Assessment for the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC)
The purpose of the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) is to “define and implement program evaluation at UMKC.” Among the Program Evaluation Committee’s charges are
- “Developing and implementing a campus wide program evaluation progress which focuses on continuous academic program quality improvement,” and
- “Incorporating the expectations of the NCA Higher Learning Commission into UMKC’s evaluation processes”
The program evaluation process requires every department and school to develop, and eventually implement, a comprehensive strategy to identify and assess achievement of student learning outcomes in each of their programs.
- Departments and schools should be routinely engaged in course- and program-focused outcomes assessment, with project cycles undertaken and completed every year. Departments and schools should also participate in institution-level assessment whenever asked, helping to define, measure, and improve general education outcomes and other outcomes related to the institution as a whole.
- Work collaboratively to identify learning outcomes for each program in your school or department, including graduate and undergraduate degree patterns. Outcomes written several years ago might benefit from revision, particularly if they were composed by a single person or not cast in outcomes language in the first place. Many schools will need to ensure that their outcomes statements align properly with accreditation standards that govern those professions.
- Once programmatic outcomes are defined, ask faculty who teach courses in the program to complete the course- program matrix (Appendix C). Compile and analyze them.
- Identify method(s) of assessing one or more outcomes. (It’s much better to complete a single assessment cycle focused on a single outcome than to begin many such cycles without finishing any one of them.) Make sure the assessment method is clearly linked to the specific SLO and is well suited for assessing the intended SLO. Try to employ two methods of assessment, at least one of them direct.
- Conduct assessments, gather and interpret results, use results to improve teaching and learning.
- Develop a plan, including a timeline, for future assessment cycles.
- As you implement your assessment strategies, document everything you’re doing as evidence to be presented in annual assessment updates, program evaluations, etc.