Assessment at ISU

Welcome

This site contains information for ISU faculty, staff, students, and visitors to better understand our assessment philosophy, leadership, process, results, and actions for improvement. The helpful links to the right provide additional information about our events, resources, and tools and templates for faculty conducting assessment.  If there is a resource missing you would like to see added, just let us know!

Faculty and staff will find important guidelines for planning and reporting under the "Assessment Cycle & Planning" link on the right, as well as useful resources under the "Assessment Resources" link.  

A Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Assessment is a collaborative process through which we devise means to understand and then to improve student learning and achieve other program/unit objectives. Because Indiana State University recognizes that learning occurs throughout the curriculum and co-curriculum, it established an Assessment Council comprising representatives from each vice-presidential area. The Council conducts its activities in recognition of the faculty responsibility for student learning and in a context of shared governance. The Council also works with non‐academic areas to ensure that unit assessment is performed on a periodic basis and results in continuous improvement. Its plan to ensure the systematic, ongoing assessment of learning outcomes in both academic and non-academic programs is consistent with the Higher Learning Commission's standard that

The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement. (Criterion Four, Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement)

At ISU, the purposes of assessment include, but are not limited to, the following:

• To increase student achievement in both curricular and co-curricular areas.
• To ensure the integrity of awarded degrees.
• To evaluate and document the competence of graduates of Indiana State University.
• To focus the institutional mission on the level and quality of student achievement.
• To improve instruction, curriculum, and other teaching‐related activities.
• To improve service, effectiveness, and other operational activities.
• To promote faculty and staff development.
• To improve programs, program planning, and development.
• To facilitate articulation of the University’s core learning outcomes.