strategic plan assessment

Assessment at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

2007: In March 2007, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) became the catalyst for an assessment audit. The variety of assessment tools in place, both formative and summative, is apparent.

Assessment plans from all academic units are developed with support and collection by the Faculty Senate Committee on the Assessment of Student Learning (FSCASL). Many nonacademic units have crafted outcome-based plans.

With the University’s mission and values serving as a driving force, academic accountability advances campus use of the results in strategic planning efforts. The FSCASL set development of an assessment master plan as a major goal for the coming year. To develop a significant plan useful in teaching, scholarship and stewardship by the deans, the FASCASL and cohorts have many campus resources available, such as the administrative liaison/ assistant vice chancellor/curricular affairs and student achievement, the Office of Institutional Research, the Academic Policy Committee and the General Education Committee.

Assessments, such as the following, contribute to awareness of student learning: the National Survey of Student Engagement, College of Business Learning Goals and Outcome-Based Measures Matrices, College of Education and Human Services NCATE Report Updates, College of Nursing CNNE and CIPR Reports, the College of Letters and Sciences Professionally Accredited Program reviews and all program reviews.

In 2006-2007, all academic units reported approved assessment plans, with a majority reporting that the plans affected curriculum changes in their unit. In 2006-2007, 13 assessment plans were revised and updated—Bachelor of Business Administration, Art, Computer Science, English (graduate level), Geography, Geology, International Studies, Bachelor Liberal Studies, Public Administration, Educational Leadership (graduate), Human Services and Nursing (undergraduate/graduate). Curriculum changes were made based on the assessments.   

Due to budget recisions, there was a two-year moratorium on program review. In spite of this, four units prepared program reviews (English as a Second language, Master of Science in Information Systems, Psychology and Sociology).

One academic unit received accreditation from its professional accrediting body (\Counselor Education by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Wisconsin Campus Compact

To “serve and engage people and ideas for the common good,” UW Oshkosh provides fulltime membership in the Wisconsin Campus Compact, benefiting students, faculty and the community. For the fourth year, and in association with the Wisconsin Campus Compact, an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) grant was obtained in 2006-2007. In a partnership between the Provost’s Office and Academic Affairs, two full-time VISTAs were assigned to campus and housed in Reeve Memorial Union. The VISTAs leverage human, financial and material resources to increase the capacity of low-income communities across the country in problem solving.

The UW Oshkosh VISTAs focused on service learning and related civic engagement initiatives that addressed poverty by engaging students and community volunteers in efforts to improve low-income, K-12 students’ academic aspirations and achievement. The VISTAs maintained community partnerships, fostered civic responsibility and developed a sustainable service-learning program culminating in the Provost’s Summit on Service Learning, supported by a $20,000 grant from the 2006-2007 UW Extension Program Innovation Fund.

The summit featured nationally known Kathleen Stacey, of Eastern Michigan University, and eight campus recipients of UW Extension mini-grants for in-service learning programming (Jennifer Castillo, Karina Cutler-Lake, Jean Erdman, Judy Lambert, Kelli Saganak, Bonnie Schmidt, Ling-Ling Tsao and Robert Weber).

2006: A comprehensive, multiphase assessment program is essential to the success of our strategic plan. As we implement our Governing Ideas and address the ongoing mission of serving people, we continuously measure our effectiveness. Are we doing what we said we were going to do and, more importantly, is what we are doing making a positive difference on the overall quality of our University and the public we shape and serve?

To be effective, we revisit and reflect upon assessment that involves the strategic plan, our student outcome-based assessment plan, the UW System Achieving Excellence goals and measures, the new accreditation standards of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, as well as the assessment criteria of the various accrediting agencies for our accredited degree programs.


Student Outcome-Based Assessment Plan

Our participation in a series of internal and external programs of national stature to identify expected learning outcomes to make the assessment of learning possible is ongoing. The following programs provide well-rounded information about student learning and satisfaction: spring 2001 National Survey of Student Exchange (NSSE), (first year and senior), fall 2001 Graduating Senior Survey, spring 2002 Student Survey (first year and senior), spring 2002 Graduating Senior Survey, fall 2002 Graduating Senior Survey, spring 2003 Student Survey (first year), spring 2003 Graduating Senior Survey, spring 2004 NSSE (first year and seniors), spring 2004 Graduating Senior Survey and the spring 2004 Penn State Center for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE)—an assessment program in which we participated as part of the John Gardner Achieving Excellence in the First Year of College Program.

In spring 2006, administering the NSSE will continue to assess the core base knowledge of the environment for learning, student accomplishments and more. To personalize NSSE questions, we are a part of a team that prepared a consortium of questions to reflect activity in our UW System schools, such as depth and breadth of engagement.

Achieving Excellence

The UW System requires that each campus submit evidence of progress in achieving four sets of systemwide goals. Data from the campuses is compiled at the system level and published under the title Achieving Excellence.

Academic Program Assessment

The University conducts periodic assessment of academic programs under the direction of the assistant vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, with oversight by the Faculty Senate Committee on Assessment of Student Learning. The following seven programs were reviewed in 2002-2003: economics, mathematics (including mathematics education), finance, international studies, accounting and the MBA degree program.

Academic Program Accreditation

Accreditation of our academic programs is an ongoing process that is cyclical in nature, tended to by the process of shared governance. New programs, as well as programs in place, are accredited by an outside professional accrediting organization. Our new athletic training program received initial accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in 2002-2003.

2005-2006: Four academic units received accreditation from the national professional accrediting bodies representing their fields: athletic training (Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education), journalism (Accreditation Council of Education in Journalism/Mass Communication), music (National Association of Schools of Music) and social work (Council of Social Work Education).

University Accreditation

The accrediting body for the University is the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC/NCA). This accreditation occurs every 10 years. In anticipation of the next review in 2007, the provost appointed the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Preparation Committee. The HLC/NCA has issued new guidelines that align with the ongoing strategic and operational planning process and focus on assessment and strategic planning—two elements of which the University has already made significant progress. In 2002, we formed the HLC/NCA Ad Hoc Committee. In 2003, we developed a plan for the self-study and consulted with the HLC/NCA regional representation in a daylong workshop.

2005-2006: In spring 2006, the writing team of the all-representative campus committee began to prepare the first draft of the self-study, using the materials collected in the previous year that had been examined and organized. The draft will have many iterations following contact with the campus community and public constituencies. The NCA/HLC Web site continues to be a well-developed, campus tool as we respond to requests for information and contribute to this process. The Web site, coupled with a monthly newsletter, provides the campus with ongoing conversation about the reaccreditation process. The site visit comprised of 10 examiners from the HLC/NCA is scheduled for March 12-15, 2007.

2004-2005: The HLC/NCA Ad Hoc Committee selected membership to staff five subcommittees that would represent the 5 Criterion of the HLC/NCA. These subcommittees are comprised of students, faculty and staff. Collecting and analyzing data and communicating with the constituency are the main activities of the subcommittees. In addition to the two co-chairs of the accreditation process, three additional peers from the faculty were asked to join the leadership team in preparation for the Self-Study Report. A process for data collection and analyses of the more than 650 items requested from the constituency on campus is in place. The NCA/HLC website is a well-developed, campus research accreditation tool for people with all levels of questions as they respond to requests for information. Members of the leadership team also are available to address needs and concerns. This coupled with a monthly newsletter provides the campus with ongoing conversation about the reaccreditation processes.