University Assessment Steering Committee

Purpose

  • Collaborate with campus stakeholders to develop and support a culture of assessment for continuous improvement with an emphasis on student learning outcomes.
  • Guide assessment programs for both academic and learner support units to help improve the overall learning experience of all WMU students.
  • Aid faculty, department chairs, college administrators and staff in developing useful and precise tools of assessment for use in their classes, programs and colleges.
  • Promote and support assessment by providing education in best practices, recognition, information, research support and funding, and professional development opportunities.
  • Lead and support a periodic and university-wide assessment of programs to help improve the educational experience of our students and make recommendations to be shared with academic departments, learner support units, and the provost on areas for improvement.
  • Seek to align assessment, accreditation and program review processes and support WMU's departments with accreditation institutions/bodies where appropriate.

Purpose, activities and guidelines

Roles

Roles of the committee, deans, divisional directors, vice president for student affairs and Office of the Provost in the lifecycle of departmental and program assessment plans and processes.

  1. The committee assists with the development and revision of assessment plans.
  2. College deans, divisional directors and the vice president for student affairs monitor the implementation of their assessment plans.
  3. The committee will review college, division and/or program reports and formulate specific recommendations for improvement to share with the deans, divisional directors,and vice-president for student affairs. Recommendations will address whether the assessment findings demonstrate that assessment plans were implemented according to program goals and objectives; and, based on collected data, actions were taken to improve student learning and program outcomes.
  4. WMU leadership, including the provost, the vice president for student affairs and the vice president for diversity and inclusion, will be kept abreast of the work of the committee via an annual report.

Annual reports

 20232022
202120202019
201820172016
201520142013
201220112010

Assessment Mentor Program

The Assessment Mentor Program is designed to provide help for those would like assistance in learning more about assessment of student learning, developing an assessment plan, restructuring and/or rewriting student learning outcomes and more. The University Assessment Steering Committee has identified several mentors who are available for faculty members and departments to work with to assist them with their assessment efforts. If you are interested, please contact Karen Stokes Chapo and she can connect you with a mentor: karen.stokeschapo@wmich.edu

Member list

 Assessment Plan Resources