What is Assessment?

1. What is Assessment? The university, with the support and encouragement of President Hitt and the Vice President team, engages in the institutional effectiveness process to assess and improve the educational experience and services that we provide to our students. Assessment is conducted in response to many external drivers (e.g., Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Criteria for Accreditation, NCATE, AACSB, and ABET) and, most importantly, the internal drive to improve.

3. DRC Role • Serve as mentors for Assessment Coordinators • Ensures departments adhere to the assessment schedule • Provide online review of plans and results • Attend meetings and workshops as needed • Assist with developing the annual presentation to Admin & Finance and to the UAC

4. Getting started as a reviewer/ mentor • Review the past years’ plans and results reports for your assigned department • Review the assessment survey (in your packet and on our website) • Meet with the Assessment Coordinator • Discuss ways to positively improve the process for them and their department

5. Succeedingas a reviewer/ mentor • Keep open communication with coordinators and your DRC Chair throughout the assessment cycle • Be familiar with the cycle and due dates • Ask coordinators how they are doing with their plans/results well before the due date, so that you can answer their questions • Conduct reviews early, and make thoughtful suggestions

6. Using the Rubrics: Plans • Beginning Plan: Three or more of the following are not met. • Emerging Plan: Up to two of the following indicators are not met. • Meets Expectations: All of the following indicators are met. • Mission statement includes the following: name of program/unit, purpose, primary functions and activities, and stakeholders. • Assessment Process is provided and describes assessment strategies, and how the program or unit members are involved. • Plan has at least three outcomes • Each outcome has at least two appropriate measures, and at least one of them is a direct measure. • Measures establish specific, quantifiable performance targets • Measures and targets are designed to promote improvement • Accomplished Plan: Meets all of the above indicators and at least one of the following indicators. • Exemplary Plan: Meets all of the above indicators and ALL of the following indicators. • Specific Assessment Instruments are made available (e.g., via URL, attachment, etc) if not proprietary. • Outcomes in the plan include stretch targets or include measurement of academic or operational initiatives that resulted from previous assessment. • Describes the relationship between the Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Plan and the University’s Strategic Plan.

7. Using the Rubrics: Results • Beginning Results Report: Three or more of the following are not met. • Emerging Results Report: Up to two of the following indicators are not met. • Meets Expectations: All of the following indicators are met. • Complete and relevant data are provided for all measures OR if data are incomplete or missing, an explanation is provided. • Data reporting is thorough (i.e., populations are defined, sampling methods and response rates are provided with survey data, etc) • Results for each measure indicate whether the target for that measure has been met. • Reflective statements are provided either for each outcome or aggregated for multiple outcomes • Implemented and planned changes are included and are linked to assessment data, or if no changes are reported, an explanation is provided. • Assessment instruments are attached or linked to if not proprietary. • Accomplished Results Report: Meets all of the above indicators and at least one of the following indicators. • Exemplary Results Report: Meets all of the above indicators and ALL of the following indicators. • Includes description of how the assessment process has been useful to your program or unit • Includes description of how IE Assessment has resulted in quality improvement initiatives • Data collection and analysis are used to assess the impact of implemented changes demonstrating a fully “closed loop” process