University Assessment Panel
Notes from Meeting of
6 March 2009
The sixth meeting of the University Assessment
Panel (UAP) was held on Friday, 6 March 2009, at 10:00 a.m. in Altgeld 203.
Announcements
Susan Hatfield will
present two workshops on Friday, 20 March 2009. The morning workshop entitled Leave
No Outcome Behind: Teaching, Learning, and Assessment will be from 9:30 am
to 12:00 pm. The regularly scheduled UAP meeting will not be held so that UAP
members can attend. All UAP members will be registered for this workshop. Please notify Brenda Hodges at FDIDC or Karyn
Higgs in the OAS if you cannot attend. This
morning workshop will focus on keeping the emphasis of assessment on improving
student learning while building a culture of assessment. For more information, go
to the FDIDC website at http://www.facdev.niu.edu/facdev/programs/03202009a.shtml.
The second Susan Hatfield
workshop entitled Getting Students Involved in Assessment will be held
from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. For more information, or to register for this workshop,
please go to the FDIDC website at http://www.facdev.niu.edu/facdev/programs/march2009.shtml#mar20.
The OAS is looking to
hire a full-time Research Associate who will help to facilitate our
participation in the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA). The RA will be
responsible for the collection of data and the design and maintenance of a
website that will address student demographics, student engagement and learning,
and outcomes at NIU. The OAS will be accepting applications through Friday, 13
March 2009.
A question regarding
members serving on the VSA Advisory Committee was raised. Some members of the
panel suggested that both faculty and student cooperation in the VSA may be
better obtained if this position was filled by a half-time faculty member
rather than making it an entry-level position.
Public Agenda for College
and Career Success
Douglass discussed the
executive summary for the Public Agenda
for College and Career Success which replaces the Illinois Commitment. The Public Agenda is the product of a yearlong
planning process initiated by the Illinois General Assembly and conducted by
the Public Agenda Task Force and the IBHE. The four goals being advanced by the
Public Agenda primarily focus on access, affordability, and economic impact. The
full report can be found at http://www.ibhe.org/masterPlanning/materials/010909_PublicAgenda.pdf.
2007-2008 Annual
Assessment Update Report
A copy of the 2007-2008
Annual Assessment Update Report was distributed to the panel for review.
Academic Program Compliance with the Annual Assessment Updates was 100 percent
for the second year in a row. The greatest improvement in assessment practices
across the university was seen in the development of clear and measurable
learning outcomes. Continuity could be improved in linking the results and use
of results to specific learning outcomes.
Capstone Revision
Proposal for Masters of Public Administration
A capstone revision
proposal was reviewed for PSPA 699 Public Sector Research. Feedback from the
panel will be sent with notification of the approval of the proposal pending
guidance from the OAS.
Review of Status
Reports
At a previous meeting the
status report for the University Office for Teacher Certification was reviewed.
The panel decided to revisit this status report in order to address various
questions that were raised concerning the office’s role in assessing student
learning outcomes. The panel recommended
that vice provosts Virginia Cassidy and Earl Seaver reexamine whether the UAP
is the appropriate venue for the review of this report. It was suggested that
the Unit Assessment Committee may be an alternative body to review this unit.
The status reports for
the B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. in Political Science were reviewed by the panel. The Student Involvement and Leadership
Development assessment summary report was also reviewed. A summary of the
panel’s feedback will be sent to the departments.
One funding request for
support of work on the department assessment plans for the B.S., M.A., and
Ph.D. in Political Science was reviewed by the panel. The panel requested that
more information be provided before considering the request for funding.
The next meeting is
scheduled for Friday, 3 April 2009 from 10:00-12:00 in Altgeld 203.
U:\Assessment\UAP\2008-2009\Notes\UAP
Notse 03_06_09 .doc