For each of the questions below, which appear in the Decennial Assessment Plan Template, we offer potential strategies for departments and programs to consider.
What are the key findings from the program review, as they relate to assessment of student learning?
- Introductory courses are not accessible to a broad range of students from different backgrounds.
- Students feel unprepared for Level-III writing assignments and feel they need more writing instruction in level-II courses (This example might apply also to analytical skills, broad or specialized knowledge, etc.).
- The department’s methods for assessing student learning from capstone papers has been effective, and the practice should be continued.
- Students are unable to identify the difference between a data set and a summary statistic table (This example might apply to various types of disciplinary tools or knowledge).
- The department’s practice of having students write reflections in level III courses on the connections between courses has meaningfully contributed to assessment of student learning, and should be continued.
- The department should expand offerings related to global societal challenges. (This example might apply to various curricular changes suggested by external review).
- Coursework should include more examples that are sensitive to issues facing minoritized communities.
- Students are not connecting concepts across different courses in the major.
What are your department/program ILOs (Intended Learning Outcomes)? Does your department see the need to revise your ILOs in light of recent findings?
Good reasons to adjust ILOs:
- ILOs are out-of-date or not right for the major anymore.
- ILOs represent a good learning goal, but are not readily assessable.
- ILO language is unclear or inaccessible to students.
This link will take you to the ILOs for all departments and programs.
What changes to the curriculum do you anticipate making in response to your last program review?
- Adjust the requirements for the major to include a course that requires a research project using data, in order to ensure that students have experience interpreting data.
- Add a course that focuses on Asian philosophy in order to broaden the international scope of course offerings for students.
- Incorporate a once-a-year department meeting agenda item for the faculty teaching advanced courses to discuss issues of preparedness for students entering those courses.
- Update the ILOs to include a focus on digital literacy within the major.
What methods and/or strategies have you used to assess student learning in the past? What changes to those assessment strategies, if any, do you anticipate?
Direct Assessment Examples:
- Use a rubric to evaluate portfolios of three writing samples students submit in the middle of their senior year.
- Faculty who teach upper-level courses periodically evaluate the preparedness of students for encountering content in those courses.
- Administering an assessment instrument (mini test) to second-semester seniors.
Indirect Assessment Examples:
- Questionnaire about students’ understanding of their own development.
Please provide your year-by-year proposed schedule of ILO assessment between now and your next program review
The Decennial Assessment Cycle resources page contains some examples of Decennial Assessment Plans.