Institutional Assessment at DSU from 1995 to 2000:  At DSU, the keys to integration of assessment into the institutional culture have been the commitment of faculty and administration to the assessment process, the presentation of assessment data locally and statewide, and the use of assessment data to effect institutional change.  Some accomplishments in the assessment process over the last five years include:

• Widespread communication of assessment results:  Over the past five years, the Assessment Coordinating Committee and the administration have focused on sharing assessment data through newsletters, faculty/staff meetings, newspaper articles, and the DSU web site.
• Development and presentation of a formal information technology / literacy assessment plan:
  All levels of assessment include at least one goal related to information technology / literacy. The institution's information technology / literacy assessment plan has been approved by the DSU faculty and by the BOR.
• Faculty involvement: The Assessment Coordinating Committee has widespread faculty involvement, with representation from each of the colleges, the library, and the distance education office. The faculty-based committee retains responsibility for oversight of the institution's assessment plan and provides guidance to college faculty, who have responsibility for the individual colleges' major-field assessment plans. DSU faculty were actively involved in the review and revision of the system-wide general education assessment goals and have been actively involved in moving the DSU assessment plan into compliance with BOR mandates.
• Significant progress in implementation of assessment plans in all academic programs: During the  1999-2000 academic year, the faculty in each academic program reviewed their 1995 assessment plans and, where necessary, revised the plans to include an information technology / literacy goal. The deans annually present a review of major-field assessment activities and an analysis of major-field assessment data to the college faculty and to the Assessment Coordinating Committee.
• Completion of the 5-year assessment plan review process:  During Spring 2000, an assessment task force was formed to initiate a five-year review of the institution's assessment process. The primary focus of their review was to ensure that assessment data was used for institutional improvement and for guiding the institutional budget process.

 

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