University Assessment Activities Mark Lyford Academic Affairs September 7, 2016

The BIG Picture: Role of Departments and Programs in University-Level Assessment Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) Standardized assessment of critical thinking, analytic reasoning and writing Required every three years for our participation in the Voluntary System of Accountability (for Accreditation) Last administration was ; Next administration Students solicited from across campus on volunteer (bribery) basis National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) & Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) Widely used survey on student and faculty perceptions of student engagement and behaviors that lead to increased learning Conduct both every three years for Voluntary System of Accountability Completed Spring 2015; Next administration spring 2018 Minimal/No Direct Departmental Involvement

The BIG Picture: Role of Departments and Programs in University-Level Assessment Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) Standardized assessment of critical thinking and problem-solving skills Used for both institutional and program assessment 8 programs involved (900 students): Pharmacy, Social Work, Veterinary Sciences, College of Business, Nursing, Kinesiology & Health, Life Sciences Program, Physiology Will host a CAT ‘Summit’ this fall with participating & interested departments Opportunity for Departmental Involvement

The BIG Picture: Role of Departments and Programs in University-Level Assessment Department/Program Annual Assessment Reports Every department/program with degree programs submits an annual assessment report Reports required for both undergraduate and graduate degrees University Assessment Coordinators Committee reviews reports and provides written feedback and Tier ranking (Description of Tiers Provided) USP Assessment Must assess student learning across all USP Categories New assessment process for USP 2015 Scheduled over next 3 years ‘Required’ Opportunities for Departments

Annual Assessment Reports Undergraduate – every year for at least one degree Graduate – Tier 3 every year; Tier 2 every 2 years; Tier 1 every 3 years (caution – even though you only have to report every 2 or 3 years at Tier 1 & 2, keep collecting and analyzing data each year!) New Tier rankings and schedule will be posted online shortly Schedule

Annual Assessment Reports Don’t procrastinate – start early Recognize that assessment is ongoing – once you start you shouldn’t stop Look at student learning across your curriculum – pick learning outcomes that you care about! Collect data on student learning and act on the results of that data – if you’re not satisfied with student learning, what can you change? Get more than 1 or 2 people engaged in assessment efforts Realize that this requires a culture change Get a long-term plan in place, but be flexible Moving up Tier Levels doesn’t happen overnight – be patient and don’t give up I’m here to help! Tips for Success

Changing the way we do USP assessment Moving from individual faculty providing data to groups of faculty evaluating student work using a common rubric Will collect all student work and evaluate all student work in WyoCourses USP Faculty ‘flag’ assignment to be evaluated in WyoCourses Students submit their assignments on WyoCourses Canvas will ‘pull’ all flagged assignments and student work and collate for evaluation Small groups of faculty will use rubric to evaluate student work in WyoCourses Results will be shared and professional development opportunities will be planned based on results (e.g., FYS) USP Assessment Process

Changing the way we do USP assessment Faculty teaching USP courses need to ‘flag’ assignments for evaluation and have students submit their work to WyoCourses – we will help facilitate that We need a small number of faculty to evaluate rubrics and then student work– we will facilitate that and provide professional development funds for participating faculty We will develop and lead workshops for improving student learning opportunities in USP courses USP Assessment Process – What We Need

Changing the way we do USP assessment Observation: Many USP Learning outcomes overlap with Department & Program learning outcomes Proposal: Departments and Programs could build on USP assessment and use same process (flagging assignments in WyoCourses, using same/similar rubric) in non-USP courses in curriculum Call me if you are interested in exploring this idea USP Assessment Process – A Potential Opportunity

USP Assessment Timeline 1 FYS assessment PILOT PROJECT (Critical and Creative Thinking) – FYS, H, PN (Critical and Creative Thinking), H, PN, and COM1 – COM2, COM3, Q, and V – Figure out how to assess Personal and Social Responsibility – Better do sooner-than-later! 3 Year Cycle Plus

Mark Lyford Thank you for your time!!!