FAQs

Assessment is a learning process for gaining insight into your work for iterative improvement. It provides a framework for systematic inquiry and for evidence-directed continuous improvement of one's work to better serve the campus community.

University effectiveness

Assessment plays a driving role in university excellence. Assessment yields evidence to motivate and guide refinement of services and operations, and it establishes an occasion and cadence for that self-reflection. In doing so, assessment is foundational for a culture of evidenced-based problem-solving, planning and advancement.

WASC Accreditation

The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) Standard of Accreditation 4, stresses the cultivation of an institutional commitment to quality assurance and improvement and that an institution engages in “sustained, evidence-based, and participatory reflection about how effectively it is accomplishing its mission.” Further the standards explicitly emphasize the expectation that an institution employs “comprehensive quality assurance processes in both academic and non-academic areas and uses the results to improve institutional operations.” At an institutional level, a university is expected to demonstrate “improvement based on the results of inquiry, evidence and evaluation.”

Overview of the assessment process

Assessment is a 4-phase process.

1. Plan. Assessment starts with mapping out an assessment plan. An assessment plan uses the mission, goals, and objectives of the university, division, or department as its north star. Ideally alignment exists between these elements across the different levels of the institution.          

Key components of assessment. Further, a plan articulates the desired outcomes that the goals or objectives are intended to produce.  An outcome statement specifies who or what will benefit and in what way as a result of the work. In addition, a plan identifies measures as forms of evidence that can be obtained to determine the level of success achieved in generating the desired outcomes. The planning phase typically takes place ahead of the start of an academic year.

2. Do. The next phase is to carry out the work in pursuit of the stated objective and outcome(s) and generate or gather the slated evidence. This phase usually coincides with the academic year.

3. Check. The third phase of checking on and measuring the outcomes entails a collective process of pulling together the data and evidence, analyzing them, and interpreting and reflecting on them with team members and stakeholders. This self-reflection takes place in the summer or early fall. The findings and lessons learned are documented.

4. Act. Finally, based on the assessment findings, the collective group identifies and documents a plan for applying insights gained to improve the work for greater impact over the next year. The documentation specifies how and when any improvements will be checked in the future. This leads into another cycle of the Do phase.

A basic assessment plan consists of at least one goal or objective, corresponding outcomes statements, and a set of measures for each outcome. The goal or objective states what one aims to achieve, the outcome statement articulates who or what will benefit and how as a result of the achieved goal or objective. The measures specify what kinds of data will be gathered and analyzed to determine how well the outcome has been realized. Multiple measures are needed to assess an outcome.

A full assessment plan ideally includes strategies that will be pursued as well as stated assumptions that inform the plan and conditions, advantageous and disadvantageous, that provide context and may be subject to change. 

Logic Model

A logic model can serve as a tool for building out an assessment plan and as an enduring blueprint of your assessment and strategic plan to guide you and your team as you conduct the work.

A logic model visually maps out the elements of your plan. It helps to illustrate both the distinction between and the relationship among your action steps and their expected outcomes and measures. The visual representation is beneficial for designing alignments between elements and as a clear reference for maintaining alignment over time. It is an especially helpful organizational tool for collaborations where multiple people are brainstorming and contributing to the design. In addition, a logic model can be advantageous as a formal record of your plan.