Based on assessment data, program faculty make changes to improve student learning and report on their progress annually to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Student learning assessment also occurs in the Integrative Core Curriculum (the university’s general education program), in the co-curriculum, in student support areas, and at the institutional level.
The main section of this site provides detailed information and reporting about Student Learning Assessment. Other important pages are a repository for all of the institution’s Learning Goals (our intended student learning outcomes), a Resources page (which contains faculty and staff development materials), and the homepage for the Institutional Assessment Committee.
Philosophy and Overview
John Carroll University’s students excel in learning, leadership, and service in the region and in the world; however, it is not enough for faculty, administrators, students, and other stakeholders to believe that this is happening. Data must be collected, analyzed, and displayed to support such a belief. In addition, without systematically collected data, how can a department, program, college, or institution clearly identify areas for change and assess the results of such changes? It is clear then that assessment must take place, and assessment is best when it is routine, systematic, and embedded in numerous institutional processes. The central activity of any institution of higher education is student learning; therefore student learning must occupy the central position in an assessment system.
Because assessment of student learning is to be a faculty- and department-driven activity, much of the work happens at the departmental and program level. The Director of Assessment (a role currently filled by the Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness) is charged to support and assist the departmental assessment coordinators and departmental and program chairs in all aspects of the assessment process. Additionally, the Director of Assessment brings together assessment data from all of institution’s units and make it available to and usable by the Provost and by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.