For assistance with program assessment, contact:

Dr. Cathy Barrette, WSU Director of Assessment, for on-site, email, or phone consultations about any aspect of program assessment, on-site workshops, working hours with your group, or access to/questions about Compliance Assist

The Office for Teaching and Learning (OTL) for workshops or consultation on course learning outcomes and assessments

Your University Assessment Council representative for questions about good assessment practices, assessment procedures and committees, or for other related questions.

University Assessment Council Charge and Structure

Revision Approved 2/13/17

The University Assessment Council promotes and supports program assessment by:

1. Communicating assessment best practices, requirements, deadlines, resources, and opportunities for support to the university community,
2. Reviewing the quality of school/college/division assessment progress and plans,
3. Identifying individuals and programs that merit recognition for their assessment work,
4. Collecting, reporting, and using evidence of Wayne State's assessment practices to improve those practices across campus and to support accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission, and
5. Advising the Director of Assessment regarding strengths and weaknesses of assessment plans and processes.

University Assessment Council membership: The Associate Provost for Academic Programs/Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and the WSU Director of Assessment shall co-chair the council. The council shall consist of at least one primary and one alternate representative from each school and college and from Student Services as appointed by that unit's dean, associate provost, or their designee.

Annual assessment plan reviews:

A WSU program director's reaction:

As a new program director, it was really beneficial! ... I learned so much from our first meeting. -Sarah Borland, Radiologic Technology Program Director

What are the reviews for?

The council conducts an annual, rubric-based review of a sample of assessment plans to:

• Recognize and celebrate programs' good assessment practices
• Provide feedback and support to programs to help them improve assessment practices. (We do not evaluate the quality of the programs themselves!)
• Guide the council's activities in supporting campus assessment efforts
• Provide evidence to the Higher Learning Commission regarding our use of good assessment practices as part of our accreditation review.

What is the review process?

Because we have so many programs and the review process is labor-intensive, the council only reviews a strategic 10% sample of plans each year. The sample includes programs at the midpoint of their Academic Program Review or specialized accreditation cycle, plus a random sample of programs that have not been reviewed in the previous three academic years.

If your program is reviewed, your council member and the director of assessment will share your program's report with you and  invite you to have a collegial, collaborative conversation about your program's assessment practices. (See a sample report.) This is a great opportunity for you to ask questions, and for us to cheer your good work, brainstorm ways to overcome challenges, or talk about how other programs with similar interests approach assessment while the council members learn more about you and your program.