The Center for the Advancement of Teaching believes that assessment can be a powerful tool to enhance our programs and, by extension, the education we provide our students. Yet the assessment of learning, particularly at the level of the department, is no simple task.
By helping departments design rigorous plans to measure student learning, the CAT hopes to reduce the frustration that often accompanies assessment. Whether you’re designing a comprehensive assessment plan for a new program, or looking for feedback on a rubric you are using to measure a specific outcome, we are eager to support your work.
If you would like to create a comprehensive assessment plan, we recommend an extended relationship where we facilitate a series of retreats with your assessment committee over multiple semesters. In these retreats, we help you and your colleagues clarify your outcomes; construct valid and reliable processes to measures those outcomes; and design a staggered timeline for continually assessing each.
Given the size of our team, we are only able to provide intensive support for a handful of departments at a time. So if you know you will be requesting our help in the next few years, we recommend letting us know as soon as possible to secure your spot. As with all of our work, the support we provide will always be advisory. We can share best practices and facilitate conversations, but the decisions that shape the substance of your plan will remain the responsibility of the department.
