By October 31, all departments and programs are expected to (1) complete annual updates to their student learning assessment websites and (2) submit their Assessment Report to the Office of Data & Analytics. Please review the details provided below for more information.

Student Learning Assessment across USU Programs

How are we fulfilling our promise to students that academics come first? To what extent are students meeting learning goals and how do we know? What can we do better in the spirit of continual improvement? These are the questions foundational to program learning assessment at Utah State University.

The Office of Data & Analytics (ODA) manages the system for measuring university-wide participation in annual student learning. Each department is asked to maintain a dedicated page on its departmental website that documents annual review of student learning in its programs. This website should list program student learning outcomes, plans to measure student progress on those learning outcomes, and results and decisions based on student learning outcomes data. Publishing assessment data ensures that evidence of student learning is available to students, faculty, administration, and the public.

Steps for Updating Program Assessment Websites Annually (due October 31)

By October 31, each department should update their assessment website to include activities from the most recent academic year.

Step 1: Review assessment data and any recommendations on assessment plan from most recent academic year.

Step 2: Update department assessment website to include data and information from the most recent academic year. Programs should maintain the last 5-7 years of assessment work.

Step 3: Complete the Department Program Assessment Report, which indicates that your departmental assessment website is up to date.

Submit Department Assessment Report

Self-Assessment for Program Learning Assessment

Program Learning Assessment can be viewed as an annual cycle with a planning phase (in which the program plans how to assess student learning), an implementation phase (in which the program implements the plan), and an improvement phase (in which the program reviews implementation to “close the loop”), at which point the cycle begins again. Below are questions to guide you in building and maintaining a Program Learning Assessment process that follows USU and NWCCU best practices.

Phase 1. Planning

Student Learning Outcomes

Does the department have student learning outcomes specific to each program?
Is the number of student learning outcomes appropriate for the degree level?
Are student learning outcomes centered on student learning and verifiable, i.e., include an action through which students can demonstrate learning?
Do student learning outcomes require students to actively engage with course content using higher-order cognitive skills appropriate to the degree level?
Do student learning outcomes consider discipline standards or workforce needs?

Assessment Plan

Does the assessment plan include a curriculum map that identifies courses/activities in which outcomes are taught and measured?
Does the assessment plan map each learning outcome to at least one summative direct measure of learning and one summative indirect measure of learning?
Does the assessment plan map each learning outcome to a formative measure of learning to track progress of students before they reach the summative measure(s)?
Does the assessment plan collect data for individual students to allow disaggregation?
Does the assessment plan identify a clear, degree-level-appropriate threshold for achieving each learning outcome?
Does the assessment plan map each learning outcome detail the who, when, where, and how of assessment across multiple years?

Phase 2. Implementation

Data Collection across Multiple Years

Is student learning data documented for each learning outcome?
Is student learning data presented as both aggregated and disaggregated levels? Note that disaggregation categories with <10 students should remain aggregated to protect student identity.
Does student learning data include context to be interpretable to a non-expert?
Does student learning data align with all the direct and indirect measures included in the Assessment Plan?

Phase 3. Continual Improvement (i.e.,"Closing the Loop")

Results are Used across Multiple Years

Does the department discuss student learning data from all direct and indirect measures of student learning outcomes?
Does the department discuss disaggregated student learning data to determine how well the program is meeting the needs of students across different populations?
Does the department use student learning data to make data-informed changes to the program and follow up on if changes were effective?
Does the department consider how student learning data can inform both course and instructor development?

Annual Feedback on Assessment Plan

Does the department solicit feedback from a person, committee, or accrediting body external to the program?
Does the department solicit feedback from industry partners to align program with current employment needs?
Does the department use external feedback in the spirit of continual improvement and follow-up on if changes were effective?

The Office of Data & Analytics invites programs to review additional resources in Box.

Program Assessment Resources (in Box)

College Assessment Websites

Links to student learning assessment plans and outcomes are found on department websites which can be found through the college assessment websites below:

Program Assessment Reports

The following visualizations provide a summary of previous feedback given to departments on their annual program assessment reports (2018-2024). Reports were reviewed by the Office of Data & Analytics.