SACS Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1
The institution identifies expected outcomes for its educational programs (including student learning outcomes for educational program) and its administrative and educational support services, assesses whether it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of those results. (Interim 2007 Edition)
Beyond the SACS expectation cited above, evolving best practices in higher education have in recent years placed more and more emphasis on effective assessment of student learning. Here at NKU, a number of departments, particularly those involved in special accreditation programs within their disciplines, have been near the leading edge of this trend and have been working to perfect their assessment techniques. At the same time, some other programs have lagged a bit behind and have not done as much in this area. Now, however, with SACS reaffirmation on the horizon, the university is trying to ensure that all of its academic programs in all departments and all colleges are moving ahead to develop and implement effective assessment measures that are appropriate for their students and their programs.
Operationally, these efforts have been spearheaded by the NKU Office of Curriculum, Accreditation, and Assessment (CAA) and the University Curriculum Committee. They have been working together for the past few years to encourage expanded assessment efforts by distributing relevant research and seminal articles about assessment, by developing and posting assessment planning templates, and by creating an online toolkit to help departments create and implement assessment plans for their programs. These efforts have become the basis for the academic assessment plans departments are now expected to complete as part of our SACS Compliance Certification.
Further discussion of academic assessment planning and its relationship to student learning outcomes, as well as the templates for what should be included in a program assessment plan, will be found on the CAA Web site.
For further assistance with academic program assessment planning, contact Jennifer Stansbury-Koenig in the Office of Curriculum, Accreditation, and Assessment. She can be contacted by phone at extension 7574 or by email at stansburyj@nku.edu.
Due dates related to academic program assessment planning
Assessment planning and follow-up activities will migrate from hard-copy formats into the university's new WEAVEonline software as it is installed and becomes operational during fall semester 2007.
| Nov. 1, 2007 | Revised and updated drafts of Academic Program Assessment Plans for fall 2006 - spring 2008 are completed and ready for uploading into WEAVEonline. |
| Nov - Dec, 2007 | WEAVEonline training sessions for department chairs and administrative staff during which they will cut and paste their assessment plans into WEAVEonline. |
| July 1, 2008 | Departments complete progress/outcome reports for their 2006-08 academic program assessment plans via WEAVEonline. |
| July 1, 2008 | Departments enter Academic Program Assessment Plans for fall 2008 - spring 2010 into WEAVEonline. |
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