In October of 2019, I presented at the IUPUI Assessment Institute in Indianapolis on the topic of academic program review. While almost every campus conducts program reviews, the definition, purpose, structure, and integration of assessment in program reviews is not universally understood, accepted, or implemented. This paper summarizes essential…

"Program Review and Assessment for Continuous Improvement: Asking the Right Questions. Occasional Paper No. 48" summarizes essential questions and discussions campuses should have regarding academic program reviews and the integration of assessment into such reviews. This document contains the following Appendices related to that paper:…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Using the EIA [Excellence in Assessment] Application as a Catalyst for Intentional Improvement (Christine Robinson and associates); (2) Editor's Notes (Stephen P. Hundley); (3) Northern Arizona University's Journey to…

Postsecondary institutions are under increasing scrutiny to provide evidence of student learning. Despite efforts to increase the number and frequency of assessments of student learning, many colleges and universities need help to make good use of assessment results for the improvement of teaching and learning. To address this need, in February…

Most institutions are collecting evidence of student learning, but it is not clear how these results are being used to improve student outcomes. To learn more about what colleges and universities are doing to use assessment data productively to inform and strengthen undergraduate education, the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) "Just Right" Outcomes Assessment: A Fable for Higher Education (Catherine M. Wehlburg); (2) Editor's Notes: Helping Faculty Members Learn (Linda Suskie); (3) Focus on the Bottom-Line: Assessing Business Writing (Michael Cherry and George Klemic); (4)…

The purpose of this study was to identify the attitudes and concerns community college faculty have about student learning outcomes assessment and to further explore the relationship between these factors and faculty levels of involvement in assessment activities. Combining the conceptual frameworks of the concerns-based adoption Model (CBAM) and…

The nation's changing economy requires workers to attain increasingly higher job skills. Leaders in education, workforce development, and economic development recognize the need to help workers meet this challenge and to help employers find qualified employees. Barriers to educational and career opportunities will need to be removed so that…

This report presents findings of the Baccalaureate Follow-Up Survey of the class of 1997 alumni (n=10,672) one year after graduation from any of Illinois' 12 public universities, as well as a survey of 1,180 seniors (class of 1999), concerning post-graduation plans and satisfaction with their undergraduate education. Almost two-thirds of the…

This study analyzed data from the Illinois Shared Enrollment and Graduation Information System concerning attendance and graduation patterns of two groups: students who entered Illinois public universities as first-time freshmen between 1987 and 1992 and students who had graduated from Illinois public universities by spring 1998. Major findings…

This report is an important Illinois Community College System accountability initiative aimed at strengthening college program offerings. Data were obtained from responses to a standardized survey. The information was provided by graduates of selected programs regarding the effectiveness of their college experience and documents program outcomes.…

Two predominant methodologies for calculating community college student transfer rates have emerged nationally. The Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) has developed a methodology for tracking an entering student cohort, while the National Effectiveness Transfer Consortium (NETC) tracks an exiting student cohort. A study was…

This report results from a self-study performed by Kishwaukee College in Illinois to prepare for a site visit from the North Central Association for accreditation. It details operations and goal outcomes of the college, and divides these data into eight sections: (1) an introduction, which contains an institutional profile, accreditation history,…

This paper summarizes results of followup-surveys of 1994, 1991, 1988, and 1984 graduates of Illinois public universities to determine whether baccalaureate graduates found jobs; to what extent they pursued additional education; whether they found work in areas related to their majors; and how satisfied they were with both the university and their…

In March 1991, 3,081 fiscal year 1990 graduates of selected occupational programs in the Illinois Community College System (ICCS) were surveyed concerning their objectives for attending college, current educational status, present employment status, salary, employment start-up, geographic location of employment, and satisfaction with their…