Use of Assessment

Program assessment activities and data are intended to inform regular faculty reflection and discussion about effective teaching, learning, and curricula, and ultimately contribute to decision-making to support student learning.

Decisions may include intentionally choosing to continue current effective practices, building on the program’s existing strengths, and/or making changes to the program. Importantly, use of assessment can occur at any point in the process of collecting, analyzing, or discussing direct and/or indirect assessment.

Value of Use of Assessment

Program assessment activities and data can provide valuable information to faculty and program leadership to assist in making informed decisions. While all forms of program assessment can provide useful information for program improvement, using assessment of specific program-level student learning outcomes to inform decision-making is crucial to supporting quality undergraduate curricula and student achievement.

In this context, using assessment to inform decision-making can help programs:

• Take actions to provide students with the best possible educational experience
• Build on academic strengths
• Set priorities for improvement and plan interventions for feasible action
• Deliver a progressive and rigorous curriculum that produces intended student learning outcomes
• Act on matters of vital interest, including curriculum design, instructional practices, student development, and achievement gaps
• Meet evolving needs over time
• Provide evidence of program quality and support accountability to others (e.g., external accreditors)
• Promote a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement among program faculty and leadership through systematic processes for shared decision-making and action

Use of Assessment at WSU

WSU undergraduate degree programs are responsible for regularly using assessment activities and data to inform decision-making related to curriculum, instruction, assignments, and program assessment processes. That is, program faculty are expected to use their assessment system to collect evidence related to student performance on program-level student learning outcomes to inform decisions about the design and delivery of high-quality undergraduate curricula.

As outlined in WSU’s Educational Policies and Procedures Manual (PDF), WSU seeks to ensure that assessment occurs consistently and systematically and that its results contribute to university-wide planning that supports quality education. To underscore the value of genuine inquiry into student learning achievement that supports educational quality at WSU, the Educational Policies and Procedures Manual states that 1) assessment results identifying areas for improvement should be viewed positively, as an opportunity, and should never be used punitively; that 2) assessment results should not be used to evaluate an individual student, faculty member, or staff member; and that 3) assessment results by themselves should not be used for high-stakes decisions, such as program closure.