Program Learning Assessment

The goal of program learning assessment is to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities of students and to use that information to inform decision-making, identify areas for improvement, and measure progress toward goals. Penn State is committed to the process of assessment as a critical component of continuous academic improvement. Our academic program assessment process requires programs to articulate program learning objectives (PLOs), to assess at least one PLO each year, and to submit annual assessment reports documenting assessment findings, plans, and actions.

Assessment plans for academic programs and for-credit certificates that participate in the University’s learning assessment process are available on the Program Assessment Plans website. The goal of this website is to foster a culture of transparency and facilitate collaboration among assessment leaders.

The OPAIR Assessment team is here to answer your assessment questions, provide trainings on assessment techniques, and offer feedback to make your assessment process more efficient.

Skip to:

• • • Who is required to participate?
    • Who is responsible for assessment in my program?
    • We have to do an assessment, where do we start?
    • When is our annual report due?
    • What is required to submit our report?
    • What happens with our report?
    • What do we do if a degree is offered at multiple campuses?
    • What if we have questions?

Who is required to participate?

Programs that are active and not professionally accredited are required to participate. This includes undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and for-credit certificate programs.

Professionally accredited programs that meet the assessment standards for Penn State and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) are not required to report separately through this internal process. These programs are required to submit their most recent self-study to the Accreditation Coordinator. For a list of these programs, see Professional Accreditations.

Who is responsible for assessment in my program?

Each program designates at least one Assessment Leader, typically a faculty member. One individual can serve as the Assessment Leader for multiple programs or programs may designate multiple Assessment Leaders that share responsibility.

Assessment Leaders are not solely responsible for their program’s assessment process. All faculty and instructors share the collective responsibility of articulating learning outcomes, designing assessment studies, collecting and interpreting assessment evidence, and developing action plans. Assessment Leaders are responsible for understanding the assessment process, sharing information and updates with program instructors, and submitting their program’s annual assessment report.

We have to do an assessment, where do we start?

If you are new to assessment or to Penn State’s assessment reporting process, we recommend that you review our Assessment Quick Start Guide. After that, take advantage of our complete Learning Outcomes Assessment Handbook and OPAIR’s many self-service assessment resources. Your program also has a dedicated Assessment Liaison to answer your questions and offer feedback. For larger groups, we can facilitate program discussions around assessment and provide workshops on topics such as describing your program’s learning objectives, designing assessment methods, reporting assessment findings, or closing the assessment loop.

When is our annual report due?

Annual assessment reports are due each year on June 30. Report feedback is returned to programs in the fall semester. Training is offered in the spring for Assessment Leaders and for Nuventive, our assessment management software. Assessment Liaisons are available to answer questions year-round.

What is required to submit our report?

Annual reports must be submitted via the Nuventive online system. A complete report contains two major components: 1) the findings from assessing a minimum of one program learning objective (PLO), including future actions based on those findings and 2) plans for conducting assessment in the coming academic year. Programs lacking one or more of these components must still submit an annual report.

If you are unable to login to Nuventive and believe you should have access, please contact OPAIR at (814) 863-8721 or assessment@psu.edu.

What happens with our report?

First and foremost, reporting provides your program and its instructors with the opportunity to think critically about the learning that is (or is not) happening. It can identify areas for improvement and opportunities to evaluate the impacts of previous initiatives. Deans, chancellors, directors of academic affairs, and associate deans are provided with regular updates on the assessment status of their programs and can access all reports for their programs in Nuventive.

Every report that is submitted to OPAIR is reviewed and receives custom feedback from an Assessment Liaison. The goal of feedback is to highlight strengths and opportunities within the assessment process. Liaisons do not evaluate the program, its learning outcomes, or its faculty. Specific individuals, whether faculty or students, are not singled out.

Finally, OPAIR uses the reports to aggregate metrics on the collective assessment efforts throughout the University and publishes an annual Assessment Report. The aggregated report and individual assessment reports may also be provided to Penn State’s accreditor, the Middle States Commission for Higher Education, and its representatives as part of Penn State’s accreditation reporting process. Overall, this information is used to evaluate Penn State’s culture of assessment and to set plans for its continued development. 

What do we do if a degree is offered at multiple campuses?

Baccalaureate and associate degrees with the same degree title offered at multiple locations may benefit from collaborating on program assessment. Collaboration between faculty members at multiple locations provides opportunities to share resources, concerns, ideas and experiences that can strengthen the assessment of each program wherever it is offered. We are available to help those wishing to pursue this option. Reach out to your assessment liaison for more information.

What if we have questions?

Every program has a dedicated OPAIR Assessment Liaison to answer your questions and offer feedback. You may email them directly at any point during the assessment cycle.