ACE > Annual Program Assessment Reporting > Writing Your Program Report

Writing Your Annual Program Assessment Report

WSU undergraduate degree programs are responsible for reporting annually on program-level assessment, submitting a report to ACE during the open reporting window — anytime from mid-December through February. ACE provides an annual program assessment report form in Qualtrics for programs to use, along with additional reporting resources and support. ACE is also available to answer questions and help assessment coordinators complete the report; contact us for additional information.

Resources for 2023 Program Assessment Reporting

Undergraduate programs will use Qualtrics to submit their 2023 annual report about program assessment conducted during the 2023 calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31), during the open reporting window – anytime from mid-Dec 2023 through Feb 2024.

Timeline for Undergraduate Program Assessment Reporting

Continuing the annual reporting timeline established in 2020 (approved by the Liaison Council for Undergraduate Assessment and the Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Achievement), undergraduate programs will prepare an annual report about program assessment conducted during the calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) during the open reporting window — anytime from mid-December through February.

Reporting Process Timeline: What to Expect

  • Starting in November, programs can use ACE’s report planning sheet (emailed to assessment coordinators by Nov 1) to familiarize themselves with the report. In addition, assessment coordinators can use this planning sheet to develop their reports prior to submission.
    • ACE strongly encourages assessment coordinators to share/discuss their planning sheet with their department chair/school director/other program leadership prior to submission.
    • ACE is available to answer questions and help assessment coordinators complete the report; contact us for additional information.
  • In mid-December, each degree program’s assessment coordinator will receive an email from ACE (ace.office@wsu.edu) with a unique link to their Qualtrics report form.
  • Assessment coordinators submit their report during the open reporting window — anytime from mid-December through February. Assessment coordinators can copy and paste their responses from the report planning sheet into Qualtrics or enter the program’s assessment information directly into Qualtrics.
  • ACE staff will review the submitted report for content, clarity, consistency, and completeness, and will contact the assessment coordinator (or other program contact specified in the report) with any questions. Assessment coordinators (or another knowledgeable assessment contact) need to be available to answer questions until March 31.
    • The assessment coordinator (or other program contact specified in the report) will be notified when their report is finalized and there is no need for further input.
  • Finally, each program will receive a PDF copy of their final report from ACE in April for their continued use and archive.
  • ACE analyzes report data and prepares WSU-wide and college summaries of annual assessment reports in Spring and Summer.
  • ACE staff meets with college and university leadership in August and September to review summaries and discuss actions that can support program assessment at WSU.

Timeline/Process Flowchart

Flowchart visualization of the Annual Undergraduate Program Assessment Report process timeline. Text description follows.

  1. Report preparation & submission
    1. November: Report planning sheet available; programs can use to develop their report and collaborate/share internally
    2. Mid-December: Program assessment coordinator receives unique Qualtrics link from ACE
    3. Mid-December through February: Program assessment coordinator fills out and submits report via Qualtrics
  2. ACE report review & finalization
    1. Mid-December through March: ACE staff reviews report & emails program contact with questions; ACE staff notifies program contact when report is finalized
    2. By end of April: Assessment coordinator and chair/director receive a PDF copy of the finalized report
  3. Report summaries and use
    1. Spring and summer: ACE Staff analyzes report data and prepares WSU-wide, college- and campus-level summaries; ACE staff meets with Provost’s Office, college, and campus leadership to review summaries and discuss actions that can support program assessment
    2. Every other fall: Exemplary program assessment recognized at biennial Celebration of Assessment Excellence with Provost

Thresholds for Annual Program Assessment Reporting

Thresholds for annual program assessment reporting modify the reporting process in small undergraduate programs:

Multi-campus undergraduate degree programs with fewer than six seniors admitted to the major on a particular campus (using spring census records in OBIEE) will not be required to report on assessment for that particular campus. Programs will still be required to submit a regular annual report and include any campus with six or more senior majors. For questions about specific programs or degrees, contact us.

Undergraduate degree programs with fewer than six seniors admitted to the major for the degree overall (using spring census records in OBIEE) will fall below the threshold for submitting the regular annual program assessment report and will file an alternative short assessment briefing to ACE instead. For questions about specific programs or degrees, contact us.

Starting in 2022, degree programs that integrate a Bachelor’s degree into a five-year program of study for a Master’s degree, where fewer than six seniors receiving the BA/BS degree do not continue into the graduate portion of the program (using fall census records in OBIEE), will fall below the threshold for submitting the regular annual undergraduate program assessment report and will file an alternative short undergraduate assessment briefing to ACE instead. For questions about specific programs or degrees, contact us.

These thresholds are intended to recognize that — while faculty are expected to assess student learning and use results to improve their degree program (and programs should include students and faculty from each campus in their assessment activities to the extent possible) — small numbers of senior majors may impact a program’s ability to meet all expectations for program assessment each year, or, in a given year, may warrant a deeper focus in one area than another. Thus, for these small programs, the annual ebb and flow of their assessment activities will not be tallied in the college or university summaries of annual program reports prepared by ACE. The college and university summaries will include a list of programs not meeting the thresholds for that year. 

This policy has been approved by the Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Achievement and is intended to support the time faculty spend reporting for their program and the information needed for a meaningful summary of program assessment activities and results for leadership at WSU.

Brief Descriptions of Program Size

ACE will provide each program with a brief description of program size, to help provide context for annual program assessment reports:

  • This description will include number of degrees conferred over the past three fiscal years and number of admitted majors (seniors and overall) as of the spring census using OBIEE records. Numbers will be disaggregated by campus, as applicable.
  • This information will be provided to programs via email along with the annual report planning sheet, and will also be included in the Qualtrics report form. Note: ACE is providing this information based on data available in WSU’s student data warehouse. Programs/assessment coordinators will not need to do anything to obtain this information.