|

An IU Southeast report submitted by each academic program every fall as part of the Annual Program Assessment Process. This report includes the following items:

• A paragraph summarizing the program's assessment work during the prior school year,
• A summary of assessment topics, discussions, and conclusions from all faculty meeting(s) where assessment and improvement of student learning were discussed,
• A progress report on program improvements that were planned during the prior school year,
• A list of program improvements that will be implemented during the current school year, and
• An updated program assessment plan for the current school year.
  

As used here: Measurement of one or more learning outcomes which are indicators of student attainment of a learning goal, established for the purpose of improving student learning.

For IU Southeast Program Assessment Plan: A plan developed for an educational program that defines:

• Student learning goals for majors nearing completion of the academic program,
• One or more measurable outcomes for each goal,
• Success criteria for each outcome, and
• The procedure for measuring each outcome (who, what, when, where, how).
  

Techniques an individual instructor applies to improve student learning in a specific class based on establishing learning goals and measuring achievement of learning in that class.

A measure of the institution's overall effectiveness in achieving its educational mission.

A process for measuring and improving the effectiveness of meeting student learning goals established for majors of an academic program.

An on-going, cyclical process to identify and implement incremental changes to improve the level of student learning.

A campus wide belief and behavior in which assessment findings are consistently and routinely used to improve student learning and make decisions .

Using data (i.e., evidence) as opposed to intuition or belief when making a decision.

For IU Southeast assessment of student learning: the continuous cycle of collecting assessment results, evaluating them, using the evaluations to identify actions that will improve student learning, implementing those actions, and then cycling back to collecting assessment results, etc.

For IU Southeast program assessment: A statement of content, level of knowledge, and/or skills that faculty in an academic program expect majors to possess.

[ May also be referred to as "learning goal," "student learning goal," or "educational goal."]

For IU Southeast program assessment: A component of the IU Southeast program assessment plan that briefly describes the specific procedure for measuring each outcome, including the method (e.g., exam, research paper, portfolio review, etc.), the course, the frequency, and who is responsible for the assessment.

For IU Southeast program assessment: A list of the program improvement actions a program is committing to implement during the current school year. Identified actions may include improvement of the assessment program and/or activities to increase student learning.

Assessing student learning based on student work or performance. Direct measures are more meaningful indicators of student learning than indirect measures.

Assessing student learning based on perception, such as self evaluations, exit interviews, employee surveys, alumni surveys, etc. Indirect measures are not as meaningful as direct measures but are helpful when used to corroborate results of direct measures.

For IU Southeast program assessment: A component in the IU Southeast program assessment plan that identifies the specific form, test, rubric, etc. that is used to collect data for each outcome.

For IU Southeast program assessment: A measurable variable or attribute that is considered an indicator of achievement of or progress toward its related goal.

[May also be referred to as "learning outcome," "student learning outcome," or "educational outcome." Outcome and objective are often used interchangeably.]

Data obtained by using the outcome measurement tools to assess student learning, as defined in the program assessment plan.

The defined methods for measuring each outcome (who, what, when, where, how). For the IU Southeast Program Assessment Plan, this includes both the How Measured and Measurement Tool components. [May also be referred to as "measurement procedure."]

A set of specific criteria used to assess student work or performance. A rubric often improves the consistency and accuracy of subjective assessments.

The knowledge and skills that a student is expected to acquire.

The level of student performance expected for an outcome. Criteria are set by the program's faculty and may be raised over time as student learning improvements are realized. Criteria may be based on a minimum standard for all graduates (e.g., 100% of graduating students will score at least 60% on the base knowledge exam) or a percentage (e.g., 75% of graduating students will score 80% or higher on the base knowledge exam). For IU Southeast program assessment, success criteria are specified in the program assessment plan.

A measure of the growth in a student's knowledge and skills over time. A value-added assessment requires at least two measures of the same learning outcome at different points in time, usually at the beginning of the course or program and just prior to completion.