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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
Appendix -Tips and Examples on Completing the Assessment Plan Form
Below you will find further explanation of the information the Office of Assessment seeks, as well as some
fictional examples of the types of answers that could be included in a plan (though certainly not an exhaustive
collection). For the purposes of the example, we have created a fictional YSU Office who is focused on student
community involvement; this is an area in which multiple units on campus are engaged.
Note that plans that would be considered exemplary do not need to be examples of a textbook assessment
process; rather, they show honest exploration of learning outcomes and earnest intent to use data to make
decisions and share information. They will not necessarily have “black and white” examples of data, analyses, or
conclusions. Indeed, our example is meant to not be “textbook” perfect, but rather to give you some idea of what
responses might look like!
Name of Department or Unit:
Name of Person Preparing This Plan:
Title:
Email Address:
Campus Phone:
Direct Supervisor:
Extension and Email of Supervisor:
Division Vice President:
Extension and Email of Vice President:
Date Submitted:
Plan or report submitted in 2011?
Number of attachments to this report:
Notes
Office of Community Involvement
Joe Smith
Assistant Director
jesmith@ysu.edu
941-0000
Judy Doe, Director
9999, jrdoe@ysu.edu
Jack Fahey
8888, dvp@ysu.edu
August 15, 2012
Report
One
Many questions on the report template state their relationship to the
New HLC Criteria. This is not something you need to address in your
answers; rather, it is only meant as an opportunity to familiarize yourself
with the New Criteria, which go into effect January 2013. They can be
viewed at :
https://content.springcm.com/content/DownloadDocuments.ashx?Sele
ction=Document%2C5fa00220-896c-e111-b3790025b3af184e%3B&accountId=5968
Section 1: Current Unit Status
Notes
For section one we are interested in learning more about your
unit and the types of data you currently collect. It is not
necessary to relate the answers in section one to the learning
outcome you will state later in question seven, unless you find it
helpful to approach this section that way.
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
1. Explain how your unit supports the 2020 Strategic Plan of Youngstown State University (The
YSU 2020 Strategic Plan can be found at http://web.ysu.edu/2020.) (Related to HLC Criterion 1,
Core Component 1.A, Sub-component 2 and HLC Criterion 3, Core Component 4.E., Subcomponent 1)
Notes
Relate your unit’s purpose to at least one
cornerstone/theme/priority of the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan. You
do not have to provide an exhaustive list of how your unit relates,
only an example or two.
The 2020 Strategic Plan, Theme 2.2 is Satisfaction with
Example
non-academic experiences and campus life—the
explanation under this theme specifically includes the
importance of participation in service learning and
community activities. Our unit’s main goal is to
increase participation in community activities as well
as meaningful reflection on the impact of those
activities on students’ development.
2. Describe the goals for your unit from the previous academic/fiscal year.
Notes
What are your unit’s goals, either focused on the past year, or if
you do not do yearly goals, what are the overall goals of your
unit?
Our unit had three main goals this past year: 1.
Example
Increase Office of Community Involvement’s visibility on
the YSU campus; 2. Increase student participation in
community volunteer activities through our office; and
3. Increase partnerships with Youngstown area schools
for students to serve as tutors.
3. How do your goals support the learning environment at YSU? (Related to HLC Criterion 4)
Notes
Every unit on campus contributes to the learning environment,
because the learning environment impacts not just students, but
faculty and staff. Units that do not include significant student
contact also contribute to the learning environment. Note that
you can choose to focus broadly on what your office does, or
specifically on the area you are considering for the plan.
Participation in community service activities helps
Example
students learn about civic responsibility and better
understand the community and region in which we
live. In addition, participation in these activities helps
to produce graduates that are prepared to be involved
citizens, able to utilize the knowledge gained through
their degree program to better our region and the
world.
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
Describe your current assessment activities:
4. Provide a brief summary of unit and/or program improvement data collected that document
your unit’s assessment activities for the 2011-12 academic/fiscal year (e.g., explain how you
measured unit and/or program activities for continuous improvement). (Related to HLC
Criterion 4, Core Component 4.B., Sub-component 2)
Notes
1. This does not need to be data related to your learning
outcome, only focused on continuous improvement.
2. You can provide just a list of the types of data, you don’t need
to include the actual data (e.g. “the numbers”).
3. We would like to know what data you have been collecting
because: 1)this will help us provide feedback on collecting
data for your learning outcome and 2) data collection should
be an ongoing process, even in planning years
We fielded a survey in fall 2011 asking students about
Example
their participation in community service activities and
their knowledge of opportunities for community service
participation on the YSU campus. We track student
participation in programs through our office; we have
been collecting this data yearly for the past five years.
5. How was that data analyzed and used by your unit? (Related to HLC Criterion 4, Core
Component 4.B., Sub-component 3)
Notes
This does not have to be a formalized process, e.g., it could be a
discussion of the data that came out of a unit meeting. We want
to know how you have used data in the past to help evaluate and
make decisions.
The survey of student participation helped us
Example
understand that first year students, in particular, were
not aware of community engagement opportunities on
campus. We are currently in the planning stages of how
to target first-year students more directly about
opportunities. In addition, the survey revealed that
students don’t understand the impact of community
involvement on their academic and personal
development. We are also in the planning stages of
incorporating a more compelling case for students to
participate—e.g. “what’s in it for them” if they
participate in our programs. Building this case is
particularly important since many of our students work
at jobs off campus as they complete their academic
coursework.
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
6. How did your unit utilize feedback from the Office of Assessment regarding last year’s
assessment report? (Note: if this is your unit’s first time completing a plan or report, answer
“first reporting year.”)
Notes
Refer to your feedback from the 2011 plan or report to aid in
completing this question; if you met personally with Office of
Assessment staff, feedback from that meeting would also be
appropriate to include.
The feedback said we should communicate with
Example
stakeholders more widely, specifically those outside our
unit. This is one of the reasons we decided to complete
an assessment plan this year, to allow us time to
identify those groups and develop a plan to
communicate with them in the future.
Section 2: Assessment Plan Development
Develop a learning outcome:
Notes
The intent of questions 7-9 is to facilitate alignment of
assessment activities in the continuum from the specific activity
(learning outcome, and resulting data collection), to the unit,
through to the larger university. For more on learning outcomes,
you can contact the Office of Assessment.
7. State at least one learning outcome1 (LO) that is relevant for your unit. Note: you may use the
same LO used in a past year or you may use/develop a new LO. (Related to HLC Criterion 4, Core
Component 4.B., Sub-component 1)
Notes
A learning outcome should be clearly written, measurable, and
focused on a single skill or knowledge set. For questions 7-9 only,
we show an example of both a student-focused and staff-focused
learning outcome.
Students will be more aware of the importance of
Example
community involvement to their education.
(student
focused LO)
Staff demonstrate awareness of professional
Example
(staff focused responsibilities of students serving in community
organizations.
LO)
8. How does this learning outcome fit your unit?
Notes
Specifically relate the learning outcome you have chosen to the
purpose of your unit.
1
For information on what a learning outcome is and how to construct one for your unit, please attend the Office of
Assessment workshop on assessment plans in July 2012 or see the website at www.ysu.edu/assessment/directions.html for
workshop materials.
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
Example
(student
focused LO)
Example
(staff focused
LO)
This is directly related to our unit’s purpose, to promote
the benefit of community involvement to our students.
By ensuring our staff are responsive to the needs of the
community organizations with which we partner, and
therefore maintain a positive working relationship, we
are well positioned to continue and expand our
students’ community service opportunities.
9. How does this learning outcome fit in with the YSU 2020 Strategic Plan? (Related to HLC
Criterion 1, Core Component 1.A, Sub-component 2 and Criterion 3, Core Component 4.E., Subcomponent 1)
Notes
Specifically relate the learning outcome you have chosen to the
2020 strategic plan.
Promoting the importance of community involvement
Example
helps to encourage participation, and the Regional
(student
focused LO) Engagement Cornerstone outlines the importance of
Example
(staff focused
LO)
student involvement in the community to support
quality learning experiences and positive community
change (in particular Theme 1, Priority 1).
By maintaining positive and responsive relationships
with our community partners, we enable students to
interact positively with community partners, and foster
the collaborative relationships with community
organizations outlined in the Regional Engagement
Cornerstone (in particular Theme 1, Priority 1).
Relate your learning outcome to Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Criteria:
10. (OPTIONAL FOR 2012) Please provide an example of evidence from your unit for the new HLC
Criterion Five (Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness), Core Component 5A (The
institution engages in systematic and integrated planning.), Sub-component 2 (The institution
links its processes for assessment of student learning, evaluation of operations, planning, and
budgeting.):
Notes
This question is optional, but a good way to begin familiarizing
yourself with the New HLC Criteria that goes into effect on
January 1, 2013. Consider how the assessment activities you are
planning may impact your planning and budget decisions.
Remember also: this question is asking how the work of your unit
contributes to YSU meeting this HLC criteria; it is the work of
many academic and non-academic units that helps YSU to meet
the requirements (i.e., your unit is not solely responsible).
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
Example
While we didn’t think of it this way before reading this
question, the 2011 survey results made it clear that
more staff and financial resources needed to be
devoted to a campus campaign. Through this
assessment plan, we are devoting both fiscal and staff
resources in order to carry out plans. Results from this
year’s assessment will inform future planning and
budgets.
Measure your learning outcome:
11. What is the way (or ways) you will measure the status of and/or progress in this learning
outcome over the 2012-13 academic/fiscal year? Note: consider tools that would incorporate
both direct and indirect measures
Notes
While you must have a minimum of one tool/measure, we
recommend no more than two. You can use perceptions or
attitudes to look at the impact of your unit’s activities on faculty,
staff, or student learning. Measuring perceptions is an indirect
measure. It is also possible to measure individuals’ factual
knowledge about information they learned during a staff
development workshop or as a result of completing community
service or participating in a learning community. This would be
considered a direct measure. Note that an exemplary rating on
this item would be for a unit that includes a direct measure in its
tools.
In spring 2013 e will repeat the survey (see attachment)
Example
given in fall 2011 asking students about their
awareness and participation in community service
activities as an indirect measure after our fall 2012
awareness campaign. The fall 2011 can serve as
“baseline data”, and we can look for any changes after
the awareness campaign.
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12. What do you anticipate the outcome of your measure(s) to be? What do you hope to find out?
Notes
This is your sense of what you hope to find. Remember that your
estimate of what you expect to find may not be realized and it
does not just have be focused on positive results e.g. your results
may turn out differently than you expected. That is fine.
Remember that unexpected findings can lead to another
valuable question that you can address at a future time. Even if
you anticipate that the findings may be “negative” (i.e.
individuals lack knowledge), that is not a bad thing because it is
that honest appraisal or finding that can lead to continuous
Note: there are no actual “fictional” attachments; this is meant only to point out that additional evidence can be attached to a
report when needed.
2
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
improvement
Example
We hope to see some increase in the awareness of
students regarding the availability and importance of
community service activities, but we aren’t sure how
much impact it will have on actual involvement (since
this is a closely related goal).
Close the feedback loop: As part of a healthy assessment process, assessment activities and highlights
should be shared with, and feedback and recommendations solicited from, both internal stakeholders
(such as unit staff) as well as external stakeholders (such as students, other staff/faculty, and the wider
community).
13. What are the major constituency groups for your unit? Note: think not just within your unit or
your supervisory structure (internal stakeholders), but about students/faculty/staff, the larger
university, the surrounding community, and beyond (external stakeholders).
Notes
Who is impacted by (either directly or indirectly) or interested in
your work? A lot of people are interested in what you are doing
and can benefit from hearing about your project.
Internally, we should share the information with all
Example
our staff as well as the Division VP.
Externally, we think students would be interested in our
work and there are several other units on campus who
do work in community involvement (such as University
Honors and Scholars, WYSU, and Alumni Services) that
we could share our information with.
14. How and when do you plan to involve your major constituency groups in the assessment
process (e.g., data sharing and recommendation gathering)? (Related to HLC Criterion 4, Core
Component 4.B., Sub-component 3)
Notes
Explain when and with what groups you will share the findings of
what you intend to examine. It is important to include groups
outside your own unit. Make an effort to not just share findings
passively (e.g., put on a website) but also actively (e.g.,
presentations, discussions); it is also an opportunity to ask the
key groups what they see in the data and might recommend to
improve the unit.
We will compile the results from our survey and share
Example
the information with the groups listed above through:
monthly meetings with internal staff to update, present
data, and solicit recommendations; soliciting a story
about the results in the Jambar for students (spring
2013); and inviting other campus units to come in
person for a presentation and discussion of the data
(April 2013).
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Tips and Hints
Executive Summary:
15. Executive Summary (summarize the key ideas from section two only, Assessment Plan
Development, with a maximum length of one-half page).
Optional:
16. Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your assessment plan and/or is there
any particular area on which you would like assistance or feedback?
Notes
The Office of Assessment and the Assessment Council want to
hear about your questions and let us know what information or
assistance you may need
We reference some work in the plan that is not directly
Example
related to the learning outcome,—we didn’t feel like we
wanted to limit response to those questions to just
learning outcome related answers.
Also, we are not certain how to incorporate a direct
measure with this learning outcome—do you have any
ideas?
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
Rev. 7/3/12