Department Assessment Plans

Winona State University

Characteristics of Good Assessment Plans

• Principled. A good departmental assessment plan should be based on principles that are (ideally) defined at the university level. Among these principles is the key understanding of the differences between assessment and evaluation.

• Integrated. Department level assessment plans should be departmentally driven, but also tied to the university assessment initiatives and program review, carrying through themes related to outcomes in the major and general education

• Ongoing. Department level assessment should be part of the ongoing “business” of the department, not only a priority during program review cycles or prior to accreditation visits.

• Comprehensive. Assessment activities should encompass students, faculty, and resources; inputs, process, and results.

• Acculturated. Department level assessment can stand on it's own, but to be optimally effective-- department level efforts need to be valued and supported part of the university's culture.

• Implemented Gradually. Assessment needs to become part of the culture slowly, implemented in carefully orchestrated steps over time.

• Practical. To be truly useful, department level assessment must stay on a practical level with implications obvious to faculty and students.

• Circular. Assessment data and information must feed back into the system, both on the university level and departmental level.

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