Institutional Assessment Committee
Committee Charge
This Committee will advise the Provost and the Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness on policy, programs and procedures necessary to establish a campus culture that embraces assessment as a critical tool to enhance student learning and development by:
- defining an institutional philosophy and set of assessment questions that will serve to anchor the campus assessment agenda (Are our students learning in the ways we want? Are we effectively documenting the full range of knowledge, skills and talents of our students? How can we get better with the resources currently available? How do units raise the bar in terms of quality performance internally?)
- identifying support needed by the colleges and other units in their efforts to conduct assessments that provide substantive information useful to our quality enhancement commitments, especially in the area of student learning.
- conducting an "assessment of our assessment" program and providing recommendations on ways to improve.
- coordinating a special effort to improve our use of technology, including functionality we are gaining through the SAP implementation, to support the planning and assessment cycle (i.e. develop and plan the implementation of an online program review process that encompasses the self study, curriculum mapping and student learning, implementation plans, and annual progress reports).
- supporting “best practices” through communication (demos, exhibits and reports) about successful internal assessment efforts.
- identifying assessment methods or tools that would be cost effective additions to a “shared” or “centralized” University’s assessment toolkit.
- clarifying expectations for unit efforts associated with current SACS criteria and guidelines with respect to compliance review and preparation of the QEP.
The Institutional Assessment Committee should meet regularly to carry out the activities described in the above charge; provide an annual report to the Provost and Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness on strategies for enhancing our assessment program; and consider the feasibility of establishing the Committee as a standing university committee, making a recommendation on this issue by December 2006.