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[Department Name]

Annual Assessment Report Template

Academic Year: 2014-2015

Date of Report Submission:

Name of Department:

Name of Contact Person:

Name of Person(s) completing report or contributing to the project:

Please submit reports on this template and not in a separate document. Reports should follow this format in a narrative form, with responses written below each of the prompts. Attach all supporting materials as appendices. The report should be written as though for an external audience.While your annual assessment project may have assessed multiple learning outcomes, this report should focus on just one program learning outcome. The suggested length of the assessment reports is between 5 and 15 pages (You may produce a larger report for other constituents, but for the purposes of this report we ask you keep to the suggested length).

**Please refer to the Student Affairs “Assessment Report Guide” and the Office for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment’s “Assessment Report Checklist” for additional help.**

  1. Abstract

Provide a short summary paragraph (no more than 250 words) describing the assessment project. The abstract should include the motivation/problem, methods/procedure/approach, results/findings/product, and conclusion/implications. (For additional help, see sample abstract in the “annual assessment report guide” located on the Student Affairs webpage).

  1. Learning Outcome Assessed

What was the primary program learning outcome you assessed? If you assessed multiple learning outcomes, please discuss the other learning outcomes in the following section.

  1. Introduction &Context

Provide context as to how your project relates to the division and university goals and how it helps your department. Specifically address how this project relates to the division’s strategic plan and Vision2018 goals. If your project assessed more than one learning outcome, please discuss the secondary learning outcomes in this section. Finally, please provide background research and/or literature support (cited appropriately) for this project.

  1. Data Collection & Methodology

How did you collect evidence to determine whether or not the learning outcomes are being achieved? Please include:

  • Description of specific methods used to measure student learning (e.g., focus groups, survey, reflection papers, interviews, etc.).
  • Description of the student population assessed, whether particular groups were excluded, as well as the size of group initially invited to participate in project.
  • Any instruments usedshould be included in an appendix (e.g., interview questions, survey items, reflection prompts, etc.).

How was the evidence you collected analyzed? Please explain:

  • The methods you used to analyze and interpret the results.
  • The person or group who analyzed the data.
  • How “acceptable performance” was determined for this assessment project.
  • Please include any scoring guides or rubrics in an appendix.

How was consent obtained? Please include:

  • Steps taken to ensure consent of participants. How participants were informed of their role in this assessment project. Also, if participation was optional.
  • Any identifying information about individual participants collected through this assessment.What precautions were taken to keep this information secure (i.e. kept in a locked file, data stripped of identifying information, etc.)?
  • A copy of consent forms or written requests to complete instruments should be included in an appendix.
  1. Data & Results

What are the results of this assessment project? This section should consist mainly of reported numbers and data. Include the following information:

  • The number of participants in the study and the response rate (actual vs. invited).
  • Relevant participant demographic information (gender, race/ethnicity, year in school, etc.)
  • Aggregate data summarized or qualitative data (quotes, themes, etc.)
  • Please include any tables, charts, or graphs in an appendix.

Complete the table below using your primary learning outcome. This information will be reported to the Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment to demonstrate achievement toward university learning outcomes. Report each number as a whole number, not as a percentage, range or decimal.

Learning Outcome / Number of Students Assessed / Number of Students with Acceptable or Better Performance
  1. Discussion & Interpretation of Results

Describe the results of your assessment project, highlighting the evidence found for whether or not learning outcome(s) are being met. Discuss the key findings of the project in bullet point format.

  • For qualitative data, share 3-5 key findings (themes that emerged).
  • For quantitative data, share the 5-10 most important key findings.

Discuss what you learned from the assessment, and how, if at all, the results surprised you. Finally, address how the project contributes to the field or division of Student Affairs and address any challenges or limitations (sample selection, response rate, data collection issues, etc.) that may have affected the results.

  1. Recommendations and Plans for Action

Based on the results of the assessment project, please elaborate on how the results will be shared, recommendations that stem from the findings, and plans of action for your department. Please include:

  • How results will be shared with participants and other key stakeholders. If IRB approval was secured, how the data will be used beyond this assessment report.
  • Implications this project has for other departments at the University or Student Affairs as a whole.
  • Recommendations and a plan for action to improve achievement towards learning outcomes or program development based on the results.
  • Based on these recommendations for improvement, please describe plans for implementing recommendations.
  • Discuss the expected timeline for implementation.
  • Describe any potential barriers to implementation.