SACS Accreditation Review Project - Memo Re: Assessment Plans , WKU

SACS Accreditation Review Project, Western Kentucky University

Memo Re: Assessment Plans

MEMORANDUM TO:	Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors, Department Heads, Program Coordinators
FROM:	SACS Leadership Team Dr. Dennis George, Co-Chair Dr. Retta Poe, Co-Chair Mr. Bob Cobb Dr. James Flynn Dr. Joe Glaser Dr. John Petersen Mr. Bogdan Ratiu
DATE:	09/26/02
SUBJECT:	Assessment Plans

In recent months the topic of outcomes assessment has received a lot of attention on campus. Not only are we committed to doing assessment as a basis for improving programs and services, but we also recognize the importance of assessing institutional effectiveness as part of getting ready for our impending SACS review. Most of you recently participated in a workshop conducted by Dr. Jim Nichols and Ms. Karen Nichols, who shared with us a framework for structuring our outcomes assessment efforts and documenting that we have used our assessments to make improvements.

As was previously announced, all academic programs and most administrative and educational support units will be required to submit assessment plans this (and every) fall, conduct assessments each spring, subsequently use the data to make improvements, and document the changes implemented. This memo outlines the details of what is expected of you.

Why is it necessary to document our assessment and program improvement efforts?
SACS Comprehensive Standard 16 reads as follows: “The institution identifies expected educational outcomes for its educational programs and its administrative and educational support services; assesses whether it achieves these outcomes; and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of those results.”

Who must submit assessment plans?

• Department heads/program coordinators of all academic programs (majors) at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels must submit assessment plans.
• Unit heads for administrative and educational support units (see attached list) must submit assessment plans.

What must be submitted?

• A separate assessment plan must be submitted for each academic program (major) with its own reference number. A program with multiple options may need more than one assessment plan; that decision is left to program faculty to make.
• A separate assessment plan must be submitted for each administrative and educational support unit that provides a distinct service or has a distinct function (see attached list).

Of what should the assessment plan consist?

• Assessment plans in academic units must focus on educational outcomes: what students are expected to know, think, or be able to do upon completion of the program. Outcomes should be linked to the institution’s statement of purpose and goals (see attached document). The assessment plan must detail:

Three to five educational outcomes

Means of assessing those outcomes

Criteria for determining success - i.e., whether the outcomes are achieved.

• Assessment plans in administrative and educational support units may focus either on educational outcomes, if appropriate, or processes linked to the institution’s statement of purpose and goals (see attached document). The assessment plan must detail:

One to three outcome or process objectives

Means of assessing those objectives

Criteria for determining success - i.e., whether the objectives are achieved

What special expectations are there for graduate programs?
Faculty who are preparing assessment plans for graduate programs should take note of SACS Comprehensive Program Standard 18: “The institution ensures that its graduate instruction and resources foster independent learning, enabling the graduate to contribute to a profession or field of study.” Thus, educational outcomes for graduate programs should address this standard in some way.

When are the assessment plans due?
Assessment plans (intended outcomes, means of assessment, and criteria for success) are due to be submitted to the Office of Institutional Research by November 1.

Who will review the assessment plans?
Dr. Burch has appointed several faculty and staff members to serve on the University Outcomes Assessment Committee. This committee will review each assessment plan and provide feedback before the plans are implemented in the spring.

What is the required format for the assessment plans?
Assessment plans should be submitted on forms similar to those provided by the Nicholses (our consultants). Eventually we intend to have these forms online so that they can be completed online. However, until that is accomplished, you should make as many copies as needed of the forms that are attached. An example of how a completed assessment plan might look is also attached for you to use as a model.

Academic programs and support units must link their assessment plans to the institutional statement of purpose and goals. In the attached document you will find a copy of the University’s Mission, Purpose, and Goals drawn from the University’s strategic plan, Challenging the Spirit. The purpose statement appears in the original plan as “Mission Parameters.”

Assessment plans for academic programs should all address the first paragraph of the statement of purpose, and they should all address Strategic Goal 1: “Increase student learning.” Accordingly, these two things are already filled in on the forms for academic programs.

Assessment plans for administrative and educational support units will address different parts of the statement of purpose and different strategic goals. The unit head should determine what portion of the statement of purpose and which strategic goals are addressed by the unit’s mission statement, and fill in that information.

What will be the next step in the assessment process?
Assessments should be carried out in the spring, and units/departments should keep careful records of the data gathered and the changes or improvements that are made based on the data. The full assessment record, including the report of the results of the assessment and the documentation of “closing the loop,” will be due early next fall.

To whom should questions about this process be addressed?
1. Any member of the SACS Leadership Team (listed above) can answer questions about what is expected.
2. For assistance in developing your assessment plan, first consult other department/unit heads in your area who attended the Nicholses’ workshop.
3. Further questions may be addressed to Dennis George ( 745-7060) or Retta Poe (745-4409).