Peer Review of Academic Program Assessment Reports: Process and Product

Like many institutions, our University is committed to utilizing the assessment cycle in order to maximize student learning through continuous improvement of educational programs. Our institution is devoted to creating a culture in which assessment is performed not only because it is required for accreditation purposes, but because it is central to enhancing student learning. Furthermore, we believe assessment reports need to provide consistent and accurate information so results can be used to document programs’ progresses, identify strengths and weaknesses, and provide future directions. In this session, we will introduce how academic assessment reports are peer reviewed annually by faculty members, using a rubric. The rubric uses a four point scale and includes eight traits; attendees will be given an opportunity to apply the rubric during the session. We will also describe how the Many-Faceted Rasch Model using the FACETS was applied to estimate which programs were relatively weak, which raters were most severe, and which rubric traits presented the greatest challenges. At the conclusion of the session, attendees will be able to understand the academic program assessment cycle, describe the importance of analyzing review results for continuous improvement, and apply the Many-Faceted Rasch Model to peer review of Reports