Catherine Wehlburg, Ph.D.
Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness
Texas Christian University
TAMU Assessment Conference 2011
 Institutions with accreditation now have access to a
great deal of information about developing assessment
plans and many fine examples of general education
assessments, academic department assessment plans,
and a plethora of student affairs and student support
assessment plans. But many institutions are lacking in
the overall institutional level assessment planning that
goes beyond general education.
 XXX University is a multi-campus public university
providing innovative undergraduate and graduate
education that contributes to the development of society
and the individual. The University actively facilitates
learning through the preservation, discovery, synthesis,
and dissemination of knowledge.
 XXX University is dedicated to the discovery, development,
communication, and application of knowledge in a wide
range of academic and professional fields. Its mission of
providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate
programs is inseparable from its mission of developing new
understandings through research and creativity. It prepares
students to assume roles in leadership, responsibility, and
service to society.
 The mission of XXX University is to educate its students
and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster
independent and original research, and to bring the
benefits of discovery to the world.
 The XXX College encourages students to respect ideas and
their free expression, and to rejoice in discovery and in
critical thought; to pursue excellence in a spirit of
productive cooperation; and to assume responsibility for
the consequences of personal actions. XXX seeks to
identify and to remove restraints on students' full
participation, so that individuals may explore their
capabilities and interests and may develop their full
intellectual and human potential. Education at XXX should
liberate students to explore, to create, to challenge, and to
lead.
 To provide a diverse and vibrant student body access to
high quality educational opportunities that include a
student-centered academic environment combining
innovative pedagogy with experiential learning that
will prepare students for professional success,
responsible citizenship, life-long learning, and
significant contributions to a rapidly changing world.
 General statements about knowledge, skills, attitudes
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and values expected in graduates of the program.
Broad based statements of purpose
Often, these are not measurable
Should cover all aspects of the mission statement
Usually written to align with the holistic “big picture”
of the mission.
To provide a diverse and vibrant student body access to
high quality educational opportunities that include a
student-centered academic environment combining
innovative pedagogy with experiential learning that will
prepare students for professional success, responsible
citizenship, life-long learning, and significant
contributions to a rapidly changing world.
 Write 3-5 goals that you see within this mission
statement (individually or with a partner).
 Compare your goals to your table’s goals. Identify your
top three goals to share with the larger group
 Learning outcomes are clear, concise statements that
describe how students can demonstrate their mastery
of program goals
 Outcomes are more specific than goals, and there are
usually multiple learning outcomes for each goal
 Knowledge outcomes:
 Major or discipline content
 Modes of inquiry
 General Education or Core Curriculum outcomes
 Skills outcomes:
 Those required for effective practice in the discipline or in
future employment
 Ability to work with others
 Listening skills
 Teamwork or leadership
 Attitudes and values
 Personal
 Social
 Ethical
Student Learning Behavior-Knowledge,
skill, or attitude to be gained
 The method of assessment- conditions
of performance
 Criteria for achievement- the levels of
acceptable performance
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 Creating -Generating new ideas, products, or ways
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of viewing things
Evaluating –Drawing a conclusion or deciding
upon a course of action
Analysing -Breaking information into parts to
explore understandings and relationships
Applying -Using information in another familiar
situation
Understanding -Explaining ideas or concepts
Remembering -Recalling information
The student will be able to (specific student behavior)
____________________________________________________
as measured by (conditions of performance – could include
time frame)
___________________________________________________
at the ______________________________________ level
(performance criteria).
Appreciate
Be comfortable with
Believe
Enjoy
Grasp the significance of
Have faith in
Internalize
Know
Learn
Recognize
Understand
 Students will name the three types of rock in order to
differentiate among the three.
 Students will correctly compare and contrast the
characteristics of the three types of rocks on a final exam
essay question in order to differentiate among the three.
 Discover that Great State University offers a welcoming and
helpful environment which can fulfill their educational,
cultural and social needs in order to recognize the
university’s role in lifelong learning.
 Rubrics (a scoring strategy or tool)
 Portfolios
 Pre/Post Testing
 Embedded projects or papers
 Items within an exam
 Capstone Experiences
 Alumni Surveys (indirect measure)
 Internship Evaluation (indirect measure)
 Employer Survey (indirect measure)
 Others?
 How will your data be shared?
 Who “owns” data?
 Create a collaborative system – data can belong to
everyone.
 Regularly schedule “data sharing” events.
 The outcomes must be understood by all (and in the
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same way!)
Assessment is as much about teaching and learning as
it is about accountability
Faculty and staff must work together to develop
institutional level goals and outcomes
Institution-level support is necessary to create usable
and sustainable program and university-wide
assessment plans
We must assess because learning matters most!
 Our students should learn more than “supply and
demand”
 We want our students to think critically, read, and
question – so we must build this into our assessment
plans
 Institutional level assessment must involve the entire
campus – faculty, student affairs staff, administration,
etc.
 College graduates should have attended more than a
five minute university!!!