HLC Self-Study - Indiana University South Bend

RESPONSE TO CONCERNS
IU South Bend Response to Concern C:
The creation of a “culture” of assessment is a challenging and ambitious project for any
university, requiring intensification and redirection of administrative, faculty, and staff effort,
as well as the establishment of trust so that challenges as well as accomplishments can
be confronted with candor as well as with the determination to meet them. Reflecting the
campus commitment to be accountable to its varied constituencies, IU South Bend has made
great strides since the 2000 HLC visit to expand our energies, expertise, and resources for
the assessment of student learning—a key to the further development of an integrative
strategic planning process.
Administrative support is vital to this process, and the encouragement and interest of Chancellor
Reck, as well as the direct assistance of the Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice Chancellor
of Academic Affairs (VCAA Guillaume and AVCAA Fritschner) have provided the
leadership as well as fiscal support to promote the growth of assessment activities. Many
of those activities have been integrated into the newly-developed planning and reporting
mechanisms described under Concern A above.
These initiatives have been inspired, enhanced, and sustained by the work of the IU South
Bend Assessment Committee. Under their direction and guidance, major new initiatives
have been undertaken since the last HLC visit. Essentially, the work of the IU South Bend
Assessment Committee has been to support the assessment of student learning in individual
academic units. On a cyclic basis, data from individual units is being organized and
presented to the Assessment Committee, focusing on the impact of assessment findings on
curriculum changes. The next step, initiated in 2007, is focused on identifying and achieving
instructional goals in and beyond individual units. The development of a new “rubric” or
matrix for outcomes assessment is a noteworthy step in this direction.
Because of their central role in promoting as well as assessing student learning, faculty
have benefited from workshops and materials generated by the Assessment Committee in
partnership with the University Center for Excellence in Teaching (UCET). An important
vehicle for faculty development was the workshop organized by the Assessment Committee
with Barbara Walvoord, a national assessment expert. The day-long workshop, attended by
more than sixty faculty members, included a “hands-on” session in which representatives of
forty departments worked on revisions of their initial assessment plans, and afternoon sessions
with the Self-Study committee, the Academic Cabinet (which consists of Deans of the
academic college, schools, and division and program Directors) and the General Education
Planning Committee. Other strategies the Committee has used effectively include assessment
grants, and a three-year cycle of departmental assessment reviews.
Clearly, these efforts have advanced the assessment of student learning at the departmental
level. These “grass roots” efforts to engage faculty at their point of contact with student
learners have also had a ripple effect, with increasing willingness of faculty to test and
refine their assessment methodologies and apply their findings to pedagogical and curricular
enhancement. Campus assessment activities, grant information, third year assessment reviews,
annual reports, and departmental assessment plans can all be found on the IU South
Bend Assessment Committee website. This site has been “visited” and used as a resource by
other regional post-secondary institutions. Future challenges regarding assessment remain.
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Indiana University South Bend Self-Study Report 2007