Annual Program-Level Assessment
Academic Departments and General Education
All academic programs are expected to assess program-level learning and operational goals on an annual basis. Assessment reports and plans should be completed by September 15 of each year.
Best practice recommends assessing each learning goal twice during a 5-year review cycle. Departments are urged to use assessments that measure multiple learning goals ("work smarter, not harder") and capitalize on assessments organic to their programs, such as internship evaluations, student teaching reviews, and clinical performance assessments.All full-time faculty in a program should participate in the department's assessment process, from administering the assessments to interpreting the results and generating an action plan. Efforts should be made to include adjunct faculty in the process as well. When warranted, results should be shared with other stakeholders, such as students or alumni.
If the department’s assessment findings suggest a need for additional or increased resources, the chairperson should make an appointment to meet with the School Dean to discuss the findings and the recommend action plan/resource requests. When appropriate, deans will advocate for academic departments in their school.
Assessment plans for the current academic year must be submitted to the respective School Dean by October 15.
Review Process
Annual assessment reports and plans are reviewed by the Academic Assessment Committee (AAC) , and feedback is shared directly with each department in face-to-face meetings and/or by a scored rubric that aligns with institutional requirements and articulates the characteristics of effective assessment.The AAC is further responsible for periodic assessments of the assessment processes. Results of these assessments are reported in the AAC's semi-annual reports to the Provost and Faculty Senate and may be accessed on the Academic Assessment Committee's website.
Sharing Assessment Results
All members of a department or program have a responsibility regarding assessment, both doing it and analyzing the results. Program-level assessment findings should be shared with and reviewed by all departmental faculty members.Departments are urged to consider ways to share assessment findings with key constituents, namely alumni, current students, and prospective students.
With all learning assessments, assessment data remains confidential and should be reported in aggregate form only at the program level. Faculty and program directors must adhere to FERPA regulations when reporting or sharing results. When student artifacts are submitted as part of a report, all identifiable information should be scrubbed from the document. Likewise, if "raw" data are attached as supporting evidence, all identifying information (students' names, ID numbers) should be removed. Faculty and/or course sections should not be identified either.
Course-level assessment
Course-level learning goals are expected to be clearly articulated in each syllabus and congruent with program-level learning goals. Syllabi should also include information about how the learning will be assessed, when the assessments will occur, and how much each assessment is worth towards the final grade. The University also has specific instructions for what needs to be included in each syllabus. School deans and/or program directors and chairpersons may review syllabi to ensure compliance. Faculty are required to submit copies of their course syllabi to the respective school office during the first week of classes.Course-level assessments may inform the development of new courses, the elimination of courses, or substantial revisions to a course. Such changes are managed through the Curriculum Committee.