Senate
(Amended and Approved, 10/28/02)
(Amends Senate Document SD 98-22)
Senate Document SD 98-22
Supersedes SD 92-7
Supersedes SD 94-13
(Approved, 4/12/1999)
(Amended,
(Amended
and Approved,
___________________________________________________________
Educational Policy Committee
MEMORANDUM
To: Fort Wayne
Senate
From: Educational
Policy Committee, Linda Wright‑Bower, Chair
Subject: The Plan
for the Assessment of Student Academic Achievement
Date:
Disposition: To
the Presiding Officer for implementation
Whereas, the Assessment Council has approved the attached update to
the IPFW Assessment Plan; and
Whereas, the Educational Policy Council has also
approved the document;
Be it Resolved, that the attached document supersede SD
92-7 and SD 94-13.
THE PLAN FOR THE ASSESSMENT
OF
STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
March,
1999
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction....................................................................................... 1
II.
III. The
IPFW Assessment Plan............................................................... 2
IV. Annual
Reports................................................................................. 4
V. Administration
of the Plan................................................................... 5
VI. The
Assessment Council.................................................................... 6
VII. Appendices....................................................................................... 6
The Plan for the Assessment
of Student Academic Achievement
I. INTRODUCTION
The plan for
assessing and documenting student academic achievement that follows is the
result of enabling legislation adopted by the Fort Wayne Senate (SD 92-7),
November 9, 1992, upon recommendation of the Educational Policy Committee. The legislation provided for the
establishment of a Steering Committee for Assessment of Student Academic
Achievement (SCASAA) with representation from each of the schools/divisions of
IPFW, Student Academic Counseling Services (now Academic Counseling and
Career Services), and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs; provided guidelines to the committee for developing an
institution-wide plan consistent with the mission of Indiana University-Purdue
University Fort Wayne and accreditation Criterion III of the Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges
and Schools; and, in addition, provided for submission of the plan, including
administration of the plan, to the Senate for approval.
This
implementation of the plan for assessment of student academic achievement was
further defined in SD 94-13, which was adopted
The assessment
plan described in this document reflects experience with implementation of
assessment measures, procedures adopted by the Assessment Council, an update to
the plan for assessment of the General Education program, and other changes. As a result, it provides a consolidated
description of current policies and procedures, and it will also serve as a
baseline for the continued improvement of the assessment plan.
II.
Assessment plans
are designed to evaluate whether the goals of the general education program,
and of the respective certificate and degree programs, are being achieved. The
goals of the general education program, and of each certificate and degree
program, have been approved separately by the Fort Wayne Senate. Review of mission and goals is periodically
undertaken by schools, divisions, and departments, culminating in Senate
approval of any revisions.
Conclusions about
the achievement of program goals, obtained through assessment of student academic
achievement, are expected to lead to improvement of academic programs and
greater success in achieving program goals.
III. THE IPFW
ASSESSMENT PLAN
The IPFW
assessment plan focuses on two primary areas: assessment of student academic
achievement in general education and assessment of student academic achievement
in the majors.
A. General Education
The
general-education portion of the plan provides for documenting achievement in
each part of the general education program, i.e. the foundation skills, the
knowledge domains, creative and artistic expression, and the advanced
study component inquiry and analysis.
1. General Education Assessment Measures Principles
The
following measures of student academic achievement will be used in assessing
the success of the general education program in meeting its goals:
a. Measures of student academic achievement in General Education will be selected and implemented according to generally recognized best practices in general-education assessment.
b. The assessment plan will be designed to measure program goals, not the goals of individual courses.
c. To ensure a reasonable degree of consistency across departments and schools,
a. Course Approval Process
all courses to be included in the General Education program
will be approved by the General Education Subcommittee based on the criteria
approved by the IPFW Senate in SD 99-25.
To ensure continuity, the GES will periodically conduct a review of
approved courses.
d. The General Education Assessment Plan and its
administration will be consistent with the General Standards for Assessment
Plans outlined in III.B.1. below, and with the
principles of assessment enumerated in Appendix B.
b. Student Surveys
Students in the knowledge
domain areas will be asked to complete a survey about the particular course and
the General Education program. Students
in Area II and III courses will be surveyed in odd-numbered academic years, and students in Area IV and V courses in the alternate
years.
c. Faculty Surveys
Faculty teaching Area
VI courses will be asked to complete a survey about student preparation for
their particular course.
d. Student Performance Report
The Subcommittee will
analyze student grade data and summarized results by course and area.
2. Responsibility for Assessment
Development,
administration, and interpretation of all assessment measures will be the
responsibility of the General Education Subcommittee.
3. Annual Reports
The General
Education Subcommittee will prepare an annual report for the Assessment Council
and the Educational Policy Committee. The report will describe the assessment
measures and summarize findings about student academic achievement in the
General Education program. The report
will also describe conclusions and actions based on these findings about
achievement of the goals of the General Education program.
B. Degree and Certificate Programs
Assessment plans for degree and certificate programs
describe the means used to assess and document student academic achievement in
each of the academic majors at IPFW.
Further, the plans describe the processes used to reach conclusions
about whether the goals for the program are being achieved. The focus of the assessment is on the goals
of the program, rather than the achievement of the student in completing the
requirements of the program.
1. General Standards for Assessment Plans
a. Departments and divisions will develop a plan
for each certificate, associate, baccalaureate, and master's
degree/major/concentration that has unique goals.
b. Measures of student academic achievement will
be selected and applied to promote confidence in the evidence they yield. To that end, every assessment plan will
utilize multiple measures of student learning, and each measure will involve
evaluations beyond those of course instructors.
c. Measures of student academic achievement will
include an interim measure, an internal measure at or after the time of
graduation, and an external measure at or after the time of graduation. However, interim measures of progress are not
required for certificate or master's degree programs, and are optional for associate degree programs,
unless required by accrediting bodies.
Examples of measures in each category are shown in Appendix C.
d. The description of each measure will include
a description of how the assessment measure will be conducted, the scope (all
students/graduates, a random sample, etc.), the frequency (every term,
annually, every two years, etc.) and who is responsible for conducting it,
assembling the data, and reaching conclusions.
e. Measures will be based on courses which are
already being taught or on other requirements, such as portfolios, which have
already been incorporated into requirements for the degree or certificate
program.
f. Each assessment plan will describe the
process that will be used to reach conclusions from assessment data about whether
program goals are being achieved.
g. Each assessment plan will identify the
process for making changes in the program, based on conclusions from assessment
data, which are expected to improve student achievement of the goals.
h. Each assessment plan will be structured to
address all of the goals of the program.
i. Each assessment
plan will include a process for reviewing the success of the plan in
identifying needs for program improvement and the frequency of review of the
plan.
j. Assessment plans and updates to these plans
must be approved by the school/division and then by the Assessment Council.
2. Responsibility
for Assessment of the Majors
Development,
validation, and interpretation of the assessment plans, administration of the
measures, and analysis of the results of measuring student academic achievement
will be the responsibility of the unit (usually a department) that offers the
program.
IV. Annual Reports
The annual
reports, prepared by the department/division/program and by the school,
summarize the efforts to assess student academic achievement and to respond to
the findings.
A. Department/division/program reports
1. The report should describe the assessment activities
completed during the previous year and described in the assessment plan for
each program sponsored by the unit.
2. For each program, the report should describe
findings from the assessment activities.
3. For each program, the report should describe
conclusions about the achievement of program goals based on the findings.
4. For each program, the report should describe
actions that will be taken to improve the program based on these conclusions.
5. The report should be completed by the
deadline established by the school/division or, in the case of programs that
do not report through a school, the deadline established by the Assessment
Council.
B. The school report
1. Each school/division then assembles the
departmental reports, monitors departmental completion of the plans for
assessment, evaluates departmental analysis of results, guides the process of
changing the program so that goals will be achieved, and considers whether
changes in the assessment plan are needed in order to provide better evidence
of achievement. The recommendations
from the school-level review are forwarded to the respective
departments/programs.
2. Each school and division develops a report on
its review and incorporates its own comments and recommendations. With the concurrence of the dean or director,
the school/division report is forwarded to the Assessment Council by November
15 January 15 of each year.
V. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN
A. Purpose
The administration
of the plan for assessment of student academic achievement includes monitoring compliance with
the provisions of the IPFW assessment plan, reviewing the translation of
assessment data into improved academic achievement in general education and in
the academic majors, and proposing revisions in the campus, General Education,
and program assessment plans as experience and changing academic goals warrant.
B. Responsibility
1. Responsibility for establishment of a plan
for the assessment of student academic achievement belongs to the Fort Wayne
Senate.
2. Responsibility for the administration of the
campus plan for the assessment of student academic achievement belongs to the
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and is assigned by the Vice Chancellor to
a staff member (Director of Assessment) of the Office of Academic
Affairs, who shall be advised by an Assessment Council.
3. Responsibility for the school assessment plan
belongs to the dean, through the governance processes of the school.
4. Responsibility for the department/division/program
assessment plan belongs to the chair/director, through the governance processes
of the department/division.
VI. The Assessment
Council
A. Responsibilities
The council shall review the annual
assessment reports of the General Education Subcommittee, and of the schools/divisions, and departments and of any programs that do not report
through a school, and shall
recommend to the Vice Chancellor whether each is acceptable. Based upon the
review, the council shall also make recommendations to the Vice Chancellor, the
Educational Policy Committee, schools and divisions, or other university
committees and councils, as appropriate. The Recommendations to the EPC
should relate to how the assessment plan should be amended and recommendations to the VCAA should relate
to how IPFW should allocate resources in the short- and long-term to
advance student academic achievement.
Recommendations to schools/divisions and to departments/programs that do not report through a school should address possibilities for enhancing the units’ assessment activities. In addition, the council shall incorporate its findings and recommendations in an annual report through the Educational Policy Committee to the Fort Wayne Senate about the status of the assessment of student academic achievement and its effectiveness in improving student learning.
B. Composition
The Assessment Council shall consist
of eleven members: the
Director of Assessment, who will chair
the Council,; the Academic
Affairs staff member designated by the VCAA,; the chair of
the General Education Subcommittee,; two from the School of
Arts and Sciences, and one each from the Schools/Divisions of Arts and Sciences; Business and
Management Sciences; Education; Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science; Fine
Visual and Performing Arts; Health
Sciences; and Public and Environmental Affairs. The school/division members
shall be faculty with responsibility for
assessment in their departments or schools, selected for renewable three-year
terms by the unit’s preferred procedures.
VII. APPENDICES
APPENDIX A. North
Central Association Standards for Assessment of Student Academic Achievement
1. The plan is linked to the mission, goals, and
objectives of the institution for student learning and academic achievement,
including learning in general education and in the major.
IPFW, a
comprehensive university, is composed of eight academic schools and divisions
and a division of student academic counseling and career services,
each with a different academic mission.
Accordingly, the assessment plan is decentralized to a significant
degree. Responsibility for defining
academic missions, goals, and objectives and the corresponding plans for assessing
student academic achievement in the majors devolves upon the schools/divisions
and the departments. Consequently, each
academic unit is charged with demonstrating the link between its mission and
its assessment plan. Responsibility for
defining the goals and objectives of general education and the corresponding
plan for assessing student academic achievement in general education devolves
upon the General Education Subcommittee.
2. The faculty have
participated in the development of the institution's plan, and the plan is
institution-wide in conceptualization and scope.
The IPFW
plan for documenting student academic achievement is the result of enabling
legislation adopted by the Fort Wayne Senate upon recommendation of the
Educational Policy Committee, and the plan has been approved by the
Senate. The original plan was devised by
the Steering Committee for Assessment of Student Academic Achievement (SCASAA),
a steering committee authorized by Senate legislation with representation from
each of the schools/divisions, Student Academic Counseling Services, and the
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Subsequent IPFW Senate legislation
established an Assessment Council as the successor to SCASAA.
Plans for
assessing achievement in the majors originated at the department level and were
submitted via established school/division governance procedures. Plans for assessing achievement in general
education originated with the General Education Subcommittee.
All plans
were evaluated under guidelines developed by SCASAA and refined by the
Assessment Council. The guidelines for
plans for assessing student academic achievement in the major specify that each
plan must include an internal means of assessment at exit, an external means of
assessment at exit, and, for most programs, an interim (progress in program)
means of assessment. Similar guidelines
for the plan for assessing achievement in general education embody the core
principles of multiple measures and continuous assessment.
3. The assessment program will lead to
institutional improvement when it is implemented.
Every major
plan and the general education plan provide for the collection and analysis of
information yielded by multiple measures; for the revision of goals and program
content, for the improvement of student learning; for regular review of the
assessment plans; and for reporting and review of findings and actions through
school/division channels to the Assessment Council. The Assessment Council is charged with monitoring
the plan and evaluating its success.
4. The timeline for the assessment program is
appropriate and realistic.
The
original program was scheduled for phased implementation beginning in Spring 1994. Subsequent steps in the implementation plan allowed
sufficient time for development and administration of the various parts of the
plan.
5. The plan provides for appropriate
administration of the assessment program.
The
provisions for administration reflect the culture and traditions of governance
and administration at IPFW.
Responsibility for the plan is assigned to the Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs with delegation of responsibility to provide for
decision-making at the appropriate level, maintenance of the program, and
evaluation within a large and academically decentralized institution.
APPENDIX B. IPFW Principles of
Assessment
The IPFW plan for the assessment of student academic
achievement is based upon the principles of assessment established by the North
Central Association, principles of sound research methodology, and principles
of educational and administrative philosophy that are part of the traditions of
the institution. The principles have
guided the construction of the plan, are embedded in the administration of the
plan, and will guide changes to reflect knowledge gained from assessment and
changes in policies and circumstances at the institution.
The underlying principles are:
1. The plan is linked to the mission, goals,
and objectives of the institution.
2. The plan is institution-wide in
conceptualization and scope.
3. The plan is designed to foster
institutional improvement, benefiting both students and programs through
intentional linkages between program goals and efforts to improve students'
achievement of those goals.
4. The plan is designed to ensure
institutional improvement and to improve the assessment plan itself.
5. The data and conclusions generated through
assessment are intended to improve programs rather than evaluate individual
students.
6. The tasks of developing, administering, and
improving the components of the assessment program are delegated to the unit
best qualified to consider each component of the plan.
7. Faculty responsibility for assessment is
ensured by intentional linkages between the plan and the institution's
established patterns of governance and administration.
8. The assessment plan is coordinated with
related ongoing institutional practices that promote learning, such as program
review and accreditation.
9. The assessment plan requires multiple
measures of student academic achievement in order to overcome the limitations
of any single source of evidence about achievement.
10. The assessment plan is considered to be
dynamic rather than fixed. Experience
with assessment and the effectiveness of the plan will lead to modifications by
units of their plans.
APPENDIX C. EXAMPLES OF
ASSESSMENT MEASURES
1. Examples of Interim Measures
a. Review for admission to an advanced stage of
the program
b. Achievement in courses with prerequisites,
linked to program goals
c. Portfolio reviews
d. Curriculum embedded measures, linked to
program goals
e. Mid-program examinations
2. Examples of Internal Measures at or after
Graduation
a. Comprehensive examinations
b. Senior papers, design projects, or juried
performances
c. Portfolio reviews
d. Capstone course measures, linked to program
goals
3. Examples of External Measures at or after
Graduation
a. Evaluations of achievement conducted by
visitors
b. Performance on licensing, certification, and
registration examinations
c. Performance on standardized examinations
d. Graduate and alumni evaluations of
achievement of program goals
e. Employer evaluations of achievement of program
goals and of preparation of graduates
f. Graduate and professional school acceptance
rates
APPENDIX D. CURRENT
PROCEDURES USED BY THE ASSESSMENT COUNCIL TO
The Assessment Council process for review of school and
division annual assessment reports is based on a form which considers the
degree to which the report includes evidence of completion of assessment
measures, findings based on the measures, evidence about conclusions based on
the findings, and evidence that the conclusions have led to actions to improve
the program(s). The form also provides
an opportunity for Council comments on the assessment activities and the
department/division report of these activities.
The process used by the Council may change without affecting the IPFW
assessment plan and without any need for subsequent Senate action. A sample of the worksheet used for this
purpose is attached for information only.
APPENDIX D., Continued
SAMPLE OF ASSESSMENT COUNCIL WORKSHEET
USED FOR REVIEW OF SCHOOL/DIVISION/DEPARTMENT
ANNUAL ASSESSMENT REPORTS
DEPARTMENT:
|
Assessment Report for: |
||
|
All measures
completed? |
Y N
NA |
|
|
Measures linked
to program goals? |
Y N
|
|
|
Findings: sufficient
data in summarized form? |
Y N
NA |
|
|
Conclusions based
on data? |
Y N
NA |
|