Proposed Definition of Academic Program Assessment Plan and Procedure for Implementation

An academic program assessment plan shall consist of the following four components:

Ø Mission statement

Ø Student learning outcomes

Ø Program matrix (curriculum map)

Ø Timeline

1) Every program must have an assessment plan. Please submit assessment plans for all major programs to your college assessment director no later than May 17, 2007. Please submit assessment plans for all minor programs no later than December 24, 2007.

2) The four components of the assessment plan are not new to SCSU. All major programs should currently have mission statements and student learning outcomes, and many already have the other two components as well.

3) The program matrix or curriculum map shows which courses or outside-of-course activities (alumni surveys, standardized tests, and so forth) will be used to assess each student learning outcome.

4) The timeline identifies when these assessments will take place. Every student learning outcome should be assessed at least once during each program review cycle (every six years).

5) The assessment plan need not specify how each student learning outcome will be assessed. That information will be required in the annual assessment report, but only for the current year and the following year.

6) Assessment plans will be posted on the Assessment website as a resource for program faculty and students, curriculum committees, and the broader academic community.

7) As soon as possible after they are received, the Assessment website will post examples of assessment plans. This will serve as a resource for programs that still are working on their plans.

Rationale: This is an opportune time to revise our policies on assessment plans and annual assessment reports. The assessment plans for many programs were developed a number of years ago, and assessment reporting by programs has been sporadic in recent years. For SCSU to successfully complete its student learning projects for the HLC Assessment Academy, we need more systematic information about the assessment activities that are taking place across campus. The proposed revision of the policies on assessment plans and assessment reporting will clarify expectations for programs and will help ensure that programs have the information they need to improve student learning. Also, because assessment plans play an important role in our curriculum process, we need to clearly define what they are, and we need to make them public.

Approved by the Assessment Steering Committee on February 21, 2007