Dr. Geri Cochran Director, Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning

 It’s all about what is important to you ◦ Identifying what is important, the values that guide what you are doing. ◦ Using those values as a basis for evaluating what you are doing ◦ Taking what you have learned from that evaluation to improve what you are doing in order to better achieve your values

Program assessment is a form of evaluation by which participants in a program judge its effectiveness in achieving their values and use what they have learned to improve the program’s effectiveness in achieving those values.

Premise Assessment is linked directly to value Propositions 1. What we assess indicates what we value 2. What we value should guide what we assess

A form of evaluation in which the values of the participants’ in a program are made explicit expectations for what should “come out” of their actions and those actions are evaluated according to the extent to which the actions achieve the expected outcomes.

Improving Programs Program Outcomes Program Criteria Program Values

 Focusing on the value of education shifts our attention from inputs to outcomes  What “comes out” of an educational experience must be directly or indirectly observable to be assessed.  Program assessment belongs to the program; the purpose of outcomes assessment is to improve programs by encouraging evidence-based decision-making by people in the program

 Professional Readiness: Ability to work in the professional environment Ability to create a compelling portfolio to profile themselves for industry opportunities. Time management and ability to produce quality work in a specified time frame Ability to work within industry protocols to develop and execute projects

 Professional Communication:  Ability to use the language specific to the area of design production or management used by working professionals.  Ability to use artistic vocabulary for collaboration  Ability to communicate ideas both verbally and through presentational material

 Creative Collaboration:  Ability to work effectively with a team on projects.  Ability to respect working relationships  Follow set protocols according to industry standards.

 Finance & Budgeting:  Ability to manage resources - time, materials, personnel, and facilities  Problem-Solving:  Ability to combine research and resources in solving production problems  Ability to problem-solve within resource constraints  Specialty Skills:  According to their specialty, ability to apply technical and artistic skills to elevate the effectiveness of the finished work.

 What evidence should be gathered for assessing outcomes?  What are the sources of the evidence for the outcomes?  How often is the evidence to be collected?

 Relatively direct (SACS preferred) ◦ Writing assignments ◦ Oral presentations ◦ Design projects ◦ Artistic compositions ◦ Essay exams  Relatively indirect ◦ Surveys ◦ Internship reports ◦ Employer Surveys

 Evidence should be meaningful information that is appropriate for assessing a particular outcome.  Evidence should be manageable: reasonable to attain and evaluate (time, effort, availability)

 List of Outcomes  Evidence to be collected  Source of evidence  Frequency of collection of evidence

OutcomesEvidenceSourceFrequency Ability to work in a professional environment Production evaluations, internship reports Students, faculty, professional in the field Semester & Annually Ability to create a compelling portfolio Selection of work in portfolio, sample of designs, etc StudentsAnnually

 Is the evidence specific enough in describing the form of the evidence and venue for collection?  Does the plan rely mainly on direct evidence?  Is the evidence meaningful for the particular outcome?  Is the evidence manageable (reasonable to collect and evaluate) ?

Improving Programs Program Outcomes Program Criteria Program Values

 Goal: To use the evidence as a basis for judging the extent to which the program is meeting the members’ values for the program.

 Goal: To apply what has been learned in evaluating the program toward identifying actions to address areas of concern

 As a result of your assessment, what changes if any, have you implemented to address areas of concern (in the program or in the assessment of the program)?

 What outcomes are you planning to assess for the next reporting cycle?

 How can I help? Geri Cochran