Timeline and Expectations
Each department produces the following items for each of its standalone degree and certificate programs: A Program Assessment Plan, Annual Reports, and a Comprehensive Evaluation Report.
Individually accredited programs may already have these items in place based on their
accrediting body's guidelines.
Program Assessment Plan:
A Program Assessment Plan is a living document -- developed by the faculty of each program -- that guides assessment for a given academic program.
A Program Assessment Plan consists of
- a concise set of student learning objectives, which are extensions of the phrase, “at the end of the [degree/certificate program], students will be able to…”
- a curriculum map, and
- a reasonable timeline and description of planned assessment activities
Timing: Each degree and certificate program should develop and share a program assessment plan during the Spring 2021 semester. OAA will communicate specific due dates soon.
See “Program Assessment Plan” on this website for more information.
Annual report:
By June of each year, faculty should prepare – for each degree and certificate program -- a short report of 1 to 2 pages to reflect progress and activities relative to program assessment. The report should briefly describe assessment activities of the preceding academic year and plans for the coming year.
Each report should respond to five simple questions:
- What did you want to do?
- How did you do it?
- How do you know if it was successful?
- What did you learn?
- What are you going to do next?
For more information, please see the “Annual Assessment Report” section of this website.
Comprehensive Evaluation Report
Regulators require us to produce periodic, comprehensive evaluation reports at least every seven years. The university is working out the details of how we will accomplish this, however, in the absence of details, it is important to accumulate evidence of ongoing assessment activities through an assessment plan and annual reports.
Please see the “Comprehensive Evaluation Reports” section of this website.
Workshops and training:
The Office of Academic Assessment plans to provide optional, virtual workshops and training beginning in Spring 2021.