Assessment

The Commonwealth University Assessment Council (CUAC) oversees all aspects of assessment, facilitates academic and administrative reporting efforts across the institution, and ensures that recommendations derived from assessment are shared broadly and result in action toward continuous improvement.  The charge and responsibilities further define CUAC’s role and purpose.

CUAC Charge: Responsible for providing governance, oversight, and advising to Commonwealth University on assessment processes to ensure disciplined self-assessment of institutional effectiveness (i.e., oversight of its sub-committees). The goal of the CUAC is to create a culture of data-based continuous improvement at Commonwealth.  The Council’s work is done in collaboration with the Faculty Assessment Liaison and Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE).

CUAC specific responsibilities include to:

• Oversee the development, integration, implementation, and continuous improvement of institutional assessments, academic / academic support assessments, and administrative unit assessments to increase institutional effectiveness and student achievement
• Receive and review annual assessment committee reports and develop data-driven recommendations to realize Strategic Plan priorities, goals, and measures and elevate student achievement 
• Evaluate and recommend assessment instruments and supporting technologies to facilitate assessment, archive data / documentation, and report findings
• Ensure assessment processes are aligned with budgeting and resource allocation
• Communicate effectively (e.g., email, meetings, web) high-level assessment results to key university constituencies and committees 
• Develop and share recommendations with President’s Cabinet

Information / resources for CU members can be found at the Assessment and Accreditation SharePoint Site.

Additional, relevant web sites that support and / or share out institutional assessment data include Institutional Research, OIE-Sponsored Technology, and Surveys.

The General Education Council (GEC) serves as the curricular body responsible for making recommendations regarding the General Education Program, including General Education Program course inclusion and any revision to the General Education Program.

The GEC will serve as the body responsible for assessment of the General Education Program, with the Chair of GEC leading General Education Program Assessment.

GEC Purpose

The GEC oversees General Education at Commonwealth University, which includes coordination and assessment of the program.

The responsibilities of the Council also include: 

• initiating, reviewing, and recommending policy changes regarding General Education;
• reviewing and recommending General Education curriculum; and,
• coordinating mentoring and assessment efforts with departments involved in supporting General Education program goals and student learning objectives.

GEC Composition

The GEC shall consist of 12 elected members, each of whom shall serve terms of three consecutive academic years. Each main campus (Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield) will elect four members at-large.  Among the four members serving on the GEC at each campus, at least three colleges must be represented.

Eligible faculty must be tenured or tenure-track. The tenured and tenure-track faculty shall elect representation by campus. Faculty members will vote within their own campus.

The Provost of the Commonwealth University or an administrator designated by the Provost as well as the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness (or their designee) shall serve as non-voting members of the GEC.

Faculty Election Procedures

Election to the GEC shall be held every Spring semester. All GEC faculty position elections for academic year 2023-2024 and thereafter shall be for three-year terms.

The GEC shall consist of a Chairperson, who is also the lead for General Education Assessment. The GEC Chairperson will be elected at the final business meeting of the Spring semester. Newly elected members of the GEC shall have voting privileges in the Chairperson election; outgoing members shall not vote for the next chairperson.

GEC membership

Three-year term (Fall 2022 – Spring 2025):

• Mykola Polyuha (BL – Languages, Literatures, and Writing, COAHESS)
• Rebecca Willoughby (BL - Student Success, Non-Aligned)
• Heather Erb (LH – Languages, Literatures, and Writing, COAHESS)
• Jamie Foor (LH – Psychology, COAHESS)
• Cathy D’Ortona (MA – Mathematics, Computer Science, and Digital Forensics, COHST)
• Teri Doerksen (MA – Languages, Literatures, and Writing, COAHESS); Jeff Bosworth is Teri Doerksen’s replacement for Fall 2024-Spring 2025

Three-year term (Fall 2023 – Spring 2026)

• Loren Selznick (BL – Business, Innovation, and Technology, ZCOB)
• Atika Benaddi (MA – Business, Innovation, and Technology, ZCOB)
• Kim Batty (LH - Management, ZCOB)

Three-year term (Fall 2024 – Spring 2027)

• Luke Haile (BL-Health & Exercise Science, COHST)
• Kathleen Allison (LH – Health Science, COHST)
• Adrianne McEvoy (MA – History, Political Science, & Philosophy, COAHESS)

General Education Requirements

The Academic Program Assessment Committee oversees all aspects of academic assessment in coordination with the OIE and Faculty Liaison for Assessment. The charge and responsibilities further define the Academic / Academic Support Assessment Committee’s role and purpose.

Academic Program Assessment Committee Charge

Responsible for providing oversight and support of assessment processes to ensure disciplined self-assessment of institutional effectiveness in academic departments/programs and help the University share and utilize assessment data for decision making, resource allocation, and improvement.  The Committee’s work is done in collaboration with the Faculty Assessment Liaison and Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE).

Academic Program Assessment Committee specific responsibilities include to:

• Support the development of measurable student learning objectives and their mapping at the institutional (i.e., General Education) and program levels
• Support the development, implementation, and evaluation of assessment processes for the periodic assessment of academic and academic support programs (e.g., review assessment cycles, information/data flow, and feedback loops; annual and five-year review reporting templates; and status of submissions and follow up)
• Mentor and support departments in developing and implementing quality assessment plans (i.e., methods of assessment, criterion/performance targets, assessment cycles, reporting and archiving results, actions, and closing the loop)
• Liaise with department chairs, program assessment coordinators, and faculty to identify concerns / issues regarding the assessment process
• Recommend professional development opportunities to increase institutional knowledge of assessment and supporting technologies
• Recognize best practices and excellence in academic / academic support assessment
• Submit annual summary report and recommendations to CUAC according to established timelines

Academic Program Assessment Committee Membership

Other Academic Program Assessment Roles

Faculty Assessment Liaison

Assessment efforts are supported significantly by the faculty assessment liaison, who leads the academic assessment efforts, mentors faculty, and provides ongoing communication with faculty in collaboration with OIE. The liaison receives a 25% alternative workload assignment. 

College Assessment Coordinators

College assessment coordinators are appointed to serve as the link between department/program assessment coordinators and assessment committee(s).  The coordinators communicate and elevate concerns and insights about program assessment to the Academic Program Assessment Committee.  They attend committee meetings at least twice a year and attend the annual CU Assessment Council. 

Program Assessment Coordinators

Program assessment coordinators serve at the department / program level. Faculty use their discretion to organize within the department in a manner that accommodates the needs of the department and the programs housed within it.  Coordinators are responsible to collect program-level student learning data aligned with the identified academic program learning outcomes and report annually in accordance with the expected timelines, processes, and reporting technology tools.

Other Resources

Information / resources for CU members can be found at the Program Assessment webpage for detailed information about annual report and five-year Program Assessment Review (PAR).  Other OIE web pages support institutional and program assessment efforts, including Institutional Research, OIE-Sponsored Technology, and Surveys. The Assessment and Accreditation SharePoint Site provides committee information.

The Administrative, Educational, and Student Support Units Assessment Committee oversees all aspects of administrative assessment in coordination with the OIE. The charge and responsibilities further define the Administrative, Educational, and Student Support Units Assessment Committee role and purpose.

Administrative, Educational, and Student Support Units Assessment Committee Charge:  Responsible for providing oversight of assessment processes to ensure disciplined self-assessment of institutional effectiveness in administrative and student support programs and help the University share and utilize assessment data for decision making, resource allocation, and improvement.  The Committee’s work is done in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE).

Administrative, Educational, and Student Support Units Assessment Committee specific responsibilities include to:

• Support the development of measurable divisional/unit goals and their mapping at the institutional, divisional, and unit levels
• Support the development, implementation, and evaluation of assessment processes for the periodic assessment of administrative / student support units (e.g., review assessment cycles, information/data flow, and feedback loops; annual and five-year review reporting templates; and status of submissions and follow up)  
• Mentor and support divisions/units in developing and implementing quality assessment plans (i.e., methods of assessment, criterion/performance targets, assessment cycle, reporting and archiving results, actions, and closing the loop)
• Liaise with divisional/unit points of contact to identify concerns / issues regarding the assessment process
• Recommend professional development opportunities to increase institutional knowledge of assessment and supporting technologies
• Recognize best practices and excellence in administrative unit assessment
• Submit annual summary report and recommendations to CUAC according to established timelines 

Administrative, Educational, and Student Support Units Assessment Committee Membership

Information / resources for CU members can be found at the Assessment and Accreditation SharePoint Site.  One of those resources includes the Administrative, Educational, and Student Support Units Assessment Rubric, which will be used by OIE to provide some feedback to the vice presidents and the Administrative / Student Support Assessment Committee regarding assessment in this area with an intent to continuously improve work in this area.

Other OIE web pages support institutional and program assessment efforts, including Institutional Research, OIE-Sponsored Technology, and Surveys.