Developing a Program Assessment Plan

New Program Development/Major Revision Process

All new programs and programs going through major revisions are required to have learning outcomes identified and filed with the Office of Assessment and Effectiveness (OAE) prior to lodging the proposed curriculum with the College Curriculum Committee. Faculty Program Assessment Facilitators are available through OAE to assist program coordinators in developing their assessment plans. Individuals are encouraged to contact OAE early in the program development/major revision process in order to avoid unnecessary delays.

After approval by the chancellor, and prior to the start of the program, the full assessment plan (assessment methods, benchmarks, timeline) must be developed and filed with OAE.

Components of a Program Assessment Plan

A good program assessment plan has four key components: learning outcomes, assessment methods, benchmarks and an implementation timeline.

• Learning outcomes are measurable learning targets which describe what a student needs to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate or create in order to achieve experiences outlined in the OCC course catalog description of a credentialed program. Please refer to the Criteria for Program Assessment Plans document in order to determine the required number of learning outcomes.
• Assessment methods are instruments utilized by OCC faculty to measure student learning outcomes. Direct assessment techniques such as scoring rubrics, aid the instructor in determining the level of competency achieved by the student. Other direct measures include research papers, oral presentations, projects, performances, portfolios, examinations, case study analyses, and internships. In some cases, indirect measures such as surveys and interviews can be used, but they typically provide less meaningful information. At least one assessment method is required for each learning outcome.
• Benchmarks flow from the assessment method and state the percent of students expected to attain specific knowledge, skills or values, at faculty determined levels of competency. At least one, but no more then six benchmarks are required per learning outcome.
• Implementation timeline refers to the process of identifying a date for reporting assessment data of a learning outcome. An assessment date is recorded using the first day of a preselected month, and a predetermined year. A frequency is noted for each benchmark of a learning outcome to indicate how often the assessment will take place. Assessment cycles can be one, two, three or four years.

Please feel free to use the Program Assessment Plan Template when developing or revising your assessment plan.