2014-2015 Assessment Plan
Program (and PeopleSoft Code):
College or Division:
Assessment Coordinator:
Assessment Coordinator Contact Information (phone/email):
Date Submitted:
Please fill out this template as thoroughly as possible and return it and any requested documents
as attachments to Dr. Russell Stone, University Assessment Coordinator, at crstone@unr.edu.
For further information on the components of this plan, see www.unr.edu/assessment.
Assessment is required for UNR to maintain regional accreditation under the guidelines of the
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Assessment on campus involves three
levels of review and analysis: institutional, program, and course. Updated program
assessment plans and completed program assessment reports are required annually from every
degree-granting program at UNR, and every summer the University Assessment Coordinator
will review these documents and produce a report on the state of holistic assessment at the
institution: that is, a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the alignment of program, college,
and institutional goals and mission statements.
The program’s mission statement and the student learning outcomes, along with their
assessment methods and benchmarks for success and failure, will be made publicly available
on www.unr/edu/assessment.
1. Mission Statement
Describe the main educational goals of your program, the knowledge and skills you wish to
impart to your students, and how this mission statement aligns with the larger goals of your
college or division, as described in the following links in the General Catalog (CABNR,
Business, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Journalism, Liberal Arts, Science), and the
institutional goals of UNR, as defined in the Mission Statement below:
The University of Nevada, Reno:
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prepares graduates to compete in a global environment through teaching and learning in
high-quality undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in the liberal arts,
sciences, and selected professions in agriculture, medicine, engineering, health care,
education, journalism, and business
creates new knowledge through basic and applied research, scholarship, and artistry, in
strategically selected fields relevant to Nevada and the wider world
improves economic and social development by engaging Nevada's citizens, communities,
and governments
respects and seeks to reflect the gender, ethnic, cultural, and ability/disability diversity
of the citizens of Nevada in its academic and support programs, and in the composition of
its faculty, administration, staff, and student body.
2.A: Professional Accreditation Assessment Activity
1. Is your program, degree, or college professionally accredited by an external agency
(e.g., AACSB, ABET, NCATE)?
___Yes
____No
Comments:
2. If yes, please fill out the following:
Name of Accreditation Agency
Frequency of review
Semester and Year of most recent
review
Semester and Year of next review
2.B: Other Assessment Activities
1. Is your program involved in assessment reporting or activities beyond the scope of this
plan? This includes any activity not listed in section 3: Assessment Methods.
___Yes
___No
2. If yes, please describe below:
3: Assignments and Assessment Methods
Please indicate which direct and indirect assessment methods you use or intend to use in your
department.
Indirect Methods
Assignments and Direct Methods
Using Intend to Use
Using Intend to Use
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Portfolios of student work
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Written assignments
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Surveys:
Current students
Senior/exit
Alumni
Employer
Other
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Student retention rates
Transcript analysis
Employment placement
Graduate/professional
school placement
Data from Institutional
Analysis or other
departments on campus
(please explain below)
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Qualifying examination
Examination with common,
embedded questions
Thesis/dissertation
Presentations (individual or
group)
Oral defense of project or
proposal
Comprehensive (oral or
written) examination
Exhibition or demonstration
of student work
Laboratory project
Demonstration of fluency in
secondary language
Capstone project (please
explain below)
Internships
Service learning
Field Work
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The University Assessment Coordinator welcomes assessment materials for sharing in a best
practices in assessment campus network. For the assignments and direct methods above, do you
have in place a program-wide set of criteria or rubrics? ☐ Yes ☐ No
Other methods:
4. Student Learning Outcomes
Outcome #1:
Assessment Methods: Please list all indirect (e.g., surveys, evaluations, grade analysis) and
direct (e.g., examinations, writing samples) methods used to measure this learning outcome.
Refer to the information provided in section 3:
Performance Indicators, or commentary and benchmarks for success/failure (i.e., how you
define (1) fully meeting, (2) partially meeting, and (3) failing to meet the SLO):
Outcome #2:
Assessment Methods: Please list all indirect (e.g., surveys, evaluations, grade analysis) and
direct (e.g., examinations, writing samples) methods used to measure this learning outcome.
Refer to the information provided in section 3:
Performance Indicators, or commentary and benchmarks for success/failure (i.e., how you
define (1) fully meeting, (2) partially meeting, and (3) failing to meet the SLO):
Outcome #3:
Assessment Methods: Please list all indirect (e.g., surveys, evaluations, grade analysis) and
direct (e.g., examinations, writing samples) methods used to measure this learning outcome.
Refer to the information provided in section 3:
Performance Indicators, or commentary and benchmarks for success/failure (i.e., how you
define (1) fully meeting, (2) partially meeting, and (3) failing to meet the SLO):
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Outcome #4:
Assessment Methods: Please list all indirect (e.g., surveys, evaluations, grade analysis) and
direct (e.g., examinations, writing samples) methods used to measure this learning outcome.
Refer to the information provided in section 3:
Performance Indicators, or commentary and benchmarks for success/failure (i.e., how you
define (1) fully meeting, (2) partially meeting, and (3) failing to meet the SLO):
Outcome #5:
Assessment Methods: Please list all indirect (e.g., surveys, evaluations, grade analysis) and
direct (e.g., examinations, writing samples) methods used to measure this learning outcome.
Refer to the information provided in section 3:
Performance Indicators, or commentary and benchmarks for success/failure (i.e., how you
define (1) fully meeting, (2) partially meeting, and (3) failing to meet the SLO):
*Please insert additional Learning Outcomes as needed.
5. Use of Results
Explain any issues that you hope to examine through the assessment process and how you intend
to summarize and present to your faculty the assessment data from measuring your student
learning outcomes.
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6. Implementation Plan
Identify who will be involved in the assessment process, when and where key assessment
activities will occur, how data will be collected, and your intended timeline for measuring this
data.
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