PLO Assessment Guidelines and Checklist

In order to facilitate the new 3-year cycle of assessing program learning outcomes (PLO’s), below kindly find guidelines that departments and programs may want touse in order to make sure that the PLO assessment is done with minimum problems and tasks completed in due time. A checklist is added to help you keep track of the PLO assessment process. Please feel free to use them at your convenience.

Guidelines

I. By the end of the Fall Semester 2013-14, make sure that you have:

1.articulatedall PLO’s in measurable and assessable style.

2. introduced any needed revisions to PLOs or any other revisions based on the previous 3- year cycle of assessment.(if applicable and as recommended by the previous cycle of assessment)

3. approved new or revised PLOs on the departmental level.

4. posted PLOs on department’s website.

5. prepared curriculum mapping matrix, where course learning outcomes (CLOs) are aligned with PLOs.

6. prepared an assessment plan set by year and semester, where the plan shows which PLO’s will be assessed each semester, what methods will be used (direct and/or indirect) and what will be the sources of data.

7. collected assessment data on no less than 1/6th of PLOs.

II.By the end of the Spring Semester 2013-14, make sure that you have:

1. collected assessment data on new PLO’s (1/6th of total no of PLOs) as delineated in PLO assessment plan

2. analyzed the data collected in the Fall (if not done earlier) and Spring semester.

3. completed a report on year 1 PLO assessment using the template on the CTL website

4. disseminated the results.

5. prepared recommendations for improvement based on findings and set a plan for implementation of these improvements.

6. included a paragraph on assessment in the departmental annual report.

Checklist: The following could also be used internally by the Assessment Committee to keep track of progress tasks completed by the end of each semester.

Assessment Guidelines / Done / In Progress
Program Learning Outcomes
Are PLOs articulated and approved by Department?
Curriculum Mapping Matrix
Are Course Learning outcomes aligned with PLOs?
Assessment Plan
Is there a plan set by year and semester for assessing PLOs?
PLOs Assessed
What PLO’s are assessed?
Assessment Methods
Are the assessment methods identified? / PLO: / Direct:
Indirect:
PLO: / Direct:
Indirect:
PLO: / Direct:
Indirect:
PLO: / Direct:
Indirect:
PLO: / Direct:
Indirect:
PLO: / Direct:
Indirect:
Data Collected
Is time for data collection specified? / Fall Semester / Fall Semester
Spring Semester / Spring Semester
Data Analysis
Have the data been analyzed using appropriate methods such as rubrics?
Findings
After data analysis is completed, are findings reported?
Dissemination of Results
How have data been shared? How will data be shared?
Recommendations for Improvement
Are recommendations for improvement included?
PLO Assessment Report
Is report complete within the set due dates?

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