Assessment at UW-Platteville

What we are doing to assess student learning?

What improvements we have made as a result?

UWP’s Assessment Model

UWP uses a model that identifies three parts in the assessment process.

1. Mission/Goals/Student Learning Outcomes. Every assessment plan identifies and articulates goals and student learning outcomes, and it connects the specific academic program or area with the university mission statement.

2. Tools. Every assessment plan indicates the techniques and instruments by which achievement of these outcomes can be measured.

3. “Close the Loop”. Every program and area uses the results of the implemented assessment techniques to improve quality, quantity, or effectiveness.

Assessment and the UWP Mission

UW-Platteville Select Mission

Campus Strategic PlanReview by Campus Governance Groups

Campus Annual Goals

Campus Assessment Plan

Review by Assessment Oversight Committee

Student Affairs, etc.Strategic Plans

Student Affairs, etc.Annual Goals

College Strategic Plans

Student Affairs, etc.Assessment Plans

College Annual Goals

College Assessment Plans

What Areas of UWP Do We Assess?

• Graduate and Undergraduate Academic Majors

• General Education• Student Affairs Areas• Ancillary Areas (e.g., Women in Engineering)

How Often Do We Assess?

Academic Majors• Annual assessment of graduating seniors

—report to respective College Councils/ Graduate Council.

• Every three years—report to either the Assessment Oversight Committee (AOC) or the Academic Planning Council (APC) on an alternating schedule.

How Often Do We Assess?

General Education• Biannual assessment of graduating seniors

via an on-line survey—reports to AOC.• Once every three years for each area of

general education via formal meetings of faculty, home-grown tests, etc.—reports to AOC or the Academic Standards Committee (ASC).

How Often Do We Assess?

Student Affairs and Ancillary Areas• Annual assessment by each individual

unit.• Every two years administer NSSE survey.

• Once every six years each area reports to AOC.

Assessment Flow Chart

General Education Academic Majors

Student Affairs and Ancillary Areas

AOCASC APC

What are in the AOC Reports?

The Assessment Oversight Committee asks three questions of every area under review

1. What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes?

2. What have you learned as a result?3. What, if any, changes will you make in order to

improve student learning?

What are in the Assessment Plans?Each assessment plan includes:• A statement about the mission of the program or

area.• A set of goals and/or student learning outcomes.• A set of tools used to determine whether the

student outcomes are being met.• A table that connects these tools to the

respective student learning outcomes.

Student Learning Outcomes

• All Academic Majors and General Education Areas identify a set of goals and student learning outcomes that their students should achieve as a result of their study.

• In the Student Affairs and Ancillary Areas, these outcomes often are referred to as “expected outcomes”.

An Example of Goals and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)Electrical Engineering Graduates:1. Have the laboratory skills and the ability to use modern analysis

and design techniques and state-of-the-art equipment to solve practical engineering problems. (Among the SLOs under this heading is “the ability to apply science, engineering science, and mathematics to solve engineering problems.”)

2. Have the professional skills to function effectively in the work environment as well as in the community. (Among the SLOs under this heading is “the ability to work as members of a team.”)

3. Have a solid understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. (The SLO of this goal is to graduate engineers who understand ethical principles and their role in the engineering profession.)

An Example of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

English Composition (General Education) Students are able to:

1. Understand written language, including various stylistic devices;

2. Recognize the importance context has for meaning;3. Conceptualize a topic in order to establish a purpose

for writing, while keeping in mind the intended reader;

4. Arrange ideas logically and present them coherently;5. Create contents that reflect the analysis and

synthesis of ideas;6. Shape their writing imaginatively.

An Example of Expected Learning Outcomes

Advising and Career Exploration Services (ACES) enables students to:

1. Build a class schedule incorporating General Education requirements, academic program requirements, and university requirements for graduation.

2. Understand university, college, and academic program requirements in the context of obtaining and valuing a liberal education and in terms of employer requirements.

3. Relate skills, interests, and values to potential career areas.4. Utilize resource services when needed to resolve

personal or academic issues.5. Make appropriate decisions to reach their

goals.

Assessment Tools

There is a wide variety of assessment tools used throughout campus, including:

• Portfolios of student writing;• Home-grown and national examinations;• Faculty-evaluated art shows and music recitals;• Capstone courses;• Exit surveys of graduates and surveys of

employers and alumni.

What are some changes that we have made because of assessment?• Electrical Engineering teamed with Philosophy to

develop a course in applied ethics and it also added an oral presentations requirement in four heavy design courses.

• The School of Agriculture increased experiential learning opportunities at Pioneer Farm.

• The School of Education added the Guidance and Assessment course to the new early childhood block so that students will have more opportunities to practice a variety of assessment techniques that are directly related to the lessons they will plan

and teach.

What are some changes that we have made because of assessment?• The University Undergraduate Curriculum

Commission now requires that all courses that count for general education include in their syllabi the relevant student learning outcomes that relate to their area of general education.

• ACES sponsored a series of luncheons for academic advisors that included information about advising and the general education requirements.

Any Questions?