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Assessment and Outcomes
In order to satisfy the reporting requirements imposed by
both the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and
the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Western's
Assessment Plan (PDF file) requires all academic programs to implement
formal plans for the assessment of program outcomes in general and of
student learning outcomes in particular. Western must be able to demonstrate
to these outside agencies that all academic units have designed and implemented
assessment plans, and must report annually on how assessment data is being
used to improve academic programs. It is important to emphasize that the
purpose of assessing student learning outcomes is to make inferences about
programs, not about students.
Program assessment must document two kinds of learning outcomes: basic
mastery of fundamental knowledge and abilities, and sequential development
through a hierarchy of professional and personal abilities, including
elements which foster social interaction and personal maturation, such
as volunteerism, internships, capstone experiences, field-related employment
experiences, collaborative learning experiences, interaction with faculty,
and other experiential mechanisms.
Program assessment plans should be designed around developmental goals and
objectives in ways that demonstrate how well a program curriculum works as
a whole. Academic departments are encouraged to develop methods for assessing
the relevant integrative abilities of their disciplines in addition to assessing
the more conventional kinds of cognitive gains which have generally been more
narrowly defined and easier to measure.
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