THE ANNUAL REPORT OF ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY
This document contains general information about annual assessment reports and some questions and tips for creating and reviewing the annual report for
submission to the Office of Academic Assessment. For additional information or assistance, please contact the Office of Academic Assessment at 319-273-2778.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT REPORTS
What is the purpose of the annual report submitted to the Office of Academic Assessment?
The annual report of assessment activity is intended to serve both the department and the university.
For the department, the annual report is intended to provide an overview of assessment activity and findings that can be read quickly for reasons of review,
comparison or reminders; that is, a faculty member could read the annual report to see what assessment activities were implemented and what was learned,
without having to read through tables, graphs, or pages of specific detail.
For the university, the annual report provides a university-level (as opposed to department- or program-level) archive of assessment activity that can be easily
accessed for an institution-wide picture of assessment activity across programs, departments, and colleges.
Does a department have to do its annual assessment report in two forms—one for the Office of Academic Assessment and one for the
department/College Dean?
The annual report of assessment activity submitted to the Office of Academic Assessment is intended to be a summary of assessment activities, findings, and
resultant decisions/actions related to delivery of the program and to its assessment.
Department/program areas may create their own format for reporting on assessment activity within the department and then use the annual report template the
capture the highlights of assessment processes, findings, and decisions resulting from assessment activity. Another alternative for department/program-level
reporting would be to use the sections of the annual report template from Academic Assessment to label sections of the department/program report and then
include whatever additional information would be useful for a more complete report at the department/program level—e.g., tables, graphs, appendices, detailed
descriptions/explanations/analyses, etc. Following the general structure of the annual report template would facilitate the creation of the annual report for the Ofice
of Academic Assessment.
When is the annual report due to the Office of Academic Assessment?
The report is due to the Office of Academic Assessment by November 1 of the academic year following the year for which assessment activity is being reported.
College Deans and/or department heads may have an earlier deadline for submission of assessment reports.
Who has access to the annual report that is submitted to the Office of Academic Assessment?
Annual reports of assessment activity are archived in electronic format on a computer drive in the Office of Academic Assessment that is accessible to staff
working in the office. The reports are not shared outside of the Office of Academic Assessment, except with the President, the Provost, the Associate Provost for
Academic Affairs, the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, or their designees, upon their request.
ANNUAL ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES REPORT, (Academic Year for the Assessment Activity Reported)
Name of College:
•
Is all of the information in this section completed?
•
Does the information provided here allow this report to be read without the need to refer to
other documents—e.g., the assessment plan that was being followed, the particular set of
learning outcomes, the stated overall purpose/goal of the program at the time of the
assessment activities, etc.
•
Could a reader easily locate other documents related to this report—e.g., a more detailed
report, the particular assessment plan and version of program learning outcomes used when
the activities in this report were implemented?
•
Is the date of submission for the fall following the academic year in which the activities were
carried out? I.e., a report dated November 1, 2011, would report on assessment activities
during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Name of Department/Unit:
Program:
Department/Unit Mission:
Program Learning Goals:
Person submitting this report (name and e-mail):
Date submitted:
Assessment Measurements Conducted During the Current Year
Student Learning
Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Procedures (Include
methods used, when and where
implemented, number assessed,
person responsible, etc.)
(Outcome)
•
(Outcome)
•
(Outcome)
•
(Outcome)
Are both course titles and
numbers included when cited?
Are the instruments used clearly
described and/or accurately
labeled?
Is the process described clearly
enough to be understood by an
external reader or over time?
Summary of Findings
(Tables, graphs, and more detailed
reports are kept at the
department level.)
• If there were targets for
performance are those
included?
• Are the findings clearly stated?
• Are the findings evaluated/
analyzed? I.e., is information
provided to indicate the context/
impact of the findings?
Methods Used for Sharing
Assessment Information
•
•
How was information shared with
faculty?
Was any part of the information
gained shared outside of the
department? If so, what was
shared with whom, and through
what media?
Next Steps: Are changes indicated, along with timelines for action? If no changes are needed, is this space used to indicate that? To see a list of potential action
steps, see http://www.uni.edu/assessment/documents/closingtheloop.pdf, “On Using Assessment Information and Closing the Loop.”
Follow-Up Report on Changes Recommended in the Previous Year
Focus for Follow-Up
Recommended Program Changes
Actions Taken
•
Revisions to Student Learning Outcomes
SOA Plan Revisions
•
Are action steps clearly described, with
timelines for action and the group and/or
persons involved in the actions indicated?
If the action is not yet complete, is additional
information provided in the next column?
Comments/Further Action Steps
This space can be useful for indicating information
such as what worked or didn’t work with the
change processes used, what steps might be
taken next, how the effectiveness of the changes
might be evaluated, etc.
Additional Comments: (E.g., lessons learned; thoughts for future assessment planning, budgeting, or strategic planning; resources to explore, etc.)
Anything not already captured which could be useful to a future reader of this report and/or guide future thought or action related to the program or its assessment.