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Annual Student Achievement Reports

Annual student achievement reports can be thought of the second-to-last step in the assessment process, or the "Analyze" step. Reports are completed in the spring term and align with the new calendar year. The Annual Student Achievement Report will examine the data collected in the previous year. Therefore, they will be distributed to program chairs and academic directors in February in order to analyze data from the previous year. Program chairs and academic directors are emailed the report templates with aggregated data, links to assessment resources and instructions for completion. The Accreditation and Assessment Team provides support, encouragement, and data coaching throughout the process.

The Purpose of Annual Student Achievement Reports

Several different components go into each report. The template provides prompts for committees to reflect on student achievement of the program learning outcomes and triangulate findings with indirect data. The reports prompt committees to summarize their assessment findings over the past year, identify areas of high performance, discuss areas of improvement, add context, propose improvement plans, and reflect on past improvements. Committees are also provided an opportunity to review and update their curriculum map, assessment plan, and rubrics. Analysis of multiple data points is meant to facilitate a holistic discussion around the student the program and provide faculty with tools and resources to drive curriculum improvements.

 Overview of Report Cycle

January-December

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are assessed by evaluating student work from embedded course assignments each term, for each program, using a rubric.

February of Following Year

Reports templates are delivered to program chairs with aggregated assessment data and indirect data pre-populated.

February-March

Each Program Committee interprets results, adds context, recognizes accomplishments and proposes potential improvement plans and/or updates as part of the report.

March-April

Program Committees submit the Annual Student Achievement Report to Accreditation & Assessment staff.

How to Complete an Annual Student Achievement Report

There are a few things to note before getting started with an assessment report:

  • Reports are done in Google Docs
  • You will need to be logged into your Pepperdine Gmail account to access the report
  • The report saves automatically whenever you make any edits; you will not need to click save anywhere.
  • All instructions and prompts are within the report
  • If any assessment data was collected for the year in review, it will be linked within the report prompts.

 

Annual Student Achievement Report Best Practices

 Program Learning Outcomes

Outcomes are clear, specific, formatted properly, and cover all essential areas of the discipline's curriculum, diversity, and the core competencies. Outcomes consistently reflect levels of learning that are appropriate for a student at the point of graduation.

 Alignment / Curriculum Maps

The curriculum (courses) and relevant co-curriculum are explicitly and intentionally aligned with each outcome. Curriculum map indicates increasing levels of proficiency. Institutional Learning Outcome (ILO) curriculum map shows a clear relationship between the outcomes and the University Mission and ILOs.

 Assessment Methodology

Assessment approach offers a clear evaluation of student learning in regards to specific Program Learning Outcome(s) Including:

  1. Use of direct and indirect data
  2. Sample size is adequate and reflects student population
  3. Assessing at the point of mastery
  4. Standards of Performance have been established with benchmarks for achievement
  5. Adequate analysis of findings

 Valid and Reliable Results

  1. Explicit criteria have been developed to assess the level of student attainment of each outcome (rigor)
  2. Uses Livetext tools and validity tests for assessment and data reporting
  3. Rubrics are valid and reliable. Rubrics, have been pilot-tested and refined over time, rubrics have more than 3 categories.
  4. Data has high inter-rater reliability: Rubric grading does not vary drastically between two instructors

 Core Competencies

  1. Faculty complete a qualitative analysis of program alignment with WSCUC Core Competencies: Written Communication, Oral Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, Information Literature, and Critical thinking.
  2. Department faculty describe reflections and draw conclusions about the results of their students.
  3. Judgments are made about student achievement and standards of performance.
  4. Plans are described for improving student performance.

 Assessment Plan

Program has a fully-articulated, sustainable, multi-year assessment plan that describes when and how each outcome will be assessed. It outlines in a meaningful way the specific forms of direct, indirect, and authentic evidence that will be gathered to assess each PLO. Standards of performance are clearly stated.

 Plan for Closing the Loop (CTL)

  1. Annual assessment report draws conclusions and offers a detailed list and discussion of action items.
  2. The report provides specific information on proposed changes.
  3. Evidence justifies changes based on the assessment data.
  4. A clear timeline, and required resources are identified.

 Implementation of Previous Year's Plan for Closing the Loop

All four elements were incorporated:

  1. Assessment results are used for reflections and changes as stated in previous year's assessment (Closing the Loop).
  2. Evidence of faculty participation in the process.
  3. Changes were implemented.
  4. Follow-up assessment is planned to see if changes have improved student learning.

 Student Involvement

Students are asked to self-reflect on their own achievement of the program learning outcomes (PLOs) as part of the Learning Outcomes Achieved Internship Survey for full-time programs and within ad hoc focus groups conducted by the Accreditation and Assessment Department in collaboration with faculty.