Outcomes-Based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review : A Compilation of Institutional Good Practices

This book offers far more than an introduction to the principles of assessment of student learning outcomes in the context of program review.

Within a clearly structured framework, it systematically shares the good practices of some forty institutions recognized by independent scholars for their improvements in teaching/learning, research, and service, to offer examples and ideas for others to learn from and adapt. While the book focuses on assessment of the teaching mission, these same practices apply equally to student affairs, service and research activities.

This book is intended for faculty, administrators and staff responsible for implementing and sustaining outcomes-based assessment program review. It aims to help them understand the "what", "why" and "how" of outcomes-based assessment program review. Rather than adopting a prescriptive approach, it provides a rich array of case studies and ideas as a basis for reflection and discussion to help institutions develop solutions that are appropriate to their own missions and cultures.

This book answers such questions as what does good outcomes-based assessment program review practice look like from an institutional perspective? How have others initiated and conducted the process? Why did they choose their particular approaches; and who is doing replicable work? It links effective assessment practices with cyclical program review so that the single process of outcomes-based assessment informs many purposes: program review, strategic planning, professional accreditation, institutional accreditation, and possibly even the assessment of general education.

This book illustrates the components of outcomes-based assessment program review, presents the criteria for identifying good practices and suggests steps for implementing a sustainable outcomes-based assessment program--and does so in a way that will engage readers in critical inquiry about what works well and what needs to be improved.

Marilee J. Bresciani Ludvik is Professor for Postsecondary Education and Co-Director of the Center for Educational Leadership, Innovation, and Policy, San Diego State University. She was formerly Assistant Vice President for Institutional Assessment at Texas A&M University. She has conducted outcomes assessment for programs and courses and is frequently invited to present assessment workshops nationally and internationally.

Ralph Wolff is President of the Senior College Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a role he assumed in 1996. Prior to joining WASC, he founded and directed the Institute for Creative Thinking, which focused on leadership and change, an emphasis that has carried over to his work at WASC. During his term as president, he has led WASC to the forefront of accreditation as an agent of accountability and innovation by transforming the accreditation process to an outcomes and learning based model. His current efforts at the Commission include a redesign of the accreditation process that focuses on retention and graduation, defining degree outcomes more clearly, and opening the accreditation process to greater transparency.