ACE is delighted to recognize Clif Stratton, Associate Professor in the Department of History, with the 2026 Assessment Champion Award in recognition of his sustained, exemplary contributions to undergraduate program assessment across multiple roles and at multiple levels of the university. The Assessment Champion Award honors faculty and staff members who promote meaningful undergraduate program […]
Effective program-level assessment is grounded in clear learning outcomes, aligned measures, and intentional use of results to support student learning. Recent work in the Department of Anthropology offers a strong example of how faculty-led assessment can drive meaningful improvements in curriculum design, instructional practice, and student engagement. Five practices in particular stand out: revising student […]
Key principles of effective program-level assessment include intentionally aligning activities and measures with program-level student learning outcomes (SLOs) and engaging faculty in meaningful reflection and decision-making. When these elements are in place, assessment becomes more than a reporting requirement—it becomes a tool for continuous improvement that supports student learning and curricular coherence. The School of […]
Effective degree programs are guided by clearly defined program-level student learning outcomes (SLOs), or the core skills and knowledge that students are expected to achieve upon successful completion of the degree program or major, which help faculty design an intentional and coherent curriculum and undergraduate educational experience. At WSU, undergraduate programs and faculty are responsible […]
WSU’s undergraduate degree programs report annually on their system of assessing student learning, a practice begun in 2009. Again this year, ACE is providing 2024 annual undergraduate program assessment reporting summary dashboards for the university using Tableau, including a WSU-wide and College View and an Individual Program View, available to WSU employees (log-in required). A WSU-wide executive summary for […]
The Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness (ACE) and the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA) are delighted to recognize Samantha Swindell, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and Career Track Professor in the Department of Psychology, with the inaugural Assessment Champion Award. Presented at the DAESA […]
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology is evolving rapidly and advances in AI are providing new and powerful tools to enhance our work. The following guidance is intended to help WSU programs and faculty navigate these new opportunities in the context of program-level learning outcomes assessment activities, ensuring we use AI responsibly. Note: Teaching with AI […]
An effective curriculum is designed around program-level student learning outcomes (SLOs) to ensure that students have ample and progressively rigorous learning opportunities that systematically develop and deepen the key skills and knowledge. A curriculum map is a matrix that makes visible the alignment between program-level SLOs and the courses in a degree program or major. […]
Every two years, WSU participates in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to help assess senior and first-year student engagement in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development. After each administration, ACE collaborates with WSU’s Office of Institutional Research to disaggregate results by major for undergraduate degree programs and colleges, focusing on responses […]
Curriculum mapping is a vital tool for academic programs, offering a clear alignment between program-level student learning outcomes (SLOs) and the courses within a degree program. Simplified, a curriculum map is a matrix that visually represents how each course in a program contributes to the overarching program-level SLOs. The complexity of these maps can vary […]