IE Planning for Degree and Certificate Programs

During the 2024-25 academic year, degree and certificate programs began a new multi-year IE planning process. The information below outlines the three-year plan for this new assessment process for degree and certificate programs as well as guidance on multi-year assessment plans, aligning student learning outcomes, and utilizing Watermark Planning and Self-Study.

Program SLOs should reflect the level of learning for the degree-level. See the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) and Bloom's Taxonomy for guidance, if needed.
Every program must have at least one SLO aligned with a DQP category..
Program SLOs must be clearly aligned with program curriculum (curriculum map).

Programs will define a multi-year plan that aligns with their program review/program accreditation process that still allows for annual reporting on assessment results and timely implementation of improvements based on assessment results.
Measures of SLOs should be varied and occur at multiple points in the curriculum. While end-of-program measures are necessary, student learning should also be measured throughout the program to help determine the appropriate location of actions based on results.
Every program must have a clearly defined and articulated (written down) process for conducting assessments, analyzing results, and determining and implementing actions based on assessment results.

The role description for Assessment Coordinators can be found below.

Programs are required to report assessment results annually in Watermark Planning & Self-Study. Also annually, programs will submit an annual “program update” in Watermark Planning & Self-Study that includes brief narrative on any yearly updates to the program related to faculty, curriculum, student support and other areas. Finally, programs will submit a more in-depth “continuous improvement” report at the end of the multi-year assessment plan, the length of which varies by program based on their own program review/accreditation cycle or other factors.

Annual Results Report in Watermark - By September 15 each academic year (first report required by September 15, 2026, but can submit earlier)
Annual program Update in Watermark - By September 15 each academic year (first report required by September 15, 2026, but can submit earlier)
Continuous Improvement Report - Submitted to IEA at end of program-specific multi-year cycle. Due date determined by program/college and IEA, but will usually be submitted at the end of the last academic year of the multi-year plan.

IE Reset Plan and Watermark Planning & Self-Study Rollout

Three-year plan

2024-2025

Programs review curriculum map(s) and revise SLOs, if needed.
Programs rearticulate program-level Student Learning Outcomes and align SLOs with learning categories in the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) (required) and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) competencies (optional), as applicable.
Programs begin (re)identifying measures for SLOs (not submitted until 2025-26)
Programs with specialized accreditation work with IEA and the Provost's Office to determine alignment of accreditation requirements with IE requirements and implications for university reporting.
Chairs identify Assessment Coordinators for 2025-26 using new role description/requirements (found below)

2025-2026

IEA holds pre-semester training of Assessment Coordinators and Chairs on Watermark Planning & Self-Study and multi-year planning – August 2025
Programs determine length of initial IE plan to be entered in Watermark with approval from IEA – Fall 2025
Assessment Coordinators enter measures of SLOs in Watermark for years determined as part of multi-year IE plan – Spring 2026
Assessment Coordinators submit initial Annual Program Review Update in Watermark – Spring 2026

2026-2027

Assessment Coordinators enter 2025-26 results into Watermark Planning & Self Study, if applicable – Fall 2026
IE Committee reviews Annual Program Review Updates from prior year 2025-26, and available assessment results in Watermark
Programs execute measures and collect data for current year, 2026-2027
Assessment Coordinators submit Annual Program Review Update for 2026-27 in Watermark – Spring 2026

Assessment Coordinator Description/Requirements

Assessment Coordinators should be full-time faculty teaching in the program. The department chair can serve as the assessment coordinator if necessary. The same faculty member/chair can be an assessment coordinator for more than one degree program in their area.

Point of contact for IEA/Academic Affairs on all communications regarding assessment.
In collaboration with the chair, coordinate and communicate assessment processes and deadlines to course instructors responsible for assessment data submission or collection - including adjunct faculty.
Organize and submit required assessment documentation to IEA by deadlines, including collaborating and communicating with colleagues to do so and obtaining review and approval of the chair prior to submission.
In collaboration with the chair, document and lead a program process for assessment data collection, analysis of assessment results, and identification and implementation of improvements/actions based on assessment results.
In collaboration with the chair, identify and maintain appropriate platform(s) for storing, organizing, and sharing assessment plans, data, processes, and reports.
Attend an annual required training for assessment coordinators during the Faculty Conference and Annual Meeting.
Attend (or lead) at least 1 assessment/continuous improvement professional development activity each academic year offered through the Center for Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFE).

Multi-year Assessment Planning

Programs will begin designing a multi-year continuous improvement (IE) plan that 1) aligns with program accreditation/program review cycles/requirements and 2) more clearly brings together curriculum, assessment, program priorities, and student success metrics. The goals of this new process are to have an IE process that is more meaningful to the program; that clearly connects to curriculum and teaching; that clearly leads to continuous improvement; and that reduces redundancies in reporting for departments.

Aligning Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Programs will begin aligning their program-level Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) with the five learning categories in the Degree Qualifications Profile. Aligning SLOs with the DQP will be a required component of the new multi-year assessment planning for all degree and certificate programs.

The Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP), funded by the Lumina Foundation, is a framework that outlines what college students should know and be able to do after completing their degree in 5 broad, interrelated categories. It's a learning-centered tool that applies to all fields of study, including associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees.

Aligning program SLOs with the Degree Qualifications Profile categories will allow institution-level reporting on our assessments, provide some structure across program learning outcomes, and help demonstrate the value of APSU programs in terms of student learning.

In addition, programs will also be required to align program-level SLOs with at least three (3) of the Career Readiness Competencies from the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE). The NACE Career Competencies provide a broad framework for addressing career-related goals and outcomes of curricular and extracurricular activities. Aligning program SLOs with the NACE Career Readiness Competencies allows programs to indicate how the program curriculum broadly prepares the college-educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management.

Watermark Planning & Self-Study

Degree program outcomes assessment and IE efforts are tracked using Watermark Planning and Self-Study. IEA will work with programs to gather program profile information and program SLOs and alignments for initial entry into Watermark P&SS by IEA staff.

Using Watermark Planning & Self-Study (P&SS) for IE planning and reporting will allow for more dynamic reporting at the university, college and program levels; will integrate IE information with university accreditation and program accreditation reporting processes in Watermark; and allow programs to see longitudinal data on student learning related to the program SLOs. Watermark also includes a curriculum mapping feature and allows for course-level assessments via integration with D2L, for programs that are interested in collecting assessment data this way.