Annual Assessment (Academic)


Process


The annual planning and assessment reporting process is undertaken by each academic department every year. It focuses on the assessment of results and learnings from the department’s annual activities as well as assessing one identified program learning outcome (PLOs), aligned to an institutional learning outcome (ILO), for each degree program housed in the department.

The Annual Planning and Assessment Report Template is divided into three sections that departments complete.

Section 1 - Faculty Engagement includes the following:
  • Review of status of all full-time faculty
  • Professional development accomplishments
  • Service to the college, The City University of New York, and external organizations
Section 2 - Strategic Plan Aligned Departmental Activities includes the following:
  • Activities that align with the six goals in the Strategic Plan and the three categories in the related Academic Implementation Plan
  • Departmental leads on all listed activities
  • Results of the listed activities (either preliminary during the year or finalized at the end of the reporting cycle)
  • Proposed actions based on the results of the activities during the academic year
  • Space for narrative expansion on any of the activities in this section
Section 3 - Degree Program and/or General Education Assessment
  • Degree program or general education pathways learning outcome
  • Institutional learning outcome alignment
  • Method used for assessment of the learning outcome in and across related courses
  • Results (in summary) of the assessment aggregated across all courses and sections
  • Proposed actions to improve student learning of the related outcome based on the results
All of the information included in the document above is reviewed by several entities (including departmental faculty, the deans, and the provost, and is used for future operational planning and resource allocation.


Timeline


The general timeline for academic departments engaging in the annual planning and assessment reporting process is as follows:

September - October
  • Program directors create annual plans for courses related to the one or two PLOs to assess based on the PLO assessment calendar based on the curriculum map, including identifying the assignments and artifacts that will be used to conduct the assessment.
  • Department chairs populate activities for the upcoming academic year with the reviewed and confirmed next steps from the prior A-PART, including prioritized activities in the college-wide Strategic Plan (SP) and Academic Implementation Plan (AIP)
October - April
  • Program directors coordinate the assessment of identified courses aligned to the program learning outcome(s) (PLOs), providing faculty support in conducting the assessment and analyzing the data collected.
  • Department chairs and unit coordinators will continuously monitor activities and record results as activities are completed in the A-PART and in the college-wide operational plan in January.
May - June
  • Program directors finalize the assessment and propose actions based on the results of the assessment, along with resources or support needed to implement the change.
  • Department chairs and unit coordinators finalize the results and propose actions based on the results of the activity, along with resources or support needed to implement the change.
  • Provost and department chairs review the proposed actions and finalize activities for the following academic year, including those to be included in the college-wide operational plan.
September – October
  • Department chairs finalize implementation plans with faculty, including those included in the college-wide operational plan. Department chairs communicate all assessment expectations for the academic year including Gen Ed, PLO, APR, and grant-funded initiatives.


Supports for Annual Planning and Assessment Reporting Process

 

Support for the Annual Planning and Assessment Reporting process is primarily delivered by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Assessment (OIERA) and the Degree Program Assessment Committee (DPAC). For more information on the type of support these entities offer, please visit the Degree Program Assessment (DPAC) webpage.