UAS Learning Outcomes Assessment
In response to the 2009 NWCCU Accreditation Team recommendations, UAS is engaged in verifying clear and sustainable learning outcomes assessment plans for all programs. The 2010-2017 UAS Strategic and Assessment Plan provides the basis for alignment with school and program mission statements and objectives. According to NWCCU’s Standard 1: Mission, Core Themes, and Expectations:
“The institution articulates its purpose in a mission statement, and identifies core themes that comprise essential elements of that mission. In an examination of its purpose, characteristics, and expectations, the institution defines the parameters for mission fulfillment. . . . The institution defines mission fulfillment in the context of its purpose, characteristics, and expectations. Guided by that definition, it articulates institutional accomplishments or outcomes that represent an acceptable threshold or extent of mission fulfillment . . . and establishes objectives for each of its core themes and identifies meaningful, assessable, and verifiable indicators of achievement that form the basis for evaluating accomplishment of the objectives of its core themes.”*
This process will assist all academic departments in achieving the following outcomes for UAS students in their programs:
- Clear, intentional, and measurable student learning outcomes;
- A student learning assessment plan that regularly assesses achievement of learning outcomes that are important to student success in the program
- A process for using the results of the student learning assessments in program planning and management; and
- A process for communicating the results of student learning assessment.
Click here for a summary of the UAS strategic assessment plan.
Departmental/Program Responsibilities
Each academic unit is expected to create a sustainable process of learning outcomes assessment. In order to provide systematic support for this effort and in keeping with the attached timeline, departments and programs are asked to participate in the following activities:
- Program heads collaborate with their Academic Dean and Provost to meet and prepare key assessment items and evidence according to the attached timeline;
- Create a department-wide conversation to generate an assessment plan linking student work to the achievement of program outcomes; and
- Carry out student learning outcome assessment activities in a manner that generates data useful for program management, program review, and accreditation.
Implementation Support
The following individuals are available to assist you with this project:
- Provost, Richard Caulfield, 796-6486
- Vice Provost, Carol Hedlin, 796-6016
- Dean of Arts and Sciences, Marsha Sousa, 796-6518
- Dean of Education, Deborah Lo 796-6429
- Dean of Professional & Technical Services, Steven Krause, 796-6354
- Manager, Institutional Effectiveness, Diane Meador, 796-6231
- Assistant to the Provost, Maria Moya, 796-6148
* Work Cited: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. http://www.nwccu.org/ [see Standards and Policies > Accreditation Standards> Standard One]