College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Departmental Assessment Plan: Student Learning Outcomes
(Please submit, electronically, to division office.)
Program Information
Academic Program (Major)
Psychology
Degree
BA, BS, AB
Department
Psychological Sciences
Division
Behavioral Sciences
Academic Year
2014-2015
Departmental Contact Person
Name
Chehalis Strapp
Title
Professor
Department
Psychology
E-Mail Address
strappc@wou.edu
Extension
88316
Program Mission Statement and Learning Outcomes
Mission
Create lifelong learners in psychology utilizing the scientist-practitioner model. Graduates of our program will
understand the scientific foundations of the discipline and the core knowledge/concepts in the field. Graduates
will also be able to apply psychology to solve human difficulties; at both personal levels with self and others, and at
a community level with the issues and problems that face us as a society, a nation and a world.
Learning Outcomes
1. Explain and/or apply principles, skills, values, or ethics of psychology.
2. Apply appropriate research methods to critically analyze human behavior.
3. Identify and demonstrate knowledge of sociocultural and international diversity.
(From original design, courtesy of Intuitional Research & Decision Support Office, Stanford University)
(11/2011)
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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Outcome 1
Learning Outcomes published in
the most recent academic
catalog.
Explain and/or apply principles, skills, values, or ethics of
psychology.
Outcome 2
Outcome 3
Target
Students will reach 70% attainment for each of the items described below.
Data Source
We looked at data from multiple sources to assess progress towards outcomes.
For Outcome 1 we looked at 1) student self-report data; 2) off site evaluation of
psychology students
1) Student self-report data includes responses assessed each spring term with our
annual senior survey; 2) Off site evaluation came from off campus
organizations/individuals who work directly with psychology majors through
applied experiences. For this assessment we asked practicum supervisors to
assess psychology majors interning at placement sites off campus.
Means of Assessment
For Outcome 1: Explain and/or apply principles, skills, values, or
ethics of psychology.
Psychology seniors completed an assessment of the major and were asked to rate
the impact of the psychology program on their development of broad based
competences. These competencies map to psychology department
objectives/learning outcomes. For outcome 1 we examined student ratings of
the following items
 Being committed to lifelong learning
 Being prepared for advanced study
 Develop effective listening skills
 Develop effective leadership skills
 Working cooperatively in groups
 Solving problems effectively
 Develop knowledge, skills, and values that will be beneficial to career
development.
2) Practicum site supervisors were asked to rate the extent to which WOU
psychology students demonstrated competencies that map to psychology
department objectives. For outcome 1 we examined Practicum site supervisors’
ratings for the following items.
 Effective verbal communication skills
 Effective written communication skills
(From original design, courtesy of Intuitional Research & Decision Support Office, Stanford University)
(11/2011)
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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Effective listening skills
Effective leadership skills
Ability to work cooperatively with others
Effective problem solving skills
Knowledge and skills relevant to working with the site’s target population.
Commitment to professionalism and work ethic (i.e., reliable and punctual
attendance, initiative).
Means of Scoring
1) Seniors rated “how much did your experiences as a psychology major at
WOU help you to”…i.e., work cooperatively in groups (for each of the above
items) on a 5 point scale (0 = not at all, 1 = slight extent, 2 = some extent, 3 =
great extent, 4 = a very great extent).
2) Practicum supervisors rated “the extent to which WOU psychology students
participating in the practicum” i.e., work cooperatively with others on the same
5 point scale used for the senior survey (0 = not at all, to 4 = a very great
extent).
Both assessments were scored by the psychological sciences assessment
committee. We report the % of respondents (students or practicum supervisors)
indicating a great extent or very great extent for each item. As noted above our
target is for rating to reach 70% attainment for each of the items.
Evidence Storage
Assessments are stored to the WOU K drive with the following address
K:\Psychology\Research\Accreditation\Annual Senior Survey\Assessment
Reports\Assessment 20142015
Program Learning Outcome Assessment
Outcome 1
Learning Outcomes published in
the most recent academic
catalog.
Outcome 2
Apply appropriate research methods to critically analyze
human behavior.
Outcome 3
(From original design, courtesy of Intuitional Research & Decision Support Office, Stanford University)
(11/2011)
3
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Target
Students will reach 70% attainment for each of the items described below.
Data Source
We looked at data from multiple sources to assess progress towards outcomes.
For Outcome 2 we looked at 1) student self-report data; 2) off site evaluation of
psychology students; and 3) evaluation of Psy 468 Research Posters
1) Student self-report data includes responses assessed each spring term with our
annual senior survey; 2) Off site evaluation came from off campus
organizations/individuals who work directly with psychology majors through
applied experiences. For this assessment we asked practicum supervisors to
assess psychology majors interning at placement sites off campus. 3) Final
project posters for a sample of psychology majors completing Psy 468 Advanced
Research Methods were evaluated using a rubric designed to assess students’
inquiry and analysis skills.
Means of Assessment
Outcome 2: Apply appropriate research methods to critically
analyze human behavior.
1) To assess Psychology seniors we will examine student ratings of the
following items.
 Acquiring extensive knowledge in an area of Psychology,
 Thinking critically,
 Analyzing various types of data,
 Drawing conclusions from various types of data,
 Be able to effectively design a research study.
2) To assess Practicum supervisors we will examine ratings of the following
items.
 Thinking critically
3) To assess Psy 468 Advance Research Methods posters a rubric was used.
This rubric appears with results for outcome 2 and includes the following
items.
 Topic selection
 Synthesis of existing knowledge and prior research
 Design process
 Analysis
 Conclusions
 Limitations and Implications
Means of Scoring
Senior self-report data and external practicum supervisor data will be scored as
described above for Outcome 1.For Psy 468 Advanced Research Methods
posters, we report the % of students who achieve an average milestone 3 or
capstone 4 performance on the rubric items, as well as class means for each of
the rubric items. Assessments were scored by the psychological sciences
assessment committee.
(From original design, courtesy of Intuitional Research & Decision Support Office, Stanford University)
(11/2011)
4
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Evidence Storage
This annual assessment will be archived to the WOU K drive with the following
address
K:\Psychology\Research\Accreditation\Annual Senior Survey\Assessment
Reports\Assessment 20142015
Program Learning Outcome Assessment
Outcome 1
Learning Outcomes published in
the most recent academic
catalog.
Outcome 2
Outcome 3
Identify and demonstrate knowledge of sociocultural and
international diversity.
Target
We anticipate that students will reach 70% attainment for each of the items
described below.
Data Source
Data will be collected annually during Spring term as described for Objective 1
Means of Assessment
Objective 3: Identify and demonstrate knowledge of sociocultural
and international diversity
1) To assess Psychology seniors we will examine student ratings of the following
items
 Understand professional ethics
 Appreciate cultural and ethnic differences between people
 Interact effectively and sensitively with people from diverse backgrounds
and cultural perspectives
2) To assess Practicum supervisors we will examine ratings of the following
items
 Understanding and application of professional ethics
 Appreciation for cultural and ethnic differences between people
 Interact effectively and sensitively with people from diverse backgrounds
and cultural perspectives.
(From original design, courtesy of Intuitional Research & Decision Support Office, Stanford University)
(11/2011)
5
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Means of Scoring
Evidence Storage
The items will be scored as described for Objective 1.
This annual assessment will be archived to the WOU K drive with the following
address
K:\Psychology\Research\Accreditation\Annual Senior Survey\Assessment
Reports\Assessment 20142015
(From original design, courtesy of Intuitional Research & Decision Support Office, Stanford University)
(11/2011)
6