The Provost, Associate Provosts, and Deans actively engage with campus leadership and their constituents to evaluate the quality of current academic programs through academic assessment activities and determine the need to offer new programming aligned to institutional mission, student demand, and campus resources. Three academic assessment pathways are defined below to improve student learning and the student experience.
- Academic Program is defined as an educational program that has a coherent set of courses designed for students to earn a credential (e.g., degree, certificate) awarded by the institution. The program directly serves the educational mission of the institution. The program directly serves students and the college experience. The program has a mission, student learning outcomes, and operational program outcomes. It is a requirement of the institution to assess student learning outcomes and operational outcomes.
- Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a university mission-driven plan with a specific course of action that addresses a critical issue, derived from the university’s ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation processes, designed to improve student learning outcomes and/or student success. The university commits resources for implementation and the QEP and it is integral to the university’s reaffirmation of regional accreditation.
- General Education describes part of the undergraduate curriculum that provides coursework across disciplines focused on transferable knowledge, skills, and abilities, and whose course learning objectives are aligned to university student learning outcomes. Using a systematic evaluation process and a curriculum map, the General Education Assessment Coordinator conducts regular assessment and evaluation activities of aligned assignments embedded in interdisciplinary courses and whose course learning objectives are aligned to university student learning goals. Annual reports are shared with stakeholder groups across campus for the purpose of improving the quality of course instruction and assessment practices.
The Graduate School also conducts comprehensive program reviews based on established guidelines and on a cyclical basis respective to external accreditations. For more information, see the Graduate School’s SharePoint site (UNCW log-in required)
