Graduate Assessment Update
Graduate programs have made strong progress over the past several months, with 92% of graduate degree programs engaging with the program assessment process. In the past 6 months, OIRA staff have provided feedback on assessment plans for 38 degree programs, curriculum maps for 63 degree programs, and program learning outcomes for 20 programs.
All graduate programs, except those with deferments, are asked to gather program assessment data for at least one program learning outcome during this academic year. Starting this year, we are also onboarding graduate programs to the same 3-year reporting cycle as undergraduate programs. Graduate programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will submit both their initial data and their first assessment summary reports by June 30, 2024. All other graduate programs submit data from this academic year by October, 2024. We will provide more details on data and report submission in spring 2024.
This year we will be offering roundtable discussions to address assessment topics for graduate programs and will focus these discussions around topics selected by participating faculty. A roundtable last spring with NSFA faculty led to a robust and productive conversation about program assessment for research-based programs with no core curriculum.
We are also looking for one graduate faculty member from each college to participate on the Assessment Advisory Board (AAB). The AAB supports campus-wide assessment by advising on assessment policies, reviewing assessment reports, and supporting campus communication.
Please reach out to either Laura Millay (Laura.Millay@maine.edu) or Ryan Weatherbee (Ryan.a.Weatherbee@maine.edu) if you are interested in participating in a roundtable with other graduate faculty, have questions about graduate program assessment, or if you or one of your colleagues may be interested in serving on the AAB.