2008-2010 Activities
The College's third cycle of assessment has a theme: Assessing What Matters Most. This theme was chosen by the Center's Fellows and leadership team after reviewing and evaluating the assessment plans implemented in 2006-2008. Several new elements have been developed for this assessment cycle, including a detailed timeline and activity list, a new assessment report form, and an Academic Assessment Plan Rubric and AES Assessment Plan Rubric. The following guiding principles were disseminated before assessment plans were developed:
Cycle 3: Assessing What Matters Most
Guiding Principles and Processes:
In light of the ongoing academic reorganization and an evaluation of assessment efforts in the two previous cycles, in this next cycle of assessment the College will:
- Emphasize quality over quantity, and work within the general guidelines of the Assessment Framework to promote the end goal of all assessment efforts: use of the information to work toward improvements in student learning, service, quality, and the like.
- Organize activity around what has been responsible for the success of these previous efforts: the liaison structure. Liaisons are assigned to departments or clusters of related departments. Liaisons will be responsible for overseeing between two and four assessment plans. Assessment plans will be created for AAS degree programs (or groups of similar programs) and departments. Units to participate in assessment will be selected by need and/or interest, and as determined by each liaison in consultation with a CIE&R Fellow, department leader, and dean or director. Each plan will involve the assessment of outcomes relative to a single unit goal or learning objective.
- Encourage the development of a “living” mission statement for each department or program, from which the goals or objectives to be assessed clearly flow.
- Increase and broaden accountability for assessment by replacing the Assessment Review Group with a collaborative review that will initially involve Fellows and department leaders and later include Deans, Directors, and Vice Presidents.
Some questions for consideration as assessment plans are developed:
- Does the anticipated plan pertain to an area where opportunities for improvement exist, and are desired?
- Are there critical learning objectives or departmental goals that have not been made explicit thus far? (And which you may want to focus on in this next cycle?)
- Will the results of the assessment study you are contemplating matter to your department or program?
- Does the will exist to make changes to the way your department or program attempts to meet this goal or objective (e.g., reconsideration of learning opportunities, redesign of work flows, pedagogical strategies, etc.)
| 
