Administrative and Academic Support Department Annual Report

Guidelines

2018-19 report template

Academic year 2018-19 marks the fifth year of the annual report and outcomes assessment process.  This process is a critical component of the college’s efforts to develop and maintain an organized and sustainable program of assessment that improves the quality of the student experience. 

The main goals of assessment are to support continuous improvement, to assist in the effective use of resources (time, budget, human, etc.), and to inform departments and other decision makers about the contributions of the department to the college mission.  The purpose of the annual report is to facilitate departments in this endeavor and provide evidence of its effectiveness.

The annual report has two parts:   

Part 1:  This section focuses on the assessment work completed in 2018-19.  It includes a discussion of findings from the assessment and any decisions made on how to use the findings to improve programs or services. See the section on Closing the Loop in this document for more detail and guidance.  The summary of assessment activities and results may be in paragraph form, bullets or a combination of both. 

Part 2: This section focuses on department plans for 2019-20.  If there are no changes to the department’s goals, simply copy and paste the goals from the previous report.  Please note, goals should link to your divisional goals as well as the Ursinus 150 Plan Strategic Objectives.  Outcomes and objectives may stay the same or change depending upon the department’s needs.  Either restate these or list the revised and/or new objectives and outcomes.  The information on goals, objectives/outcomes, and assessment methods can be in a chart or list form, depending on what is best for your department.


Part I:  2018-19 Update - “Closing the Loop”

Assessment is only useful if the information learned is used to make change for the betterment of the students’ educational environment.  “Closing the loop” is how assessment becomes meaningful.  This is the most important step in the assessment process. Closing the loop refers to the use of assessment results to improve student learning, programs, and services through shared discussions informed by the results of assessment.  It is part of the continuous cycle of collecting assessment results, evaluating them, using the evaluations to identify actions that will improve student learning/programs/services, implementing those actions, and then cycling back to collecting assessment results, etc.

 

Part II:  Developing Goals, Objectives/Outcomes and Assessment Methods