Each academic department maintains responsibility for the assessment of student learning in all
programs and courses offered by that department. However, at both the university-wide
and the college/department levels, a common process guides assessment:
Learning goals and assessable objectives linked both to the
institution's mission and goals and to the goals of the general education
program
Designing an affordable,
understandable plan to measure learning
Collecting and interpreting information relative to students' ability to meet the
learning goals and objectives
Providing feedback to students and other stakeholders
Devising means of improving student learning that are linked to strategic planning
and budgeting processes
Gathering, interpreting, and using evidence related to student learning form the foundation
of this process.
Assessment activities of several types occur across the curriculum. Primary importance is placed
on providing students with the opportunity to actively demonstrate their
knowledge and abilities through internships, practica, research projects,
exhibitions, performances, and so on. Other assessment activities include
portfolios, standardized examinations, and surveys of students, alumni,
employers, and other stakeholders. Information generated by these activities
is shared with curriculum councils and other appropriate groups and is
used to improve courses, programs, and services as well as to provide data
for externally mandated reports.
