Assessment Newsletter
An electronic publication for communication to the campus community about assessment and institutional effectiveness, the Newsletter is published by the Provost's Office. Assessment Workshop. The University Assessment
Committee sponsored a series of "hands-on" assessment workshops
last April. The workshops, an extension of the January luncheon and workshop
for all deans, department chairs, associate chairs, division heads, and
program coordinators, provided discipline-specific instruction to strengthen
assessment activities on campus. Thanks to Deb Hill and Steve Barney for
leading the discussions and providing examples. During the 2002-03 academic
year, there will be further dialog and instruction on assessment. A common question is: "Why are student learning outcomes needed?" There are basically three reasons: (1) increased demand for accountability to demonstrate programs work, (2) an accreditation requirement for both regional and discipline-specific accrediting agencies, and (3) as educators, we should be able to articulate the goals and objectives of student learning and development. Another common question is "What does a student learning outcome
look like?"
For each student learning outcome, there must follow a means of program assessment and criteria for success. These might include a jury of faculty making a judgment, a specific test score threshold, a survey of career placement, or a nationally normed questionnaire. In the past two years, each academic department has developed a mission
statement reflecting the mission statement of the University. The next
step is to express, program by program, student learning outcomes. Accreditors
will be looking for them in departmental self-studies, students will be
looking for them in syllabi, departmental assessment plans and reports
will center on them and measure them, and the new academic program review
process will focus directly on them as indicators of program effectiveness.
We need to take the time this fall to develop explicit student learning
outcomes for each program. For additional assistance on developing learning
outcomes, you can contact a member of the University Assessment Committee
or the Provost's office. National Survey of Student Engagement
The 2002 NSSE survey results reaffirm these findings, and the separate 2002 institutional benchmark report will be available this Fall. The ACT College Outcomes Survey summarizes specific strengths of the institution. Many of the strengths are sharply more satisfying to students responding to the survey than at national peer institutions. ACT College Outcomes Survey
In addition to strengths, the two surveys identify areas for institutional improvement. The NSSE survey focused on the academic experience. While some findings were at or above national peer scores, other areas were identified for improvement. National Survey of Student Engagement
The College Outcomes Survey highlighted student support areas. College Outcomes Survey
Supplementing these findings were the results of focus groups. During Spring semester 2002, 280 freshman students enrolled in UNIV 1310, section 1-5, participated in detailed discussions about SUU, their experience, perceptions, and what they would change. Three items are summarized here:
Complete results from the focus groups are available in the Provost's office. With few exceptions, the results are constructive and helpful. Thanks to Jill Wilks and the student mentors for the time and effort invested to conduct the focus groups and to compile the results. |
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