The Office of Assessment provides insights about students, outcomes, and effectiveness to the institution.
What is Assessment?
Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It involves making our expectations explicit and public; setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality; systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards; and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance. – Tom Angelo, AAHE Assessment Forum
Assessment is the systematic collection, review and use of information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development. – Palomaba & Banta, Assessment Essentials
There are five primary activities of assessment:
- Deciding what is important to know about student learning and institutional effectiveness
- Choosing the best ways to measure those objectives
- Gathering and analyzing information and data
- Communicating results to appropriate constituencies
- Using the information to for accountability and improvement.
University of Northwestern is committed to the development and implementation of an assessment plan that focuses on important outcomes, uses multiple measures to gather the best information, uses the information to improve, and distributes this information to interested stakeholders.
Assessment Steering Committee
The Assessment Steering Committee provides guidance to the institution in developing and implementing institution-wide assessment plans and reports, analyzing and interpreting assessment results, and disseminating assessment results to the University community. The Assessment Steering Committee supports institution-wide assessment and the assessment of student learning in the academic programs across venues, which includes curricular as well as co-curricular assessment efforts.
- Provides leadership in the assessment of learning and service outcomes
- Consults with and advises the Interim Dean of Assessment and Academic Administration on matters related to policy and procedure associated with academic assessment
- Designs, develops, approves, or selects instruments that most effectively assess institution-wide outcomes
- Analyzes the results of assessment initiatives and publishes periodic reports to appropriate parties for the purposes of initiating appropriate change
- Receives and reviews annual departmental assessment plans and yearly reports
- Periodically evaluates the campus-wide assessment plan
Assessment Committee Members
- Lori Anderson
- Robin Bell
- Brianna Flavin
- Steve Harthorn
- Kayla Hoye
- Michael Jacobson
- Nathan Lentfer
- Jessica Moore
- Christa Rhodes
- Pamela Solvie
- Tom Yenter
The Assessment Handbook contains information for faculty, relating assessment fundamentals, and guidelines for academic departments and professors.
Cheryl Norman, Ed.D.
Interim Dean of Assessment and Academic Administration
Institutional Effectiveness Analyst