> MSU Policy and Procedures > Student Outcomes Assessment Policy
Subject:
Assessment and Outcomes
Policy:
Student Outcomes Assessment
Policy
Revised:
TBD
Effective Date:
August 19, 2004
Review Date:
Three (3) years
from Effective Date above.
Sponsor:
Assessment and
Outcomes Committee
Introduction and Purpose:
One element of the mission of Montana
State University-Bozeman is "To provide a challenging and richly diverse
learning environment in which the entire university community is fully engaged
in supporting student success." Toward this end, the university has established
a program of student outcomes assessment with the goal of improving student
learning and performance.
Assessment, as the term is used at
MSU-Bozeman, is the systematic process of gathering, interpreting, and acting
upon data related to student learning and experience for the purposes of course
and program improvement. The connection between teaching and learning is a
complex one, and it is necessary to use multiple measures to develop a
comprehensive understanding of how curriculum design and delivery relate to
student learning. Assessment is an iterative and adaptive process in which
results inform changes to instructional and assessment practices. The critical
element is the use of results in decision-making. Finally, the basis of good
assessment practice is a shared understanding of program goals to ensure that
all those involved in curriculum delivery are working toward the same ends.
Policy:
The University follows a decentralized
approach to assessment, with specific units (departments or colleges as
appropriate) responsible for assessing specific academic programs, and faculty
groups responsible for assessing general education. In conjunction with
guidelines published by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities,
MSU requires faculty to establish learning objectives for all undergraduate
degree programs and develop departmental plans for evaluating the extent to
which students are achieving the objectives. The faculty in all units must
review their goals and assessment plans every two years in conjunction with the
catalog cycle, and must publish annual updates through the centrally maintained
assessment database, which can be accessed through the Internet. The
administration's role is to coordinate and document assessment activities taking
place at the unit level as well as to conduct surveys and provide data of
institutional scope.
Procedures:
A. Faculty
Requirements
Faculty are expected to participate in
the assessment activities of their units in the following ways:
o
participating in biannual reviews of program goals
and assessment plans
o
assisting with collecting and interpreting assessment
data as required by assessment plans
o
participating in annual reviews of unit assessment
results and resulting decision-making process
Faculty are encouraged to implement
supplemental assessment strategies in their own classes as a means of improving
teaching and learning. It is important that data gathered for the purpose of
improvement not be used punitively, and there is no requirement that such data
be made public.
B. Unit Requirements
Under the leadership of the department head (or college dean
as appropriate), each unit must maintain an appropriate structure, which
includes faculty participation, for managing unit assessment efforts. This can
be accomplished by including assessment in the charge of curriculum committees
or by establishing separate assessment committees. These committees are
responsible for ensuring that assessment plans are carried out, that results are
documented, and that the information is shared with the entire faculty for
potential action. Decisions based on assessment data are documented and
included in the unit's annual report. Committees are also encouraged to develop
and document supplementary assessment plans to follow up on specific actions to
monitor effectiveness. Department heads are responsible for annual updates on
assessment results and for leading biannual reviews of program goals and
assessment plans.
C. Administration Requirements
The goal of outcomes assessment is
program improvement. For assessment to be effective, faculty must document
program weaknesses as well as strengths and use their findings to make program
improvements. Assessment results demonstrating the need for improvement should
be viewed positively as an opportunity and should never be used punitively. It
is the assessment process-especially the documented use of data in subsequent
decision-making-that is vital; assessment is not simply an effort to demonstrate
success. To ensure that assessment proceeds in accordance with the goal of
program improvement, the provost, deans, and department heads are expected to
recognize and acknowledge participation in assessment activities through the
annual review process at all levels.
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