Documentation of Assessment of Student Learning
Self-Study 2012
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- History and Overview of the University of Pittsburgh
- Summary of Major Accomplishments
- Challenges and Opportunities
- Why The University Chose the Topic of Assessment
- Assessment as a Strategic Tool to Advance the University
- Leadership in Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
- Expected Outcomes of the Self Study
- Description of the Self-Study Process
- General Summary of Conclusions and Suggestions
- Using Assessment to Improve Institutional Effectiveness
- Introduction
- Using Assessment in University-level Planning and Budgeting, Annual Planning, and Benchmarking
- Using Assessment in Unit-level PLanning and Budgeting,Annual Planning, and Benchmarking, Selected Schools
- Using Assessment to Improve Institution-wide Infrastructure Investment
- Summary of Findings and Suggestions
- Using Assessment to Improve the Student Experience
- Introduction
- Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
- Introduction
- Structure of Assessment of Student Learning Process at Pitt
- Building a Culture of Assessment
- Documentation of Assessment of Student Learning
- Examples of Developing a Culture of Assessment
- Examples of How Assessment of Student Learning Is Leading to Curricular Change
- General Education
- Examples of General Education Assessment
- How Assessment Is Used to Make Changes and Drive Progress
- Assessment of Student Retention, Satisfaction, and Graduation
- Assessment of Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions
- Summary of Conclusions and Findings
- Appendices
A series of appendices provides complete documentation of the University’s ongoing process for assessing student learning outcomes and using the results of those assessments to drive curricular change:
• Descriptions of the process for assessing student learning in each school and campus, provided by the deans and campus presidents (Appendix C4)
• All assessment matrices (reports) submitted for individual programs annually since 2007 (Appendix C5)
• All assessment matrices (reports) submitted for general education programs on each of the campuses since 2008 (Appendix C6)
• Relevant sections of accreditation reports submitted by those schools using specialized accreditation to meet the University’s guidelines (Appendix C7)
• All Office of the Provost reviews of assessment activities in each school and campus (Appendix C8)
• A comprehensive list of programmatic changes that have occurred as a result of the assessment of student learning initiative (Appendix C9)
The following sections provide examples from these appendices that illustrate how the various schools and campuses have developed a culture of assessment around the assessment of student learning outcomes and the impact this culture has had on our curricula. These examples were chosen by WGSE to capture the variety of successful approaches taken to assessing student learning at the University of Pittsburgh. This diversity of approaches reflects the diversity of cultures across the schools and campuses of the University and further demonstrates the benefits of the decentralized approach to planning and assessment at Pitt.