Annual Assessment
Annual assessment is essential to demonstrating the effectiveness of the programs, offices and services offered by UHV. Each program/unit may identify its own outcomes, and then measure its progress toward meeting them. Annual Assessment Reports are due October 15.
The basic parts of an assessment report are:
- a summary of who is collaborating and what the outcomes are
- an ongoing plan (most programs can copy and paste last year's plan)
- results from last year's assessments
- new action plans, in response to targets missed in the last year
- pending action plans, reporting progress on action plans started in previous years
Please contact the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness for information about
- units which must complete assessment reports
- the names of assessment leaders
- copies of reports from previous years
- blank report templates as a Word document
Information about how to define outcomes, create tools to measure progress toward the target, and setting the right target can be found on the OIRE Resources webpage or by contacting OIRE.
Assessment and External Reporting
In addition to ensuring that UHV provides the highest quality educational programs and support services possible, annual assessment also keeps UHV in compliance with the requirements of regional accreditation and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Following are SACSCOC and THECB statements that guide UHV assessment.
From the Principles of Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Standard 7.1 (Institutional planning)
The institution engages in ongoing, comprehensive, and integrated research-based planning and evaluation processes that (a) focus on institutional quality and effectiveness and (b) incorporate a systematic review of institutional goals and outcomes consistent with its mission.
Standard 7.3 (Administrative effectiveness)
The institution identifies expected outcomes of its administrative support services and demonstrates the extent to which the outcomes are achieved.
Standard 8.1 (Student achievement)
The institution identifies, evaluates, and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the institution's mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of program offered. The institution uses multiple measures to document student success.
Standard 8.2
The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results in the areas below:
- Student learning outcomes for each of its educational programs. (Student outcomes: educational programs)
- Student learning outcomes for collegiate-level general education competencies of its undergraduate degree programs. (Student outcomes: general education)
- Academic and student services that support student services. (Student outcomes: academic and student services)
From the 60x30TX Higher Education Strategic Plan
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Members
The Third Goal: Marketable Skills
By 2030, all graduates from Texas public institutions of higher education will have completed programs with identified marketable skills.
This goal challenges institutions to think more explicitly about the programs they offer and the job skills that students learn within those programs. Marketable skills in this plan are defined as: Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities.
Clearly, many students in Texas are graduating from two- and four-year colleges with marketable skills. Public institutions of higher education, for example, adhere to the Texas higher education Core Curriculum and its six Core Objectives, which include the marketable skills of communications, critical thinking, and teamwork. Students who complete the Core Curriculum learn those skills at a basic level. Students, however, are not always aware of the value of these skills or able to articulate them to employers. Two- and four-year institutions can advance this goal by making students aware of the skills they learn within the Core Curriculum and other coursework.