3.4.1 Educational Program Approval and Evaluation

Commission Standard: The institution demonstrates that each educational program: (a) is approved by the faculty and the administration, and (b)  establishes and evaluates program and learning outcomes.

Status: In Compliance

Rationale:

Approval Process

All educational programs and courses at Western must be approved by the faculty and administration. The board of regents and state CPE are often involved as well.

WKU faculty have “primary responsibility for areas such as curriculum, subject matter, and methods of instruction” ( Charter of the University Senate ). Educational programs are approved through a series of academic committees (see 3.4.12 , below) and ratified by the administration ( University Curriculum Committee Guidelines and Operating Procedures ). Proposals to create or eliminate programs may require further approval from the board of regents or the Kentucky CPE.

Curriculum proposals may arise from programs, departments, colleges, or other units. Those originating within a college are routed through the department and the undergraduate or graduate curriculum committee of the college to the University Curriculum Committee (UCC), a subcommittee of the University Senate.

Proposals that require approval by the Professional Education Council, the General Education Committee, or the Graduate Council go to those committees through well-established routing procedures before reaching the UCC.

Interdisciplinary proposals are reviewed by an undergraduate or graduate college curriculum committee, ideally the one most closely related to the topic. If no college seems most appropriate, then the UCC chair assigns the proposal to a college curriculum committee at his or her discretion.

Proposals approved by the UCC and Senate are forwarded as recommendations to the provost for final consideration. Proposals to create or delete a program must also be approved by the president, the board of regents, and in some cases the Kentucky CPE.

The current curriculum approval process went into effect when the University Senate was established in fall 2000. Since then, various revisions have improved the process. Ongoing review continues in an attempt to create the most logical and responsive system to ensure high quality academic programs.

Evaluation of Learning Outcomes

As discussed under Section 3.3 , Institutional Effectiveness, assessment at WKU focuses on expected outcomes to shape improvements in educational programs. Every fall, faculty in each academic program identify intended educational outcomes, defined as what the program faculty intend for students to know (cognitive outcomes), think (attitudinal outcomes), and be able to do (behavioral outcomes) when they have completed the program.

Next, faculty adopt at least one means to assess each outcome. Assessment measures include norm-referenced or locally developed examinations, performance appraisals, simulations, portfolios, surveys, and interviews. Specific criteria for success are established for each outcome.

By October 1, academic programs submit assessment plans containing from three to five outcomes to be measured, their means of assessment, and their criteria for success. These are reviewed by the
University Outcomes Assessment Committee (UOAC) during December and January. Review comments are returned and final assessment plans completed by February 1.

Over the course of the year, faculty conduct these approved assessments, interpret the data, and devise program improvements as needed. A “closing the loop” report on corrective measures is submitted in September.

Each phase of academic programs' assessment activities is summarized and made available for public review on the WKU assessment website . Online reporting facilitates a common format and shared assessment data across the institution.

Western's assessment coordinator and the UOAC chair both report to the provost,who also appoints the  UOAC.