Celebrating Excellence in WSU Undergraduate Program Assessment
On November 6th, the Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning (ATL), Interim Provost Bryan Slinker, and Vice Provost Mary F. Wack hosted the second Celebration of Assessment Excellence, shining a spotlight on good practices in learning outcomes assessment and the efforts of program faculty, faculty assessment coordinators, chairs and directors, representing diverse academic programs and colleges, who share a strong commitment to providing high quality education to WSU’s undergraduate population.
Dr. Slinker thanked faculty for their efforts in using program assessment to continually update and improve curriculum for successful student learning and remarked: “Assessment of student learning is key to our ability to provide strong undergraduate programs — with the transformative academic experience that our Strategic Plan calls for. True to our land-grant mission, we seek to provide quality education for all of our students.”
Vice Provost Wack was delighted to recognize 13 undergraduate programs in 2019 for good practices in their assessment of program learning outcomes. Over the past two years, these undergraduate degree programs, as appropriate to their context, collected assessment measures aligned with program-level student learning outcomes, engaged faculty in discussing the results, and used this evidence to guide decisions about curriculum or instruction.
These programs are:
- Business Administration
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Construction Management
- Economic Sciences
- Fine Arts
- Kinesiology
- Landscape Architecture
- Mathematics
- Molecular Biosciences
- Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
- Psychology
- Teacher Education
With appreciation to the dedicated faculty and leaders celebrated, Dr. Wack noted: “Assessment data can help us look carefully at questions of equity and inclusive excellence, and help find where programs can refine instruction and curriculum to deliver relevant and powerful learning experiences to all students.”
Overall, the event’s program illuminated how effective assessment contributes to WSU’s educational quality, student achievement, and land-grant mission in varying disciplines and over multiple campuses.
For more information about the 2019 Celebration of Assessment Excellence at WSU and the programs recognized, see the Celebration of Assessment Excellence webpage and the 2019 event program.