UAC Assessment Recommendations
UAC's recommendations for assessment include:
- Take a holistic approach: Each course is guided by a common syllabus of record (SOR) with core course objectives and assessment methods that are consistent across sections. Learning objectives and assessment methods should align with program outcomes.
- Use assessment results: Closing the loop means using assessment results to inform decisions and improve student outcomes.
- Strive for focused, ongoing assessment: The goal is for a unit's assessment efforts to be focused, internally driven, and sustainable. Programs are encouraged to continually evolve in their plans.
- Involve faculty and students: Programs are encouraged to involve faculty in planning, assessment and reporting process and be transparent about assessment practices and results with students.
Click here to access a more detailed description of the assessment process.
UAC Recommendations on Use of Service and Pre-Major Courses in Program Assessment
The University Assessment Committee recommends that units assess the graded curriculum, from prerequisite to senior level courses, at many points along the path to graduation. This includes intermediate and prerequisite or service courses that students take to prepare them for the upper division courses in the major, where many of the final unit assessments are currently taking place. Some of the intermediate level courses may enroll non-majors. Units may choose to include data from non-majors as it suits the unit. The benefits of assessing across the curriculum include:
- Some majors have very linear structures with prerequisite or service courses. Assessing prerequisite or service courses can help units identify and highlight strengths or address weaknesses in their programs.
- Assessing prerequisite or service courses can help units identify the effectiveness of changes implemented within their majors or minors and act on the results.
- Assessing prerequisite or service courses can allow units offering these courses to demonstrate their effectiveness, including to all units that use them as part of their majors.
- Assessing prerequisite or service courses can help in situations where students are falling short of assessment goals. The cause of the failures might be in prerequisite or service courses instead of the course being assessed. Assessing prerequisite or service courses might show that to be a fact, not a speculation.
GVSU Assessment Principles
GVSU's Assessment Guiding Principles were drafted and approved by the UAC in 2015. The document is the result of collaborative effort and is based on a thorough review of higher education assessment practices around the country. This updates the initial Guiding Principles document written in 2005.
GVSU Assessment Philosophy
The historical and philosophical assumptions underlying the assessment at GVSU were updated and approved by UAC in 2015. The document is a revision and update of initial 2005 document.