Goal 1
To advise the Office of Academic Quality Improvement and contribute to the university’s comprehensive assessment plan.

Objective 1: Assist units develop academic assessment plans based on student learning outcomes (e.g. majors, LERs, writing across the curriculum, diversity requirement).

Approach: A list of all undergraduate academic programs will be created.  As elements of each department’s assessment plans are completed, they will be posted to the ACAA website.

Measure: This objective will be met if 75% of undergraduate academic programs (majors) have plans posted to the ACAA website by November 1, 2004.  Assessment plans for LERs, writing across the curriculum and diversity requirements will be in place by Fall 2005. 

Objective 2: Provide assistance, as appropriate, to related assessment projects (e.g. AQIP, program review, university assessment plan).

Approach: ACAA will be advised of ongoing projects related to assessment such as AQIP, undergraduate/graduate/department review and university assessment plan.

Measure: This objective will be met if the ACAA minutes reflect discussion of above listed projects as well as Participation by ACAA committee members on other working groups dealing with assessment issues.

Objective 3: Provide advice to Associate Provost for Academic Quality Improvement on assessment issues.

Approach: Meetings of the ACAA will be held at least once a semester to enable ACAA

Committee members the opportunity to give feedback to the Associate Provost Academic Quality Improvement.

Measure: Verify through meeting minutes that advice is given on a regular basis.

Goal 2
To promote a culture of assessment throughout the academic programs of Kent State University.

Objective 1: To help faculty and administrators enhance their knowledge about assessment.

Approach: ACAA representatives will meet with faculty and administrators as appropriate; handouts explaining the six-step process will be distributed and discussed.

Measure:"Six Step" handout will be distributed to 100 faculty by May 2005 and will be made available electronically by May 2004.

Objective 2: To develop good working relationships between ACAA members, faculty and administration, such that the culture of assessment flourishes.

Approach: Informal reports from ACAA committee representatives that monitors continuing development and use of academic assessment plans.

Measure: The number of reports verifying the substantive use of assessment plans increase over time.

Objective 3: To have assessment materials and workshops organized, available, and appropriately publicized.

Approach: The Office of Academic Quality Improvement, with the Faculty Professional Development Center, will organize and host assessment workshops.  The FPDC will continue to gather materials on assessment in the FPDC library in Moulton Hall.

Measure: Six workshops will be offered per year.  Assessment materials will increase 5% per year.

Objective 4: To involve students in the culture of assessment.

Approach: Students will become familiar with assessment by having them participate in assessment activities designed and/or distributed by faculty.  Instructors in the Orientation course will be encouraged to include a brief overview of the assessment process at Kent State University.

Measure: 65% of the academic assessment plans will include in-class assessment activities.

Goal 3
For all members of the ACAA to continuously improve the skills necessary to assist members of academic units (programs, departments, and colleges) develop satisfactory assessment plans.

Objective 1: To model continuous improvement principles through the acquisition of knowledge or development of new skills.

Approach: Professional development opportunities will be made available to ACAA members.

Measure: 75% of ACAA members will attend professional development activities related to assessment each year.  All ACAA members will read articles/books/manuscripts about academic assessment.  The chairs or ACAA members will distribute assessment information/materials at each ACAA meeting.

Objective 2: To model appropriate assessment practices.

Approach: ACAA members will model appropriate assessment practices by example.

Measure: 75% of committee members’ programs/departments, to which the committee member belongs, will complete the assessment plans by the respective deadline.  100% of ACAA members’ course syllabi will specify learning outcomes for the course.

Objective 3: To make available to the KSU community support materials on the assessment of learning.       

Approach: The ACAA will review materials housed in KSU library or Faculty Professional Development Center, recommend new materials for library or FPDC purchase on a semester/annual basis and post a listing of resources on the ACAA web site and make this listing available to faculty and administrators at every workshop/training sponsored by ACAA.

Measure: Ten books purchased by May 1, 2005.  One hundred copies of “Resources” distributed by May 2005.

Goal 4
To help units develop their own assessment plans in accord with their own disciplinary approach to the six-step process (as developed by ACAA) by Spring 2004.

Objective 1: To have goals and objectives for each undergraduate academic program posted on the ACAA Web site by May 2004.

Approach: A list of all undergraduate academic programs will be created.  Departments and schools who have completed student learning goals and objectives will have them posted to the ACAA Web site.  ACAA members will be assigned to contact chairs and directors whose academic units have not submitted goals and objectives and offer support in completion of the task.  Materials must be submitted by April 16, 2004. 

Measure: This objective will be met if 75% of undergraduate academic programs have goals and objectives posted to the ACAA Web site by May 31, 2004.

Objective 2: To have approaches and measures for each undergraduate academic program posted on the ACAA Web site by November 2004.

Approach: A list of all undergraduate academic programs will be created.  Departments and schools who have completed learning approaches and measures will have them posted to the ACAA Web site.  ACAA members will be assigned to contact chairs and directors whose academic units have not submitted approaches and measures and offer support in completion of the task.  All material must be submitted by October 11, 2004. 

Measure: This objective will be met if 75% of undergraduate academic programs have goals and objectives posted to the ACAA Web site by November 31, 2004.

Goal 5
To assess the academic assessment process.

Objective 1: To monitor through formal feedback with department chairs and other administrators whether the process has become a part of the continuous improvement strategy of the unit.

Approach: Meet regularly with the Chairs and Directors Council for input and to "take the temperature" of the group with respect to the assessment process.  On-going meetings with the college/school deans, assistant/associate deans and curriculum committees to assess what impact the process has had on program development, revision, and inactivation.  Meet regularly with Regional Campus deans/associate deans/assistant deans for input and to identify any issues unique to this environment.

Measure: Survey those involved in the curricular process, including students, as to what impact (if any) this effort has had on student learning outcomes.

Objective 2: To explore, after the process has been in place for a couple of years, whether academic programs have benefited from this process.

Approach: Periodic process reviews by ACAA to ascertain whether or not the continuous improvement cycle has been fully implemented.

Measure: Verify through meeting minutes or other means that regular contact with appropriate groups is occurring and that the feedback is being shared with ACAA and the Associate Provost for Academic Quality Improvement.