Update to the 3-Year Program Assessment Reporting Cycle

The 3-year assessment cycle for academic programs culminates in a 3-Year Assessment Summary report, which has traditionally been due at the end of June during the last year of a program’s cycle. Feedback from some units indicated that this quick turn-around time made it difficult to include all faculty in assessment discussions, especially about any data collected in the last year of the cycle. For this reason, we have changed the timing of the 3-Year Assessment Summary report to be due a year later, such that units will collect assessment data for three years, then have an entire academic year to reflect on those results and to complete the 3-Year Assessment Summary report. During this “reflection” year, units should be collecting data for the first year of their new cycle. If units want feedback on their process sooner, they are welcome to submit their reports prior to the June deadline and OIRA, in collaboration with the Assessment Advisory Board, will review the reports as soon as possible. Please see the UMaine Assessment Plan on the OIRA website for more information about program assessment. Appendix A of the Plan now indicates updated report due dates. Most programs due to submit reports this June have specialized accreditors and are therefore waived from the annual reporting requirement. As such, this cycle change will impact most programs starting next year (2025-26). 

Flyer Describing Changes to Assessment Reporting Cycle