Program-Level Assessment and Reporting 

The faculty and staff closest to the delivery of the program are the principal assessing bodies at Central Michigan University. Developing a program assessment plan is a collaborative effort expected to stimulate discussions among the faculty (regular, temporary, and adjunct) regarding effective student learning, curriculum enhancement, faculty development, and innovative teaching.

Program-level assessment is the ongoing monitoring of the extent to which students are developing the knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes that are appropriate for graduates of the respective academic programs. The process involves the determination of an educational program's strengths and weaknesses through a well-conceived and implemented plan of data collection and the review and use of the results to foster a culture of continuous improvement. 

The CMU program assessment reporting process

The Academic Senate supports student learning outcomes assessment as a means of understanding and improving student learning. This policy reaffirms that the Senate is committed to the central role of faculty in the assessment process and the flexibility of academic programs in choosing assessment methods that will be most useful and appropriate.  

Reporting of assessment activities and how information gleaned from such activities has been used to improve programs will be reviewed by the Assessment Council through the assessment management system and as part of other activities (e.g., accreditation) that review the quality of academic programs.  

Assessment planning and reporting occurs in Watermark’s assessment management system, Planning and Self Study. Additional information on the system can be found at Academic Systems Support – Watermark. 

Programs/councils collect assessment data on a continuous basis and report findings from data collection on a yearly basis. Additionally, programs/councils answer analysis questions relating to assessment findings. Efforts will be made to coordinate cycle timelines with Program Review and accreditation schedules to reduce duplication of effort whenever possible. The assessment activities will be completed for review by the Assessment Council and Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support by October 1 of each year. 

The full assessment process can be found in Appendix E of the CMU Curriculum Authority Document (CAD). The process includes an assessment plan and its various components. 

Visit the Assessment Toolkit for more information on the policies, processes, and resources that support the CMU program-level assessment reporting process.