Provost Announces Task Force for Assessment of Online Degrees

WSU currently offers undergraduate and graduate online degrees and online courses in a variety of disciplines. Nationwide, there has been a call to integrate assessment of online students, courses and programs into regular program assessment. As part of WSU’s reaffirmation of accreditation in July 2013, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) gave the university a recommendation, or required action item, to “ensure that student learning outcome information from online programs and courses are consistently included in assessment processes.”

To move toward this accreditation requirement, Provost Dan Bernardo has formed a one-semester task force consisting of assessment leads from departments with online degrees, chairs, staff from the office of Assessment Teaching and Learning (ATL), the Graduate School, and the Global Campus. The group will inventory how online degree programs are assessing students, share strong practices and successes, identify any gaps, and help ensure that assessment plans and annual reports incorporate online students and courses.

For more information about the Provost’s Task Force for Assessment of Online Degree Programs, please see the Provost’s memo on the Task Force or contact ATL director, Kimberly Green.