Guidelines for completing Program Assessment Plan

and Assessment Report Table

Step 1: Define/revise Program Purpose Statement

The Program Purpose Statement is a clear statement about the overall purpose of the program.  The Program Purpose Statement must reflect the College's Mission Statement.  The following several questions may be addressed in the Program Purpose Statement [1]:

Whom do we serve?

How do we serve?

What results do we want to achieve?

What is our guiding philosophy?

How does our program fit into the disciplinary, professional, and regional context?

What makes our program unique in its context?

What future plans do we envision?

Step 2: Write Statements of Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Program objectives and learning outcomes should be derived from the Program Purpose Statement.  Three types of objectives and learning outcomes are included in the Program Assessment Plan:

A.  Program Strategic Objectives This section lists objectives that are of a strategic importance for the particular program.  The Program Strategic Objectives define overall program goals concerning students, curriculum, lab and equipment resources, recruitment and retention, accreditation by professional organizations, student employment and any other long-term program goals.  It seems to be a faculty's opinion that some of these objectives are common for all programs.  Consequently, those strategic objectives are included in the provided generic form of the Program Assessment Plan.  However, these objectives should be adapted/changed to reflect the specific characteristics of a particular program and new objectives could be added to the provided table.

B. General Education Learning Outcomes These learning outcomes, as defined by the WVSCTC General Education Core, are common for all programs.  As the general education learning outcomes are reinforced in many of the major courses, it is appropriate to also assess them in those courses and, therefore, in the overall program.  For this reason, the assessment of the general education learning outcomes is performed in three ways: (1) stand-alone assessment of the general education core, (2) assessment embedded at the program level, and (3) assessment embedded at the course level.  At the program level, make a plan for assessing the general education learning outcomes when appropriate.  Note that all general education learning outcomes are assessed within the General Education Core.  The embedded  assessment at the program and course level is an assessment reinforcement and addition to the general education core assessment.  

C.  Program Learning Outcomes The program learning outcomes are specific for each program, and they define knowledge, values, competencies, skills, and/or attainments which students will possess upon graduation.  It is important that program learning outcomes are measurable, reflect the college's mission and goals, and amplify some of the General Education Learning Outcomes.  The outcomes should be clear and understandable to constituencies in the program including new students.

Programs should have relatively few learning outcomes (aim below ten).

Step 3: Prepare the Curriculum Audit Grid* [2]

The purpose of preparing the curriculum audit is to evaluate who is teaching the learning outcomes, when they are being taught, where they occur in students' program of study, and how they are approached.  In essence, faculty look at the curriculum in light of the intended outcomes to ensure that students receive appropriate assignments and instruction in the desired order and with enough repetition so that learning outcomes are achieved. Course syllabi should document intended learning outcomes and methods of assessment so that learning outcomes can be tracked and linked between courses and programs.

A Curriculum Audit Grid is provided as an example of the type of grid that may be used to record the audit.  The grid lists the program outcomes in the left-hand column, and the numbers for required courses along the top row.  The grid boxes contain codes showing that students are introduced to material (I), the material is emphasized and taught in depth (E), the material is reinforced with additional exposure to the information (R), and the competencies/skills are being applied (A) in a particular course.

Simply checking off the boxes in this grid will not be incredibly rewarding.  It will be rewarding if faculty discuss what they teach and what assignments they give for each outcome.  Having faculty write or explain what and how they teach each outcome in any relevant course could help stimulate discussion among faculty and ensure that faculty complement one another's efforts.  Curriculum audits can also result in upgraded course outlines and syllabi and course changes. They are likely to help faculty make greater reference to what others teach in their programs. 

Step 4: Define assessment methods

■    Adjacent to each outcome, write the assessment strategies (measurements) or techniques for that particular outcome.

■    Use quantitative measurements and qualitative indicators, or both. 

■    Use direct and indirect indicators of learning.  Ideas for assessment instruments and methods are available on the WVSCTC Website: Assessment Instruments and Methods

■    Use multiple assessment measures for each learning outcome.

■    Most of the following assessments for program-level learning outcomes are already in place:

-        ACT Work Keys Assessment

-        Graduate Exit Exam

-        Graduate Follow-up Survey 

-        Employer Satisfaction Survey

-        ACT Faces of the Future Surveys

-        Advisory Committees

-        Capstone Courses

Step 5:  Define Criteria for Evaluation

Define how you will know that the desired outcome is achieved? When possible, express these criteria quantitatively (percentages, numbers).

Step 6: Make an Assessment Timeline

The assessment is a continuous process.  It cannot happen all at once.  It should be scheduled so that it does not overwhelm students or faculty. Not all outcomes need to be assessed each semester or year.  Synchronize the assessment cycle with the program review cycle (5-year or 3-year base).  Target to complete the assessment cycle a year before the program review is due. 

Program assessment timeline may be different for different programs depending on their program review schedules, professional accreditation dates, North Central Association visits, etc.  However, the assessment calendar needs to exist so that the assessment data can be collected in a timely manner.

Step 7: Create/complete the Assessment Report table

The generic assessment report table is provided after each section of the Program Assessment Plan.  It could be changed and adopted to reflect the particular program.

Step 8: Conduct the assessment according to the assessment timeline and collect and record the assessment data.

Step 9: Analyze the assessment data and make conclusions and recommendations for program improvement.

Step 10: Complete the Annual Program Assessment Report and Improvement Plan.