EFFECTIVE DATE: March 31, 2016
ISSUE #: 1
PRESIDENT: Michael A. Olivas (Interim)
PURPOSE
This policy describes the University’s system for assessing co-curricular and operations units
and improving /effectiveness and/or student learning as appropriate through the use of
assessment.
DEFINITIONS
2.1 Co-Curricular & Operations Units: For the purposes of this policy, Co-Curricular &
Operations units include:
2.1.1 Units under the responsibility of the Associate Vice-President for Student Affairs
2.1.2 Units under the responsibility of the Vice President for Administration and
Finance
2.1.3 Employment Services and Operations
2.1.4 W.I. Dykes Library
2.1.5 Units under the responsibility of Vice President for Advancement and External
Relations
2.1.6 Other units as assigned by Director responsible for Institutional Effectiveness
2.2 Program Outcomes: Desired results of the activities or processes conducted by the unit.
Two types include:
2.2.1 Learning outcomes – desired change in knowledge, skills, attitude, or belief as a
result of instruction.
2.2.2 Effectiveness outcomes – desired extent to which the service/task provided
meets the expectations of the unit and/or recipients of the service/task.
2.3 Assessment: An Academic Affairs and Administration and Finance driven, ongoing
process which seeks to understand and improve program./unit effectiveness and/or
student learning by:
2.3.1 Making expectations explicit and transparent;
2.3.2 Collaboratively setting appropriate criteria and high standards for effectiveness
and/or learning quality;
2.3.3 Systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how
well performance matches those expectations and standards; and
2.3.4 Using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance.
2.4 Direct Assessment Methods: Assessment methods that involve displays of knowledge
and skills designed to directly measure what a stakeholder (faculty, staff, students, etc.)
knows or is able to do and/or the benefit of programming and intervention.
2.5 Indirect Assessment Methods: Assessment methods that involve displays of attitude and
beliefs focused on stakeholders’ (faculty, staff, students, etc.) perception and satisfaction
with the program or service.
2.6 Assessment Plan: A plan which defines the Co-Curricular & Operations unit’s purpose
or mission, outcomes, assessment strategies which will be used to document outcomes,
success criteria, and a systematic schedule for collecting and reporting on assessment
data related to each outcome. See 4.1.1
2.7 Assessment Report: An annual report in which Co-Curricular & Operations units report
on the prior year’s assessment data collection, findings, and progress made toward
implementing strategies for improvement. See 4.1.1
POLICY
3.1 Assessment results are to be used as the basis for improving unit effectiveness, student
learning, and/or overall institutional effectiveness.
3.2 Unit or program directors are responsible for the overall quality, cohesiveness, and
ongoing improvement of the Co-Curricular & Operations units to include:
3.2.1 Identifying the unit/program outcomes for each Co-Curricular & Operations
program;
3.2.2 Developing, implementing and modifying a plan for assessing how well units
achieve outcomes; and
3.2.3 Making modifications to the program’s activities and processes to improve
unit/program effectiveness and student learning, as appropriate.
PROCEDURES
4.1 Unit/Program Directors will:
4.1.1 Create a program assessment plan and record such plan in the Institution’s online
assessment tool. Each program’s assessment plan identifies:
4.1.1.1 Date of create
4.1.1.2 Date of most recent revision
4.1.1.3 The program’s purpose or mission
4.1.1.4 A minimum of three outcomes that the program commits to assess on
an ongoing basis.
4.1.1.5 A minimum of one direct method of assessment per outcome.
4.1.1.6 Success criteria
4.1.1.7 A six-year assessment schedule in which:
4.1.1.7.1 At least on program-level effectiveness or learning outcome
is assessed each year; and
4.1.1.7.2 All program-level outcomes are assessed at least once during
the six-year rotation.
4.1.2 Systematically collect and evaluate data as outlined in the finalized assessment
plan.
4.1.3 Utilize assessment data to improve student learning and program effectiveness.
4.1.4 Maintain written documentation of meetings where assessment-related topics are
discussed.
4.1.5 Modify and improve the assessment plan as per section.
4.1.6 Assure that all data are entered into the approved assessment recording tool on a
regular basis and are up to date for the printing the annual assessment report.
4.2 The assessment contact and the assessment coordinator may or may not be the same
person. In units with few or no additional staff, it may also be the unit Director.
4.2.1 Person through whom routine communications are relayed to the unit and from
whom unit questions are relayed to the Director.
4.2.2 The person, who acts as a technical resource for the approved assessment
recording tool program, attends approved assessment recording tool trainings and
relays approved assessment recording tool bulletins to the unit as needed. They
are listed in approved assessment recording tool as the Assessment Contact and
each unit in Academic Affairs and Administration and Finance must have, at the
very least, an Assessment Contact.
4.3 Program/Unit Assessment Coordinator is:
4.3.1 Charged with keeping the assessment process organized and unit members
informed and up-to-date on assessment activities.
4.3.2 Monitor assessment activity schedules and remind other of what they will need
to complete for any given month.
4.3.3 May attend assessment training sessions and help to train other in their
program/unit.
4.3.4 Act as the liaison with the Assessment Office/Institutional Effectiveness.
4.4 Co-curricular & Operations Assessment Committee:
4.4.1 Meets regularly to plan and manage the annual Academic Affairs and
Administration and Finance assessment schedule and activities in conjunction
with the Director of Co-Curricular and Operations Assessment.
4.4.2 Serves as peer reviewers for annual and 6-year comprehensive reporting, making
suggestion to units under review for ways to strengthen their reports.
4.4.3 Offers the perspective of the Academic Affairs and the Administration and
Finance units to the Committee Director and serve as peer advocates for
meaningful assessment and workable assessment processes.
4.5 The Director of Co-Curricular & Operations Assessment:
4.5.1 Assists in assessing the effectiveness of Co-Curricular & Operations units and in
using the results of their assessments to improve program quality;
4.5.2 Provides leadership, in cooperation with others, in building and sustaining a
environment in which assessment activities are understood and practiced for
ongoing improvement;
4.5.3 Monitors the ongoing implementation of assessment plans of the University and
help units to maintain systematic records of its assessment activities in the
University assessment tracking system; and
4.5.4 Provides the Provost and other key stakeholders with a summary of assessment
activities as requested or in a predetermined schedule which may vary depending
on the level of feedback.
EXHIBITS
There are no exhibits associated with this policy.
REVIEW PROCESS
Responsible Party (Reviewer): Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and
Provost
Review: Every four years on or before July 1
st
.
Signed original on file in Employment Services & Operations
POLICY HISTORY
No prior issues in this policy.
REFERENCES
There are no references associated with this policy.
