Assessment Plans

An assessment plan articulates a program’s process and timeline for conducting program assessment activities, and for collecting, analyzing, and using program assessment data. Assessment plans also help communicate the various roles and responsibilities of program leadership and faculty in the assessment process.

Value of Assessment Plans

Program assessment plans support efficient, effective, and sustainable assessment efforts as they can:

• Provide a reasonable scope, scale, and timeline for assessment efforts each year
• Allow for coordination and delegation of assessment efforts for individuals, committees, and other units within departments/schools and colleges, and across multiple campuses
• Contribute to regular documentation practices
• Support succession planning and continuity through expected and unexpected transitions

Assessment Plans at WSU

WSU undergraduate degree programs are responsible for developing and regularly updating an assessment plan for program-level assessment, as appropriate for the program’s emerging needs and priorities. The assessment plan should include the program’s student learning outcomes, curriculum map, a description of assessment measures, a timeline, and an indication of who will be involved in the program’s assessment efforts (ACE has summarized suggested roles and responsibilities (PDF) for program assessment at WSU, which may aid planning). It can also be helpful to include the purposes of a program’s assessment, including the program’s specific assessment questions related to student learning.