ALC/Assessment NEWS

Undergraduate Program Assessment

November 2007 marked the beginning of a series of undergraduate program level assessment workshops at USF organized by the Center for 21st Century Teaching Excellence (C21TE) in partnership with the Office of Assessment. The first workshop was held on the Tampa campus on Tuesday, November 14th. The second was conducted on the St. Pete campus, November 27th. The two workshops were attended by a total of 36 chairs/directors, faculty and staff.

Facilitated by Felix Wao (C21TE) and Terri Flateby (Office of Assessment), the workshops offered opportunities for program directors, department chairs and faculty to share their successes and challenges regarding assessment processes and products in their respective departments/programs. Participants were presented with details on each step in the following assessment cycle, which not only applies to program level assessment process but also to course level assessment.

Facilitators emphasized the importance of having a continuous assessment process in each undergraduate program for the express purpose of enhancing student learning and improving academic programs. A number of participants shared their current departmental assessment processes. Others provided highlights on progress they have made in implementing the outcomes stated in their Academic Learning Compacts. Workshop facilitators expounded on what Academic Learning Compacts are and how they can be embedded within the already existing program-level assessment processes to avoid unnecessary duplication of assessment-related information. The sharing among participants from various programs was instrumental as it promoted further understanding of the key parts of assessment planning and implementation processes at the program level and products associated with the exercise.

Participants were presented with an assessment plan template, designed to document program-level assessment-related information. The template offers guidance relative to documentation of information that would assist undergraduate programs in the on-going process of enhancing student learning, improving programs, promoting institutional effectiveness, and finally, fulfilling external requirements such as accreditation and program review. The template will soon be available as an online form in the ALC website which is currently being re-designed.

Workshop evaluations at the end of the workshop reflected not only the participants’ enthusiasm but also their eagerness to have more assessment workshops targeting specific aspects of program level assessment.

Program Review

Academic program review at USF consists of regular, high quality peer reviews of all the University’s academic degree programs on a seven-year cycle as required by the Florida Board of Governors. Program reviews aim at promoting academic excellence, increasing the quality of every program, and providing guidance for department faculty and administrative decisions in support of on-going future improvement.

At USF, the program review process consists of: (i) Program self-study prepared by the chair and faculty of the program under review, (ii) Dean’s Report prepared by the Dean of the college that houses the program under review, (iii) On-site visit and written report by external reviewer(s) selected from peer institutions by the programs under review, and (iv) A summary report of the program review sent to the Board of Governors.

The following programs are undergoing review this year (2008-2009): Undergraduate programs in Liberal Arts, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, American Studies, Africana Studies and Women Studies, and Graduate programs in American Studies, Liberal Arts, Women’s Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

To learn more about Academic Program Review, click here.

Academic Learning Compacts

The institutional Academic Learning Compacts (ALC) progress report was submitted to the Board of Governors in December 2007. The ALC progress report is usually prepared by the Office of Academic Affairs and provides the status of each undergraduate degree program in reference to specific key assessment processes and products.

The 2007 status report indicated that a majority of the undergraduate programs are experiencing success in their ongoing assessment processes. Specifically, they are showing progress in the attainment of student learning outcomes, use of multiple methods of assessment, and documentation and use of assessment results to make program-based informed decisions to enhance student learning and improve programs.

Academic Assessment E-news