaching Excellence Center

April Leqandowski, Dr. Catlyn Keenan, Elizabeth Griswold, Front Range Community College

Our presentation will showcase the innovative ways we used an assessment mindset to guide the initial first steps to create the Teaching Excellence Center (TEC). Early on, we knew we had an opportunity to streamline professional development at FRCC. We will discuss how we incorporated questions, visual representations, feedback, and a gritty process to gain valuable insights to inform the TEC’s development. Our goal is to inspire others to explore creative and effective assessment strategies for their own initiatives.

April Lewandowski (She/Her), Director of the Teaching Excellence Center

Dr. Catlyn Keenan (She/Her), Assistant Director of the Teaching Excellence Center & Faculty

Elizabeth Griswold (She/Her), Coordinator of the Teaching Excellence Center

Breakout Session 2

12:30- 1:20 pm

room c-0578

Tales from Your Friendly Neighborhood Assessment Lead: Improving Faculty Participation through Dedicated Support

Liz Medendorp, Ann Oreskovich, Kristi Harshbarger, Patty Rello, Amanda Mayes, Pueblo Community College

Providing Relevant, specialized support for assessment to faculty across a wide variety of programs and disciplines is challenging, especially when staffing and resources are limited. At Pueblo Community College, the Division Faculty Assessment Lead role was introduced as a creative solution that reallocates resources, distributes responsibilities, and capitalizes on subject-matter expertise to promote faculty participation, buy-in, and confidence in assessment. In this session, we will discuss the process and logistics of implementing this initiative, review the staggering improvements that resulted, and our Leads will share their experiences serving in this role and advice for how others can replicate their success.

Liz Medendorp (She/Her), Director of Assessment of Student Learning

Ann Oreskovich (She/Her), Faculty & Assistant Chair in Fine Arts, Humanities and Media Communications

Kristi Harshbarger, MAOM (She/Her), Faculty & Department Chair of Business and Accounting

Patty Rello (She/Her), Faculty & Coordinator of Medical Imaging

Amanda Mayes (She/Her), Arts and Sciences Faculty & Assessment Committee Chair

room c-0401

Engaging Asynchronous Learners with Active Learning Principles

Mikayla Martinez, Front Range Community College

This session will explore the impacts of course redesign inspired by participation in Front Range Community College’s Active Learning Institute. Specifically, we will examine the student data collected as a result of these redesign efforts. Our session will dive into how active learning strategies were integrated into course structure and how these changes influenced student engagement.

Mikayla Martinez (She/Her), Early Childhood Education Faculty

Room c-0403

Closing Equity Gaps Through Student Learning Outcome Assessment

Amy Holly, Aaron Leff, Front Range Community College

Front Range Community College assesses near-graduating students on a selection of 5 student learning outcomes identified by our statewide system. After completing a 3-year cycle of data collections and analysis, FRCC’s assessment team identified a correlation between exceptional or proficient performance and the quality of the assignments given, particularly in relation to critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills, results that are further supported by nationally vetted resources for increasing student success and closing equity gaps through specific assignment design principles. intended for faculty and administrators, session participants will be introduced to key aspects of equity-effective assignment design principles, apply, revise, and self-evaluate their ability to create more equitable assignments, and experience FRCC’s tool for translating intent of assignments to what we present to students.

Amy Holly (She/Her), English Faculty & Assessment Fellow

Aaron Leff (He/His), English Faculty & Assessment Fellow

Breakout Session 3

1:30- 2:20 pm

room c-0578

Measuring Learning: Why Quantitative Measures of Learning Fall Short- and an Overview of Possible Alternatives

Mark Hussey, Front Range Community College

Measuring learning is fundamental to the teaching and learning environment. Unfortunately, our most commonly used method for measuring learning- using points as a quantitative measure- fails to measure learning, undermines student motivation in the learning process, and distracts form the learning process. Realizing this, many educators seek alternative grading methods to address these problems, buy why do points fail as a system for measuring learning? How do alternative grading systems address the problems? This session explores key reasons why many educators are abandoning points in favor of alternative methods, and it provides an overview of the range of possible alternatives.

Mark Hussey, English Faculty & Online Instructional Coach

room c-0401

Taking MyCourse (D2L) Outside of the Box

Jeanne Dickey, M.Ed., Front Range Community College

We all know what the tools in MyCourses (D2L) are supposed to do- Discussions irritate students into having a discourse online about what they are learning; Quizzes remind students about how little they know about the topics we are trying to teach them… But what if we could use those tools for other things? Surveys or Discussions as Peer Review, Quizzes as Guided Learning, Attendance registers as checklists, and so on… Come let’s explore what it’s like to use the MyCourses (D2L) tool outside of their intended use.

Jeanne Dickey, M.Ed. (She/Her), Instructor of Creative Arts, Design, and Humanitites

room c-0403

Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Front Range Community College

Dawn Reed, Ryan Lambert, Front Range Community College

This presentation will provide an overview of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Front Range Community College (FRCC), highlighting its current and planned state. IT explores the purpose and significance of the IRB, emphasizing its role in ensuring ethical standards in research. Attendees will gain insights into the IRB process, including approval mechanics, application requirements, and data stewardship. The session underscores the importance of tracking projects and requests to maintain consistency and integrity. With a mix of informational and interactive segments, the presentation aims to engage participants and address questions, fostering a deeper understanding of IRB functions and best practices.

Dawn Reed (She/Her), Accounting Faculty

Ryan Lambert (He/His), Director of Data Science and Institutional Research

Event Venue

FRCC Westminster Campus Map

Westminster Campus Maps and Parking Info

Front Range Community College | 3645 West 112th Avenue, Westminster, CO 80031

Registration and Breakfast in the Rotunda
Keynote session in the Rocky Mountain Room