Download Assessment Plan Template - Assessment of Student Learning

PLO ASSESSMENT PLAN TEMPLATE – GROUP 1, Reporting 2019
Please use this template to submit your assessment plans, being sure to include all the requested
information. Departments are expected to assess at least one undergraduate and one graduate
program learning outcome each 3-year cycle. You should include one plan for undergraduate
assessment and one plan for graduate assessment. Please remember that you are also required to
submit a curriculum map for each of your degree programs.
You are encouraged to submit drafts of your assessment plan to the A-Team for feedback. You may
contact them at [email protected]. Please complete all sections prior to submitting to the
Council on Assessment for final review.
DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM NAME:
NAME THE FACULTY WHO WORKED ON THIS DOCUMENT:
PART I: REPORTING FROM PRIOR CYCLE
1. FINDINGS FROM PRIOR ASSESSMENT CYCLE
Briefly describe the assessment completed during the previous cycle by addressing the following:
a. Which degree program(s) did you assess?
b. Which PLO(s) did you assess?
c. What was your research question/hypothesis?
d. What was your direct evidence, sampling procedure, and sample size?
e. What was your indirect evidence, sampling procedure, and sample size? If you did not collect
indirect evidence, please state so.
f.
How did you analyze your direct evidence, and what were your findings? Please include any
rubrics/tests/assignments you developed/used.
g. If you collected indirect evidence, how did you analyze your direct evidence, and what were your
findings? Please include any rubrics/surveys/protocols you developed/used.
2. USE OF ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
a. How did your department share the findings with your faculty?
b. Describe how your findings helped inform your curriculum, including evidence for curricular
changes needed to improve student learning, or evidence suggesting that no changes were needed.
c. If you made changes, describe whether and how these changes impacted your curriculum map.
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d. If you made changes, did you have time in this cycle to assess whether they brought about the
desired impact on student learning? If yes, please describe what you learned and what further
changes you made or plan to make. If no, please explain why not (i.e., the changes implemented
require more time before they can be assessed, or the initial assessment took about three years so
you did not have time to assess the changes in this cycle) and also explain when your department
will do this assessment.
e. Discuss whether your findings lead you to continue assessing the same PLO(s) or whether you are
concluding this assessment for the time being and moving on to assess a new PLO.
PART II: PLAN FOR NEW CYCLE
3. DEGREE PROGRAM(S) TO BE ASSESSED THIS CYCLE
State which of your degree program(s) you are assessing this cycle (e.g., BA in Chemistry).
4. DISCUSSION OF CURRICULUM MAP
Along with this plan, your department is submitting a current version of your curriculum map. Did
your department identify any areas of strength or weakness regarding student learning that is
reflected in your curriculum map? If so, please discuss.
5. PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOME(S) TO BE ASSESSED THIS CYCLE AND RATIONALE
Please list the approved PLO(s) your department will focus on in its assessment plan on this cycle. This
may be the same PLO(s) you assessed in prior cycles. Please explain why you are choosing to focus your
assessment on the PLO(s) you selected, including evidence from your curriculum map if appropriate.
The PLO(s) must be selected from your department’s approved list, found here:
http://assessment.ucsb.edu/learning-outcomes. If you need to revise your PLOs, please contact
[email protected].
6. RESEARCH QUESTIONS/HYPOTHESES
Please explain what you will study regarding the PLO(s) you have selected. Frame your study in the
form of a research question or hypothesis (e.g., “Do lower division courses prepare students for the
critical thinking expected of them in upper division courses?”).
7. DESCRIPTION OF EVIDENCE
Assessments can include two types of evidence: direct evidence and indirect evidence. All PLO
assessment projects must include direct evidence and may include indirect evidence.
Direct evidence is produced by learners as part of their work with the PLO(s). Some examples of types
of direct evidence are a final paper in an advanced course, a performance in a capstone course scored
on a rubric, or a subset of exam questions in a particular course that are aligned with the PLO.
Examples of a source of direct evidence is a course, set of courses, or experience.
Indirect evidence is reported by learners as a result of their work with the PLOs. Some examples of
types of indirect evidence are survey questions in which students self-report abilities, or focus
groups/interviews where students discuss experiences in courses. Examples of sources of indirect
evidence include those for direct evidence, but also may include senior exit surveys.
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For either type of evidence, specify your sampling procedure (i.e., how you will select the work
and/or students you will examine in your assessment), as well as the expected sample size (i.e., how
many pieces of work or how many artifacts you will review – please give a number or expected range
for the sample size, do not simply say “all students” or “a portion of students”). You are not required to
collect evidence from all your students. It is appropriate to use a subset as long as it adequately
represents the range of student learners in your program.
a. Please describe the type and source of direct evidence, as well as your sampling procedure and
sample size.
b. Please describe the type and source of indirect evidence, as well as your sampling procedure
and sample size. It is not required that you use indirect evidence in your assessment plan, though
many find this useful. If you choose not to use indirect evidence, please indicate so.
8. METHODS FOR EVALUATING EVIDENCE
Describe the method(s) you will use for evaluating the direct and, if used, indirect evidence you will
gather. Please discuss any assessment tools (e.g., rubrics, surveys, interview protocols) that you will
develop. If you are using existing tools, please describe how they were developed. If you are using tools
developed externally (outside of your program), please describe why they are appropriate to address
the question(s) you are addressing in the assessment plan. Please include copies of any existing tools
that you plan to use or modify.
9. PLAN FOR USING ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
Describe how your department plans to make use of the results of this assessment study to improve
student learning, as well as to inform faculty of findings.
10. TIMELINE
Describe which stages of your plan (described in Sections 4-9) you will carry out each quarter over the
next three-year cycle. If there is a quarter where no assessment activity is happening, please say so.
Quarter
W17
S17
M17
F17
W18
S18
M18
F18
W19
S19
M19
F19
W20
Assessment Activity
11. FACULTY ENGAGEMENT
Identify which faculty will be involved at each stage described in the timeline.
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