Yearly Cycle
Every academic year, all departments (both instructional and non-instructional) assess their effectiveness and look for ways to improve. Every department is responsible for self-assessment, and the process is overseen by OIER.
Instructional departments select a number of pre-established outcomes (established at Program Review) from the outcome library to examine for the year. Over a five year period, each outcome will be assessed at least once. The process is overseen by the department chair, who enlists the help of faculty members to conduct a thorough, comprehensive assessment.
Non-instructional departments select administrative outcomes that set goals relating to both the normal services/output of the department, as well as special “one-off” goals to accomplish for the year. The department director can enlist the help of other department members for the purposes of conducting a thorough assessment.
Deans guide department chairs through their assessment process, and they are also responsible for setting administrative goals for their college or school. In addition, deans conduct a narrative assessment of their area (Dean’s Effectiveness Report).
All departments are responsible for submitting their assessed outcomes and measures by September 1st of each academic year. Results and narrative assessments are due by May 31st. The intent of the yearly cycle is to allow the end-of-year results to inform the decision-making processes that impact future assessments and outcomes. Over the summer, a complete report of institutional assessments is compiled by OIER and submitted to administration.
Program Review
All instructional departments adhere to a five-year Program Review cycle or that which is required by its accrediting body. Program Review is an opportunity for a department to set outcomes, establish direction, and make needs known to administration. Every department is responsible for completing the template to create a Program Review Report, which contains, among other things, the newly proposed outcomes; statistical and demographic data for the department; narrative analysis of department strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; and needs that require support from administration.
The Program Review cycle is staggered, so that every year sees a different school (or two) undergoing the process. The current cycle is as follows:
2014-15: College of Arts and Sciences; School of Fine Arts
2015-16: Robert H. Ledbetter College of Business, Online
2016-17: CAPP
2017-18: School of Nursing; School of Education
2018-19: SACSCOC Fifth-Year Report
2019-20: College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Robert H. Ledbetter College of Business
2021-2022: SACSCOC Ten-Year Re-affirmation
(Documents due to SACSCOC Sept 2021)