COUNCIL ON ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT (CAA)
DRAFT MINUTES, OCTOBER 11, 2012
UNH 105, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Members present: Adrian Masters (Chair), Janelle Adsit, Deborah Bernnard, Sue Faerman, Ilka Kressner,
Greg Nowell, Sean Rafferty, Joan Savitt, Brian Stephenson, Bruce Szelest. Staff present: Joel Bloom, Steven
Doellefeld
Members absent: Kevin Williams
1. Call to order.
2. No new members were present.
3. The minutes of the September 6th meeting were reviewed and approved.
4. Chairs’ Reports

CAA (Adrian Masters). The Chair discussed recent discussions at the SEC regarding the
new first-year writing program and its assessment, and pointed out that the Council
should look at this before it is finalized. Vice Provost Faerman pointed out that it should
go to the GEAC, and raised the issue of the three general education categories now to be
implemented within the major (oral discourse, information literacy and critical thinking –
upper-level writing is not technically a general education requirement) and added that the
Associate Dean for General Education will hold open meetings for department chairs to
help them develop learning objectives for these categories. All departments will have to
submit plans to UAC by Spring 2014 for implementation in Fall 2014, so there will not
be much for GEAC or the Council to do with these this year.

GEAC (Deborah Bernnard). The Chair discussed this years’ GEAC workload and the
proposed shift from a three-year general education assessment cycle to a five-year cycle.

APRC (Sean Rafferty). The APRC met and approved a report for the Political Science
program review process, to be discussed at the October Council meeting (the Director
recused himself from that part of the APRC meeting). At our subsequent meetings we
will review Art and Anthropology (the Chair will recuse himself from that meeting). The
APRC Chair, CAA Chair and Director of Assessment will draft letters for Deans and
department chairs regarding the new mid-cycle assessment review process.
5. Director’s Report (Joel Bloom). The Director discussed the general education and program
review schedule for the coming year. He mentioned that the last two years of general education
assessment have low response rates, although we have been receiving broader documentation
from those who do participate. He will work this year with the Associate Director on a more
intensive contact strategy this year in order to improve response rates.
6. Old Business. None.
7. New Business: Review of the Political Science program review assessment. The Council
approved the Committee report as revised. The Director suggested as a matter of process that
when the primary APRC reviewer for a department is not a CAA member, that reviewer should
be invited to the CAA meeting at which the draft is discussed.
8. Adjournment