Cameron Students posing for a picture on Campus

IRAA

Assessment Plan


PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT

At Cameron University, the purpose of assessment is (1) to use data to determine if student learning, engagement, or satisfaction is reaching the desired target and, if not, to develop action items to address shortfalls; (2) to use data to determine if unit and institutional effectiveness is reaching the desired target and, if not, to develop action items to address shortfalls; and (3) to provide a means to systematically and strategically document assessment results and the implementation of actions for accountability and institutional effectiveness.

ASSESSMENT OVERSIGHT

Oversight of assessment activities is shared by the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Accountability (IRAA); the Director of Assessment; Cameron University administration, faculty and staff; and committees including the Institutional Assessment Committee (IAC).

The Institutional Assessment Committee (IAC) reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and is responsible for

  • identification of appropriate assessment objectives for Cameron University, consistent with the policies and requirements of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC); and
  • university-wide coordination of planning and implementation of entry-level assessment and placement, mid-level (general education) assessment, program outcomes assessment, and student satisfaction evaluation programs which meet those same objectives and requirements.

Assessment activities are conducted by all academic programs, including the library, Army - ROTC, and the general education program. Recognizing that student learning occurs outside of the classroom and academic programs, the university began expanding the assessment process to non-academic units in AY 2008-2009. New non-academic units are included in the assessment process yearly, as deemed appropriate.

Each unit participating in the assessment process completes the following tasks within their approved assessment calendar. There are four assessment calendars: Summer (June through September); Early Fall (September through November); Late Fall (October through January); and Spring (October through March). Although the dates vary by assessment calendar, the process is the same for each calendar.

  • All information (Outcomes, Curriculum Mapping, Measures, Benchmarks and Achievement Targets, Findings, Action Plans/Items, and Analysis Questions) is entered and designated as final;
  • Two IAC members assigned as peer-reviewers for the program/unit and the appropriate supervisor review entries, give feedback, and make recommendations as to which programs/units would benefit from a roundtable discussion;
  • The appropriate member of Executive Council decides which programs/units will participate in a roundtable discussion and a roundtable schedule is created by the IRAA office;
  • Roundtable discussions are held with program/unit faculty/staff, the two IAC peer-reviewers, the appropriate supervisor, and either the Director of Assessment or the IRAA director;
  • All programs/units make corrections or changes by appropriate deadline;
  • Outcomes are updated on the appropriate webpage, assessment reports are archived, and the transparency page is updated.

Cameron University conducts entry level, course, program, general education, student satisfaction, and student engagement assessment as well as assessment on outcomes tied to particular units.

ENTRY LEVEL ASSESSMENT

Cameron University (CU) uses the student’s unweighted cumulative high school GPA on a seven semester or final high school transcript, subject sub-scores on the ACT or SAT, and/or scores on the appropriate Accuplacer New Generation (NG) to determine placement in English, reading, and science courses. Please see Initial Course Placement for English, Reading, and Mathematics for placement scores.

The Developmental Education Assessment Committee (DEAC) is charged with developing, guiding, and evaluating the outcome assessment process for developmental education in mathematics, English, and reading.

Data relating to non-student learning outcomes are collected and compiled by the IRAA office while data relating to student learning outcomes are collected and compiled by the relevant departments. The members of DEAC review and report the data from both non-student learning outcomes and student learning outcomes and are responsible for the assessment process for developmental education.

Action items based on data collected from assessment of developmental education may be proposed by the relevant departments or by the DEAC.

GENERAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT

The academic departments teaching general education courses and the General Education Committee (GEC) share responsibility for the assessment of the general education program.

An assessment plan has been developed by GEC to ensure that a student completing all of his/her general education curriculum at CU will have the opportunity to be assessed on all general education student learning outcomes. Included in this plan is a requirement that assessment instruments and rubrics be standardized to the extent possible for all courses within each general education category.

Each department teaching general education courses in a particular disciplinary category is required to collect and report on assessment data using the approved assessment measure and/or rubric. Courses that have not collected and/or reported data in the last five years will be reviewed by the GEC for recommendation as to whether or not the course should maintain its general education status.

In addition to direct measures, indirect measures are also used to assess the general education program. Selected questions from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) relating to students’ perceptions on how much their experience at CU has contributed to their knowledge, skills, and personal development on items closely aligned to general education learning outcomes will be used. NSSE is administered to baccalaureate seeking first-time entering students and seniors approximately every three years and is a standardized norm-referenced instrument used to compare student responses to external benchmarks. Questions relating to students’ perceptions of progress on general education outcomes are embedded in the course evaluations for baccalaureate capstone courses and general education courses. The aggregated results of these questions will also be used as indirect measures for general education assessment.

Action items based on data collected from assessment of general education may be proposed by individual departments or by GEC.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT

Department faculty are directly responsible for the assessment of academic programs with the chair and dean providing administrative oversight. Outcomes may be mandated by external accreditation agencies or may be developed by program faculty.

Assessment measures are determined by departmental faculty in consultation with the chair and dean. Each department is required to collect and report on assessment data annually using direct measures for all active programs in the department. Although it is not always possible to achieve, programs are encouraged to use multiple types of direct measures which are appropriate and available for their program. Types of direct measures include

  • Locally Developed Tests or Locally Developed Questions embedded in Tests
  • Standardized Tests
  • Writing Exams or Writing Assignments
  • Capstone Assignment, Portfolio, or Thesis
  • Internship or Student Teaching Evaluation
  • Certification or Licensure Exam
  • Performance or Presentation
  • Project

Faculty report on analyses and findings garnered from the assessment measures. If weaknesses in student learning are identified, action items based on data collected from academic program learning outcomes assessment are proposed by the faculty. Action items from previous years are updated with a status update as to whether the item is In-Progress or Completed.

NON-ACADEMC UNIT ASSESSMENT

Employees in non-academic units that are participating in the assessment process are responsible for the assessment in their area. The supervisor and respective Vice President provide oversight of the assessment process. Outcomes may be related to student/client satisfaction, student engagement, unit performance and, when appropriate, student learning.

Assessment measures are determined by units in consultation with the appropriate supervisor. Non-academic units are more likely to use indirect or administrative measures. Each unit is required to collect and report on assessment data yearly.

Staff report on analyses and findings garnered from the assessment measures. If weaknesses are found, action items based on data collected from assessment are proposed by the staff in the unit. Action items from previous years are updated with a status update as to whether the item is In-Progress or Completed.

STUDENT SATISFACTION ASSESSMENT

Student satisfaction assessment is conducted both at the unit level and at the institutional level. In addition to using the results of the student satisfaction questions on the NSSE, locally developed student satisfaction surveys are also conducted periodically by units such as the Library, the Aggie Rec Center, Student Housing, the Testing Center, and the Academic Advising Center. Some academic programs also administer exit or alumni surveys to determine student satisfaction. Student satisfaction surveys are also administered after selected events.

Each program or unit that collects student satisfaction data is required to report on the data yearly. If weaknesses are found, action items based on data collected from assessment are proposed by the staff in the unit. Action items from previous years are updated with a status update as to whether the item is In-Progress or Completed.