Curriculum Assessment

An important aspect of our educational program is the ongoing analysis of how well our curriculum fulfills the ideals and goals of the college's mission, educational goals, and the expected learning outcomes articulated by each department and program. Analysis based on learning outcomes plays a crucial role in assessing our programs while maintaining faculty autonomy and creativity.

Each year departments and programs engage in an annual assessment of their expected learning outcomes. This assessment should drive development and implementation of curricula, and completing this assessment annually can support and inform Curriculum Committee reviews. The Student Learning Outcomes (S.L.O.) team (comprising the Associate Deans and Institutional Research staff) reviews reports and can offer feedback and resources to departments and programs.

The Assessment Report, due by June 30 each year, is an opportunity to describe how your department or program evaluates actual student learning outcomes in relation to expected outcomes and incorporates your assessments into curriculum planning.

In your annual report please provide the following information:

1. List all of your department or program student learning outcomes, expressed as statements that clearly articulate what students should be able to do, achieve, demonstrate, or know upon graduation.
2. List the one or two expected student learning outcomes that you selected for analysis for the current academic year. (These were listed at the end of last year's report; should you need a copy of that report please contact the Associate Deans' Office.)
   1. Please list the most significant elements of your program and curriculum that contribute to development of student achievement of the expected learning outcome(s).
   2. Please list the most significant measures (or information and processes) your program uses to understand the degree to which students achieve the expected student learning outcome(s).
   3. What has your program learned about student achievement with respect to the expected outcome(s) this year?
   4. Based on what you currently understand about the degree to which students achieve the selected outcome(s), please identify actions you have taken or plan to take. These might include:
      • Changes to an expected learning outcome(s)
      • Changes in program or curricular elements related to the learning outcome(s)
      • Changes to the ways you measure or collect information about achieving the outcome(s)
3. List the one or two expected learning outcomes will you analyze in the coming academic year.
   1. What measurements or ways of collecting information do you intend to use for these upcoming outcome(s)?
   2. What information do you need in order to conduct a helpful analysis?

Please note that effective, meaningful assessment of learning outcomes does not need to be burdensome. Whatever the process, establishing meaningful processes to discuss and act on data is key to the usefulness of outcomes assessment.

The S.L.O. team serves as a resource for data and information. Please feel free to reach out directly to any member of the team. They are available to support and advise about effective ways to approach this work.

Please contact Julie Nelson Christoph (jchristoph@pugetsound.edu) or any member of the S.L.O. team with questions, comments, or concerns.

Thank you for your on-going assessment work.

Julie Nelson Christoph
Kate Cohn
Sunil Kukreja
Ellen Peters