Assessment and Evaluation

Continual assessment and evaluation will ensure we make transparent how we are implementing the framework and whether our actions result in the intended impacts. As applicable, assessment plans for each action we take will include the following three categories of indicators:  

Input indicators provide evidence that the resources – capabilities and capacities – necessary for successful program implementation are being applied.

Process indicators measure activities and outputs generated in the course of program implementation. These indicators provide evidence that the right things are being enacted and in the right way as consistent with the rationale underlying the chosen action.  

Outcome indicators measure the short, intermediate and long-term effects of implementation. These indicators provide evidence of change over time. It is typically difficult to attribute change in complex situations to any one initiative, but examining multiple outcomes and their pattern of change can strengthen confidence in results. 

A repository of current and historical data maintained by the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) will provide a foundation for this work.  This repository includes data that speak to multiple aspects of our learning environment, the student experience, the experience and activities of faculty and staff, and post-graduation outcomes. For instance, OIR maintains a longitudinal student data set that includes all undergraduate students since 2010 and extensive data on their courses, activities, utilization of academic support resources and outcomes.  In addition, OIR coordinates the completion of several large surveys each year.  Examples include campus climate surveys that provide information about belonging across diverse groups; nationally normed surveys that provide information about students’ engagement and outcomes (inside and outside of the classroom) at key points during the undergraduate experience (beginning and end of first year; end of senior year); and nationally normed surveys on faculty experience and belonging.