Tuesday, February 11, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Description: Join José Antonio Bowen, Senior Scholar at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, as he explores how generative AI can enhance learning outcomes assessment and address academic integrity challenges. Bowen will offer strategies for integrating AI into teaching and assessment, while discussing the skills, curriculum, and policies shaping the future of higher education. This event is co-sponsored by OPAIR and the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. Please click here to register.

Thursday, February 13, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Description: This workshop will give an overview of rubrics and how they can be used to score assignments. 

Prework: Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

Objectives: After attending the “Creating and Using Rubrics” workshop participants will be able to: 

• Describe what a rubric is and the advantages of using rubrics. 

• Identify the elements of a rubric and the different types of rubrics. 

• Design a rubric using best practices or modify an existing rubric. 

Wednesday, February 19, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Presented by: Karin Sprow Forte, Associate Teaching Professor and Chair of Teacher Education, Penn State Harrisburg, and Jessica Myers

Description: This workshop is a hands-on session designed to help faculty bridge the gap between what students should be learning, and how that learning is then assessed. Attendees will learn practical strategies to ensure assessments meaningfully reflect and assess student learning.

Tuesday, March 4, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Description: This workshop focuses on addressing the unique assessment challenges that low-enrollment programs face.  

Prework: Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

Objectives: After attending the “Assessing Small Programs” participants will be able to: 

• Identify the points of flexibility in Penn State’s process that can work in their favor. 

• Identify direct and indirect assessment methods that can be applied in small programs.  

• Develop a multi-year strategy for assessment and action planning.

Tuesday, March 4, 2:30 – 4:00 pm

Zoom link provided to registrants

Description: Join a distinguished panel of faculty and administrators to explore innovative approaches to ethics education and assessment in graduate programs. This 90-minute virtual workshop will provide practical strategies, insights, and real-world examples to help graduate program leaders strengthen ethical decision-making initiatives.

Presenters:

• Betty Harper, Assistant Vice Provost for Assessment, will set the stage by framing the discussion and introducing the panel.
• Katie Bode-Lang, Director of Education and Outreach in the Office for Research Protections, will share insights into the Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) and Research Integrity and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) programs, highlighting challenges such as scalability and funding.
• Michael Verderame, Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate School, ill describe his experience improving ethics education within the College of Medicine (COM) and the impactful strategies implemented there.
• Ted Toadvine, Nancy Tuana Director of the Rock Ethics Institute and Professor of Philosophy, will provide an on-the-ground perspective, offering examples from his classroom experiences to illustrate practical applications of ethics education.

This session is designed for graduate program leaders, including:

• Graduate program heads, directors of graduate studies, professors-in-charge
• Department heads, associate deans for graduate studies
• Graduate Program Assessment Leaders
• Faculty teaching courses where ethics is a primary or secondary focus

Outcomes: Participants will leave with actionable insights, proven models, and collaborative strategies to enhance ethical decision-making and its assessment within their programs.

Wednesday, March 26, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Presented by: Gina Pazzaglia, Teaching Professor and Director of MPS Program in Nutritional Sciences, Penn State University Park, and Christopher Barnes

Description: This presentation will explore the purpose, key concepts, and implementation of the UDL 3.0 guidelines while highlighting its connection to learning outcomes assessment. It will also offer assessment strategies that align with UDL principles.

Prework: Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

Objectives: After attending the “Improving Program Assessment with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)” workshop participants will be able to: 

• Explain the three main principles of UDL (Engagement, Representation, Action & Expression) and how they apply to creating inclusive learning environments 
• Identify and implement various assessment strategies that align with UDL principles to measure student learning effectively 
• Demonstrate the ability to apply UDL guidelines to design lesson plans that address diverse learners’ needs 
• Explore and utilize technology tools that support UDL principles and enhance assessment practices 

Wednesday, March 26, 1:00 – 1:30 pm and Thursday, April 24, 12:00 – 12:30 pm

Description: You’re getting ready to submit your assessment report, but it has been a while since you last used Nuventive and you can’t quite remember how to navigate the system. Join us for a quick 30-minute refresher where we will go over the Nuventive basics that you need to know to submit your assessment report. 

Please note that this training requires a foundational understanding of using Nuventive for Penn State’s assessment reporting process. New or inexperienced assessment leaders should instead register for our Nuventive Training for New Assessment Leaders session instead of this one, where we provide more in-depth guidance and instruction in Nuventive. 

Prework:  

• Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

• Download the Nuventive Handbook for Assessment Leaders prior to the start of the workshop. 

• Confirm your program access by signing in at https://solutions.nuventive.com/ using your Penn State access account and looking for your program(s) in the program search bar (top center). If you have any issues signing in or do not see information for the correct program, please contact Kelsey Colwell (kjb5535@psu.edu) at least one working day before the start of the workshop. 

 Objectives: After attending the “30-minute Nuventive Refresher” participants will be able to:  

• Find, review, and edit your program’s program learning objectives, assessment methods, impacts, and findings 

• Submit your annual report for review 

• Locate feedback from the OPAIR assessment team 

• Produce an assessment report 

Description: Disciplinary Communities are created in Nuventive when a degree program is offered at more than one Penn State campus to encourage and facilitate collaboration across locations. In this workshop, disciplinary community members (assessment leaders in a program that is part of a disciplinary community) will learn how to find their colleagues at other campuses who are leading assessment efforts in their programs and view the assessments at other locations. 

Prework:  

• Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

• Download the Nuventive Guide for Summary Units prior to the start of the workshop. 

• Confirm your access to at least one disciplinary community by signing in at https://solutions.nuventive.com/ using your Penn State access account and looking for a program in the program search bar (top center) that begins with the words “Disciplinary Community.” If you have any issues signing in or do not see information for a disciplinary community, please contact Kelsey Colwell (kjb5535@psu.edu) at least one working day before the start of the workshop. 

 Objectives: After attending the “Nuventive Training for Disciplinary Community Members” participants will be able to:  

• View the programs in your disciplinary community and the assessment leaders assigned to those programs 

• Generate reports that will provide assessment details for programs in your disciplinary community 

• Store supporting documents in Nuventive

Tuesday, April 8th, 12:00 – 1:30 pm

Description: This workshop provides assessment leaders with instructions for completing their annual assessment reporting in the online assessment management system, Nuventive. This workshop will cover the most common tasks that assessment leaders complete in Nuventive. Examples include editing and archiving program learning objectives (PLOs), entering assessment plans, impacts, and findings, including documents and other evidence, submitting plans, and producing assessment reports. 

Prework: 

• Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

• Download the Nuventive Handbook for Assessment Leaders prior to the start of the workshop. 

• Confirm your program access by signing in at https://solutions.nuventive.com/ using your Penn State access account and looking for your program(s) in the program search bar (top center). If you have any issues signing in or do not see information for the correct program, please contact Kelsey Colwell (kjb5535@psu.edu) at least one working day before the start of the workshop. 

Objectives: After attending the “Nuventive Training for New Assessment Leaders” participants will be able to:  

• Review and edit (if applicable) your program learning objectives, assessment plan, and curriculum map 

• Enter assessment plan information and assessment findings for your program 

• Submit your assessment findings for review 

• Produce an assessment report 

Thursday, April 10, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Description: This workshop explores what it means to “close the loop” in program learning assessment and the necessary steps for doing so.  

Prework: Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

Objectives: After attending the “Closing the Loop in Program Assessment” participants will be able to: 

• Articulate why “Closing the Loop” is an important part of the assessment process. 

• Draft mock action plans and assessment impacts using sample reports. 

• Discuss strategies for closing their program’s assessment loop with program faculty.

Tuesday, May 13, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Description: This workshop will provide an overview of curriculum maps and how they can be used to ensure alignment between a program’s learning objectives and its curriculum.  

Prework: Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

Objectives: After attending “Creating and Using Curriculum maps” participants will be able to: 

• Explain what a curriculum map is and its purpose.   

• Describe at least three ways that a curriculum map can be used to analyze a program’s curriculum.  

• Create a curriculum map for your program or modify an existing curriculum map.

Thursday, May 15, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Description: This workshop provides academic administrators (e.g., assistant/associate deans, directors of academic affairs) with instructions for accessing assessment information for all relevant college or campus programs. The workshop will cover the most common tasks that academic administrators complete in the assessment management system, Nuventive. Examples include navigating Nuventive, viewing and generating status reports, saving reports, and reviewing program feedback from OPAIR.  

Prework:  

• Check your email one working day before the session for a message from your workshop leader with the Zoom link to participate. 

• Download the Nuventive Guide for Summary Units prior to the start of the workshop. 

• Confirm your access to at least one campus or college by signing in at https://solutions.nuventive.com/ using your Penn State access account and looking for a program in the program search bar (top center) that begins with the word “Campus” or “College.” If you have any issues signing in or do not see information for your campus or college, please contact Kelsey Colwell (kjb5535@psu.edu) at least one working day before the start of the workshop. 

 Objectives: After attending the “Nuventive Training for Academic Administrators” participants will be able to:  

• View the programs for your unit and the assessment leaders assigned to those programs 

• View the assessment reporting status for your units 

• View program-specific feedback provided by OPAIR to support continuous improvement 

• Generate reports that will provide assessment details for your programs 

• Store supporting documents in Nuventive