Assessment

College assessment

All academic units offering a degree, major, certificate, or minor must participate in ongoing assessment of their academic programs. This process, which we call College Assessment, is required by the College and campus to ensure compliance with accreditation standards.

Academic programs are designed with clear learning outcomes that students are expected to achieve through coursework and, in some cases, co-curricular or extracurricular experiences.

College Assessment involves:

  • Measuring how well students achieve those learning outcomes by graduation;
  • Reflecting as a unit on the results; and
  • Developing or revising outcomes, expectations, or curriculum as needed.

Assessment reports

Unit administrators and approved staff have may submit reports on behalf of their unit and view previous assessment documents.

Manage my College Assessment Reports

Assessment components

College Assessment includes two main components: an Assessment Plan and an Assessment Report. 

Each academic unit must create and maintain an Assessment Plan for every program it offers. The plan should include:

  • An overview of who is involved in the assessment process
  • Continuity planning information
  • A multi-year assessment schedule (typically 2–3 outcomes per year on a three-year rotation)

Plans should remain stable but may be updated periodically to reflect revised learning outcomes, new assessment methods, or other changes. The Assessment Plan should be detailed enough that any faculty member—or future Chair/Director/Director of Undergraduate Studies—can continue its implementation.

Download Assessment Plan template

Each year, academic units must submit an Assessment Report summarizing their annual assessment activities. The report should include:

  • The learning outcomes assessed that year
  • Methods used for assessment
  • Results of the assessment activity
  • Reflections and plans based on the previous year's findings

Download Assessment Report template

Critical dates

Assessment timeline
DateActivity
August – early SeptemberUnits share and discuss assessment results from the prior year; develop plans to address any identified issues (record this information for inclusion in this year’s report).
SeptemberThe Director of Undergraduate Studies reviews the unit’s Assessment Plan with stakeholders and initiates implementation.
September – early MayData collection and analysis.
June 1Submit the Assessment Report (and updated Assessment Plan, if applicable) to the College by this date.

Assessment tasks

Yes. Academic units offering similar programs across different credential types (e.g., B.A. in Chemistry and Minor in Chemistry) must submit separate Assessment Plans and Assessment Reports.

Email ugcurric@iu.edu for instructions on how to proceed.