Accreditation

Assessment is the systematic and methodologically sound collection, review, and use of information about services, like administrative units, educational programs and student support, undertaken to improve success, specifically in student learning. Assessment involves:

• Making our expectations explicit and public;
• Setting appropriate criteria and standard;
• Systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards;
• Using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance.

The Assessment Glossary provides descriptions of many concepts and terms you may encounter while working on your assessment.

Institutional Effectiveness Staff. If you have questions about the technical and compliance aspects of the assessment process, please reach out to us at assessment@usf.edu. We can help clarify policies and procedures, assessment requirements, due dates, and other organizational aspects of the assessment process at USF. Additionally, Virtual Office Hours are available every Friday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. You may drop in during these hours and a representative from our office will be able to assist you.

Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. If you need additional support with designing your assessment process, please feel free to reach out to the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) at USF. CITL is available for individual and group consultations to support your learning, teaching, and assessment goals. This includes providing workshops, research, or literature on a particular academic initiative or area of interest. CITL is available to facilitate conversations and discussions centered on learning, teaching, and assessment and can provide programming and training support as needed.

The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning and student success. USF‘s primary goal is to promote the lifelong success of well-educated, highly-skilled, and adaptable alumnae/alumni who lead enriched lives, are engaged citizens, and thrive in a dynamic global market. The academic assessment process helps programs identify what students should be able to do by the end of an educational program and determine the degree to which they meet these goals; furthermore, the assessment process asks programs to consider how to use the systematically gathered information on student performance to improve the teaching and learning process.

Additionally, assessment is mandated by our accrediting body, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

• SACSCOC Requirement 8.2 mandates all member institutions to assess their academic programs (undergraduate, graduate, certificates), general education, and student support services.

ODS-IE collects documentation of the assessment process annually in the form of an Assessment Plan and an Assessment Report. In order to establish academic programs, program faculty must create an initial set of Program-level Student Learning Outcomes (PLOs), describing what they hope students will know and be able to do at the conclusion of the program. The faculty must design a method to assess each of these outcomes, and set target levels of performance. Every year, programs submit an Assessment Report, which includes the following sections: Assessment Results and Use of Assessment Results, for each of the outcomes, reflecting performance in the previous year and specific action items to improve future learning. Then, programs submit an Assessment Plan, reiterating or updating the PLOs, Methods of Assessment, and Performance Targets for the upcoming year. Details of the sections of each of these documents can be found in the Academic Assessment Handbook. 

Three-Year Cycle. Most academic programs, except those with certain specialized accreditation requirements, at the University of South Florida are on a three-year assessment cycle. This means that stated PLOs are assessed over the three-year period. Please note that plans and reports are still required each year; however, the focus of the plans and reports will shift from year to year. After year three, programs may revise their PLOs and repeat the process beginning with a new year one.

• Year One
  • Establish or reaffirm PLOs based on the goals of the program.
  • Develop or update a curriculum map showing the courses in which learning outcomes are introduced, reinforced, mastered, and assessed.
  • Identify methods that will be used to assess PLOs and a plan for assessing them.
  • Collect, analyze, and use the collected assessment data to pilot test the feasibility of the assessment measures and processes described in the plan, and (if needed) revise the assessment plan.
    
    
• Year Two
  • Collect additional data (or improved data if measures were changed based on the pilot test results from Year One).
  • Analyze the data, and produce a report that summarizes the assessment findings.
  • The assessment report must include an action plan for using the assessment results to improve curriculum or instruction.
    
    
• Year Three
  • Implement the action plan to improve the curriculum or instruction that was developed during year two.
  • Assess the impact of the curricular or pedagogical changes that were made.
  • Begin developing the assessment plan for the next three-year cycle.

Academic program assessments are submitted throughout the year based on the College; deadlines can be found on the Assessment Due Dates webpage. 

Assessment Plans and Reports are submitted through Xitracs. The following Xitracs Assessment Training documents provide step-by-step screenshots and videos of submitting materials in this system.

The most important component of the assessment process is for the process to be utilized by faculty and staff to engage in action items to improve student learning and experiences. If this process is clearly integrated into faculty decision-making about program pedagogy and curricula, the process is successful.

To help ensure that Assessment Plans and Reports demonstrate how the process is successful and follow all of the requirements and expectations imposed by SACSCOC, ODS-IE created USF’s Academic Assessment Standards, found in the Academic Assessment Handbook starting on Page 10.  Once submitted, academic program assessments are evaluated by ODS-IE based on the Academic Assessment Standards on the Assessment Review Rubric (found in Academic Assessment Handbook, Page 19). Consulting the rubric in advance can provide insight into how to compose a compliant Assessment Plan and/or Report. Feedback follows the process detailed in the figure:

The following assessment resources address various aspects of assessment that you may also find helpful.

• Assessment Resources: Self-enroll in the USF Assessment Canvas Course to access training materials, guides, and external resources for successfully completing assessment for improvement.
   
• USF-Generated: Common Assessment Instruments. This spreadsheet lists assignments you may use for your assessment along with requirements that need to be considered when using these assignments.
  
  
• USF-Generated: Library of Exemplary Assessment Reports. To help you with the assessment process, we created a Library of Exemplary Assessment Reports – a sample of well-written assessment reports. These reports, published online with permission from the programs, may serve you as a great guide in your assessment development process.
  
  
• From the American Association of Colleges & Universities: Value Rubrics. A set of 16 different rubrics that you may use as they are or adapt to your programmatic or course needs.
  
  

• Association of Assessment for Learning in Higher Education: A national organization that provides resources, webinars, and networking for faculty and staff in assessment. Their listerv and archive contain many resources.
   

• National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment: The Institute produces Occasional Papers and serves as the national thought leader in the assessment movement.
   

• Assessment Journals: Utilize this resource from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa to find journals where publications on assessment can be found. 

• Example Reports for Curriculum Proposers. A set of sample assessment plans that may be used when designing the assessment plan for the new curriculum proposal.
  
  

• Templates for Curriculum Proposers. Feel free to use these templates to generate the materials for your new program.
  
  

• Checklist for Councils. Consult this checklist to identify the criteria by which the submitted assessment plan and curriculum map will be evaluated by the appropriate Council for approval.

Assessment of student support services is similar to the assessment of academic programs, but directed towards academic and support services units. These units provide direct support to faculty and students as related to their educational programs, indirect support for student learning, or a specific co-curricular mission that supports the college experience.

The primary purpose of assessment is to improve the institution as a whole through improving student learning and student success. USF‘s primary goal is “to promote the lifelong success of well-educated, highly-skilled, and adaptable alumnae/alumni who lead enriched lives, are engaged citizens and thrive in a dynamic global market.” The process of assessment allows Student Support Services to identify their overarching goals for success. Then, the process asks these offices to identify specific objectives for what students should experience or demonstrate during their time at USF and determine the degree to which the objectives are met; furthermore, the process of assessment requires that offices use the information to improve future student learning and experiences. 

Assessment of Student Support Services is also mandated by the SACSCOC Requirement 8.2c:

• "The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results of academic and student services that support student success" (p. 20). (Student outcomes: academic and student services)

ODS-IE collects documentation of the assessment process annually in the form of an Assessment Plan and an Assessment Report. Student Success and College leadership have created an initial set of Objectives for performance of the student support units, describing what they hope the unit will achieve, specifically those things that students will experience or that students know and be able to do after engaging with the student support service. The leadership and staff have designed methods to assess each of these outcomes, and set target levels of performance. The collection of assessment materials progresses through the following process: 

Every year, units submit an Assessment Report, which details the following sections: Assessment Results and Use of Assessment Results, for each of the objectives, reflecting performance in the previous year and specific action items to improve future success. Then, programs submit an Assessment Plan, reiterating or updating the Objectives, Methods of Assessment and Performance Targets for the upcoming year. Details of the sections of each of these documents can be found in the Student Support Services Assessment Handbook.

Student Support Services assessments are submitted throughout the year based on the unit. Deadlines can be found on the Assessments Due Dates webpage. 

Assessment Plans and Reports are submitted through Xitracs. The following Xitracs Assessment Training documents provide step-by-step screenshots and videos of submitting materials in this system.

To help ensure that Assessment Plans and Reports are successfully documented to follow all of the requirements and expectations imposed by SACSCOC, ODS-IE created USF’s Student Support Services Assessment Standards, found in the Student Support Services Assessment Handbook starting on Page 8.

Once submitted, student support services assessments are evaluated by ODS-IE based on the Academic Assessment Standards on the Assessment Review Rubric (found in the Student Support Services Assessment Handbook, Page 15). Consulting the rubric in advance can provide insight into how to compose a compliant Assessment Plan and/or Report. Feedback follows the process detailed in the figure: 

• Assessment Resources: Self-enroll in the USF Assessment Canvas Course to access training materials, guides, and external resources for successfully completing assessment for improvement 
  
  
• Student Affairs Assessment Leaders, a national organization supporting assessment work in student service units, provide an Open Online Course on assessment that can provide helpful insights and applications. Their resource list and listserv also include a plethora of information.

The primary purpose of assessment is to improve services provided by and to the institution by its stakeholders.  The process of assessment allows administrative units to identify their own goals, as well as which of USF’s Strategic Goals they support and how they support such goals. Furthermore, the process of assessment requires that units collect and reflect on quantitative and/or qualitative evidence in support of their goals, opening the doors for improvement. More details can be found in the Administrative Effectiveness Guidelines.

Assessment of Administrative Units is mandated by the SACSCOC requirement 7.3:

• "The institution identifies expected outcomes of its administrative support services and demonstrates the extent to which the outcomes are achieved" (p. 19). (Administrative effectiveness)

The purpose of this Core Requirement is to ensure that the institution has an appropriate broad-based approach to institution-wide effectiveness that supports its mission and serves as a framework for planning. This is followed by evaluation activities that allow the institution to discern whether it is making the progress it anticipated in its planning efforts, and making corrections as needed.

In order to complete Administrative Effectiveness reports, the leaders of each of the identified units are asked to engage their teams in an annual process of setting goals, providing services in support of the goals, and measuring and documenting the extent to which the goals are achieved each year. 

ODS-IE conceptualizes the nature of evidence that goal setting and the determination of goal attainment as holistic rather than disparate. When deciding which evidence to include, leaders are encouraged to identify the sources of evidence that support their unique context and team’s ability to achieve its goals, with documents such as the examples below. Many different forms of documentation may be submitted, and all materials submitted are considered as complementary to tell the story of the unit’s success. This documentation must at least include mention of the goals and some qualitative or quantitative data reflecting the achievement of the goals. When all the pieces of evidence are considered to be working together, it can be meaningfully determined whether the expectations of the goals were met. 

An organizational chart including team members down to the Assistant Director level and any Institutes and Centers is a required supplement to any of the evidence submitted. 

Examples of evidentiary documentation:

• Annual Report
• Data Dashboards or Screenshots of Data Dashboards
• Presentations to Budget Committees
• Meeting Minutes discussing goals/goal attainment
• Reports to accrediting or licensing agencies  

The deadlines for submission of Administrative Effectiveness reports are either July 31st or September 30th annually, depending on the unit. The Assessment Due Dates page lists the units with deadlines on each date.

In order to collect the required documentation for the Administrative Effectiveness Assessment process, ODS-IE disseminates a form (via online survey software) to solicit evidentiary documentation of goal attainment as well as a list of the goals for the next year. These forms are delivered via email to leaders or designees. In order to submit the evidentiary documentation, a File-Upload Box link is provided via the submission form.