Annual Program Assessment forms the core of communicating what the program is examining with regards to student learning. It is imperative that programs update grids as modifications occur, specifically in their yearly assessment reports or updates. The program assessment plans document and/or define:

Student learning outcomes:  Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are specific, measureable objectives that describe how students can demonstrate mastery of program goals. Because learning outcomes provide the basis for valid and reliable assessment of effective curriculum and instructional strategies, it is imperative that they be well-worded to provide a clear communication of expectations to students and to select those activities that promote learning.

Measurement tools (and where assessed):  The listing of measurement tools and where (in which course/where in the curriculum) they are assessed allows reviewers to see the data-collection methods that programs have chosen to use to guide their measurement of student learning. These tools vary from:

•  direct measures  from student performance or product: test-embedded questions, paper-/project-scoring rubrics, pre-/post-tests, portfolios
•  indirect measures  of perception, attitude or opinions: surveys, grades, placement data

      Success criteria : At what level the program indicates a student has “successfully” met each outcome’s measurement tool. Common starting criteria include:

•  70% of students answer an embedded test question correctly
•  70% of students score‘good’ or higher on a particular rubric assessing a paper, project, portfolioor presentation
•  70% of students show improvement from the pre- to the post-test
•  70% of students or instructors perceive student work to be ‘good’ or higher on a particular survey
•  70% of students place into graduate school or a discipline-related job within 1 year of graduation

This does NOT included overall course or exam grades as there is no specificity to this type of data