Michigan Tech's program of Graduate Student Learning Assessment asks the question: Are graduate students learning what we think they are learning?
Each graduate program at Michigan Tech has adopted a graduate assessment plan tailored to that specific program. The assessment plans have the following features in common:
- Articulates Graduate Learning Objectives (GLOs). Different programs have different learning objectives.
- Identifies assessment points for each learning objective; usually each GLO is assessed in multiple ways.
- Includes rubrics for assessing student learning outcomes at the assessment points.
- Includes evaluation forms that allow assessors to compile their impressions of student work in a way that allows an overall impression to be drawn.
- Includes an agreed upon data compilation plan that allows the program to report to
the Graduate school an Annual Assessment Report that details:
- A summary of findings related to each GLO
- Aspects of the program targeted for improvement
- An action plan and timeline to improve student learning outcomes
The Michigan Tech graduate assessment plans were developed in 2016-17 and fall 2017 through workshops conducted by the Graduate School. Sample Assessment Program templates were developed with varying degrees of detail to allow participants from the programs to readily discern how to adapt the templates to their individual programs. The first cohort of programs to develop graduate assessment plans will submit their first Annual Assessment Reports to the Graduate School in October 2017. All programs will submit assessment reports in October 2018 and annually thereafter.
More questions on graduate program review? See our FAQ page.