THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE

                                                                   FACULTY SENATE

 

 Senate Document Number     0408F

 

 Date of Senate Approval      11/13/08

 

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

 

 

IDC 2:                                       Program Assessment at UNC Asheville

 

 

What is assessment?

 

Assessment, in our context, is a systematic reflection of teaching and learning wherever it occurs in the university. It is the basis of our growth as a community of learning. In a time of ever-increasing public accountability, doing what we love to do depends in part on our ability to demonstrate what we do, that we are continually striving to be better at what we do, and most importantly that our students benefit from our efforts.

 

Why we do it

  • Assessment is a matter of documenting what we do and what our students learn.
  • It is an intellectual enterprise in which we gather facts, analyze them, make appropriate adjustments to our practices, and gather more facts.
  • The purpose is to help us improve.  The purpose is primarily formative rather than summative.
  • Assessment goals and outcomes also help us align programs with the university mission, strategic plan, UNC Tomorrow, and campus-wide initiatives (such as integrated liberal studies).

 

 How we do it

  • Assessment involves clearly stated goals, expected outcomes that indicate progress toward those goals, and procedures that measure the extent to which they are achieved.
  • Assessment should be regular and on-going.
  • Assessment should be meaningful and manageable; the assessment period will depend upon the goals and outcome measures.
  • Assessment outcomes and methods should reflect the academic areas being assessed.
  • Assessment instruments should measure what matters to us.
  • The university should support departments and programs as they plan and carry out assessments and should take advantage of existing faculty and staff expertise.

 

 How we use it

 

Done well, assessment helps us improve our curricula, teaching, and student learning.  It should use time effectively, preserve or expand a department’s flexibility beyond its own planning horizon, and preserve or expand a department’s autonomy.  All units of the university should participate in their own assessment, and a structure to assure accountability of the process should exist at all levels.