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2012 Assessment PLAN Template
Assessment Plan by Non-Academic and Non-College Academic Units:
Due by August 15, 2012
As part of our ongoing accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission, all non-academic units at YSU
participate in assessment processes and practices. Assessment is an ongoing activity and is not limited
to YSU’s self-study processes for the Higher Learning Commission.
When is the plan due? The deadline for all non-academic units’ and non-college academic units’
assessment plan is Wednesday, August 15, 2012. We recognize that this date is later than in past
years and that it is also a very busy time for non-academic units; if there are extenuating circumstances
that may warrant an extension, please contact our office.
Where do I send the plan? This year the Office of Assessment (OOA) is transitioning to a new online
reporting process (see “What’s New This Year?” below for more information). Your plan should be
submitted through our new online plan form at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
What is an Assessment Plan? An assessment plan outlines the ways in which your unit intends to
collect and analyze data for unit and/or program improvement, with a specific focus on learning
outcomes. A plan can be a chance for a unit to “take a step back” and decide how they can best (and
most efficiently) collect data on what they want to measure; for a unit new to assessment reporting, it
allows them to develop and focus assessment efforts.
What is crucial to include in these plans?
Each unit can define the focus for its plan,
based upon in-depth knowledge of the
department and its units; however,
assessment plans should not be merely a
description of unit activities but should
include one measurable learning outcome,
with thoughtful consideration of how you
will collect data to assess that learning
outcome, and what you anticipate the
outcome of your measures to be. In addition,
consideration of how you will share data
with internal and external stakeholders is
important to include.
Do I have to complete an assessment plan
and an assessment report? NO! Your unit
may choose to complete either an
assessment plan or an assessment report. Do
not complete both. Note: you cannot complete a
A Robust Assessment Process
plan two years in a row—if your unit completed a
plan last year, then your unit is not eligible to complete a plan this year.
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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What’s new this year?
 NEW ONLINE REPORTING PROCESS: The OOA is working hard behind the scenes to streamline
reporting processes so the focus is on the good work of assessment, not the paperwork! To
support this goal, we are moving to submission of plans through an online form. This form will
allow you to type directly into the form, or cut and paste from this completed Word template.
You will also have the ability to save and come back to your form, as well as upload
attachments. We will provide a walkthrough of the new form at all OOA Assessment
Workshops, or you may contact our office for assistance. We appreciate your cooperation and
patience as we transition to this new system and work out any kinks; if for some reason you
cannot access the online form, we will allow email submission. Once in place, this system will
also allow more powerful analysis of plans and reports, easier access to previous plans and
reports for both OOA and individual units, and the ability to focus more resources toward
assessment training and consultation.
 Fewer questions! We have listened to your feedback and have worked with staff from Student
Affairs to reduce the total number of questions this year. We will continue to work to reduce
the reporting process length and complexity. The focus should be on learning, not the form.
 New Higher Learning Commission Criteria: the Higher Learning Commission’s “New Criteria for
Accreditation” was released in February of 2012 and will become effective on January 1, 2013.
The New Criteria places a much higher focus on student learning and on infusing the use of
assessment for continuous improvement into all that an institution does. To help support this
increased focus, and to build familiarity with the New Criteria across campus, the OOA has
indicated how each question on the plan relates to New Criteria. We will also have one optional
question (optional in 2012; will be mandatory in subsequent years) asking units to explain how
they would be able to provide evidence for one of the New Criteria. The New Criteria can be
found on the HLC website at:
https://content.springcm.com/content/DownloadDocuments.ashx?Selection=Document%2C5f
a00220-896c-e111-b379-0025b3af184e%3B&accountId=5968. Note: if you have trouble
viewing this document, try cutting and pasting the URL directly into your web browser.
 Enhancing Report Quality: We are completing the increase minimum threshold of plan and
report quality to 70% the total possible points (completed over a three-year period). You can
also view the rubric on the OOA website.
Quality Rating
Exemplary
Proficient
Progressing
Inadequate
Percentage of
Total Points
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
69% or less
How will the plans be reviewed? A team from the YSU Assessment Council will review the plans and
provide feedback based on a rubric (a set of evaluative criteria). To ensure that our focus in on the
vitality of unit self-appraisal and continuous improvement (and not the form itself), note that questions
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Template
on the rubric are weighted differently. You can view the rubric and question values on the OOA
website.
For accreditation purposes the OOA maintains a record of all plans and reports. Assessment plans and
reports will be posted on the OOA Word Press site or other secure site to provide units a wider
distribution of their results and recommendations. The OOA also seeks to provide information back the
campus community in useful ways; for example, the OOA “Use of Data” Chart informs units how other
units are collecting and using student learning data for improvement purposes.
How do I know what you are looking for in the plan?
 For definitions of important terms see page 7; for hints and tips on filling out the plan, please
see the “Assessment Plan Tips and Hints” document on the OOA website at
www.ysu.edu/assessment/directions.html.
 In addition, a link to the rubric that will be used to review/evaluate/score this plan is provided
at www.ysu.edu/assessment/directions.html. Note that some questions in the template are
weighted more heavily than others; you can view the rubric for the questions’ weight, or value.
 A workshop series will be conducted by the Office of Assessment in July 2012 and will provide
examples of exemplary plans as well as critical elements to attend to in completing the
template. If you cannot attend the workshops, the materials will be on the assessment website
at www.ysu.edu/assessment/directions.html.
Assessment process image credit, page one: http://pdx.edu/studentaffairs/assessment-planning-andpractice.
If you experience difficulty opening the hyperlinks in this document, please copy and paste the links
into your web browser’s address bar.
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Template
Assessment Plan Template
Due August 15, 2012
Instructions: Complete the first section, “Current Unit Status,” outlining the current state of your unit’s
assessment activities for the 2011-2012 academic/fiscal year. For the second section, “Assessment Plan
Development,” you will be asked about your chosen learning outcome and how you plan to measure it.
All supplemental documents and material needed to help you create this plan are located on the
Assessment website. Please save electronic or paper copies of relevant assessment materials in your
own office for at least 10 years.
Name of Department or Unit:
Name of Person Preparing This Plan:
Title:
Email Address:
Campus Phone:
Direct Supervisor:
Extension and Email of Supervisor:
Division Vice President:
Extension and Email of Vice President:
Date Submitted:
Plan or report submitted in 2011?
Number of attachments to this report:
Section 1: Current Unit Status
1. Explain how your unit supports the 2020 Strategic Plan of Youngstown State University (The
YSU 2020 Strategic Plan can be found at http://web.ysu.edu/2020.) (Related to HLC Criterion 1,
Core Component 1.A, Sub-component 2 and Criterion 3, Core Component 4.E., Sub-component
1)
2. Describe the goals for your unit from the previous academic/fiscal year.
3. How do your goals support the learning environment at YSU? (Related to HLC Criterion 4)
Describe your current assessment activities:
4. Provide a brief summary of unit and/or program improvement data collected that document
your unit’s assessment activities for the 2011-2012 academic/fiscal year (e.g., explain how you
measured unit and/or program activities for continuous improvement). (Related to HLC
Criterion 4, Core Component 4.B., Sub-component 2)
5. How was that data analyzed and used by your unit? (Related to HLC Criterion 4, Core
Component 4.B., Sub-component 3)
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Template
6. How did your unit utilize feedback from the Office of Assessment regarding last year’s
assessment report? (Note: if this is your unit’s first time completing a plan or report, answer
“first reporting year.”)
Section 2: Assessment Plan Development
Develop a learning outcome:
7. State at least one learning outcome1 that is relevant for your unit. Note: you may use the same
LO used in a past year or you may use/develop a new LO. (Related to HLC Criterion 4, Core
Component 4.B., Sub-component 1)
8. How does this learning outcome fit your unit?
9. How does this learning outcome fit in with the YSU 2020 Strategic Plan? (Related to HLC
Criterion 1, Core Component 1.A, Sub-component 2 and Criterion 3, Core Component 4.E., Subcomponent 1)
Measure your learning outcome:
10. What is the way (or ways) you will measure the status of and/or progress in this learning
outcome over the 2012-13 academic/fiscal year? Note: consider tools that would incorporate
both direct and indirect measures.
11. What do you anticipate the outcome of your measure(s) to be? What do you hope to find out?
Close the feedback loop: As part of a healthy assessment process, assessment activities and highlights
should be shared with, and feedback and recommendations solicited from, both internal stakeholders
(such as unit staff) as well as external stakeholders (such as students, other staff/faculty, and the wider
community).
12. What are the major constituency groups for your unit? Note: think not just within your unit or
your supervisory structure (internal stakeholders), but about students/faculty/staff, the larger
university, the surrounding community, and beyond (external stakeholders). (Related to HLC
Criterion 4, Core Component 4.B., Sub-component 4)
13. How and when do you plan to involve your major constituency groups in the assessment
process (e.g., data sharing and recommendation gathering)? (Related to HLC Criterion 4, Core
Component 4.B., Sub-component 3)
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For information on what a learning outcome is and how to construct one for your unit, please attend the Office of
Assessment workshop on assessment plans in July 2012 or see the website at www.ysu.edu/assessment/directions.html for
learning outcome workshop materials
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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Relation to New Higher Learning Commission Criteria:
14. (OPTIONAL FOR 2012) Please provide an example of how your unit could provide evidence,
through learning outcomes assessment, for the new HLC Criterion Five (Resources, Planning,
and Institutional Effectiveness), Core Component 5A (The institution engages in systematic and
integrated planning.), Sub-component 2 (The institution links its processes for assessment of
student learning, evaluation of operations, planning, and budgeting.):
Executive Summary:
15. Executive Summary (summarize the key ideas from section two only, Assessment Plan
Development, with a maximum length of one-half page).
Optional:
16. Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your assessment plan and/or is there
any particular area on which you would like assistance or feedback?
Please submit plans through the online system by Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at http://www.jotform.us/ysuassessment/2012naplan.
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2012 Assessment PLAN Template
Appendix - Assessment Terms and Definitions
Term
Assessment
Outcomes
Performance
Criteria
Evaluation
Stakeholder
Direct Measure
Indirect Measure
Definition
Other Terms
Used
Processes that identify, collect, analyze,
and report data that can be used to
evaluate achievement.
Statements that describe what students
(or other individuals) are expected to
know and be able to do when a unit’s
intervention is complete
Specific, measurable statements
identifying the performance(s) required
to meet the outcome; confirmable
through evidence.
Process of reviewing the results of data
collection and analysis and making a
determination of the value of findings
and action(s) to be taken.
Evaluation
A person, group, organization, or system
who affects or can be affected by an
organization's actions
Direct measures provide for the direct
examination or observation of [staff,
faculty, student] knowledge or skills
against measurable learning outcomes
Indirect measures of learning that
ascertain the opinion or self‐report of the
extent or value of learning experiences
Constituency
Objectives, standards, goals.
Terminology may vary by discipline
and/or accrediting agency.
Standards, rubrics, specifications,
outcomes, metrics, objectives
Assessment
Written papers, tests, oral presentations,
performance appraisals, internship
supervisors’ evaluations, behavioral
observations, etc.
Written surveys, exit and other
interviews,
archival records, focus groups, etc.
Table adapted with permission from Gloria M. Rogers’ Presentation “Building a Foundation: Best
Practices, Common Mistakes”© July 13, 2009 Live Text Collaboration and Assessment
Conference, Gloria M. Rogers, Ph.D., Managing Director, ABET, Professional Services,
http://www.abet.org/assessment.shtml.