Our Services
The Office of Assessment supports the K-State community's efforts to continuously improve student learning by providing:
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Purpose: To ensure students meet targets for satisfactory levels of understanding in each K-State 8 area and provide information to Faculty Senate to plan changes in the K-State 8 program.. |
Procedure: Each semester two of the K-State 8 areas are assessed using a learning assessment survey--two areas each semester for a complete cycle every 4 semesters or every two years. The Office of Assessment samples randomly selected students who have completed a course in one of the two areas being assessed and surveys them via email using Qualtrics. Two reminders are sent over the two weeks that the survey is open. The results are analyzed and disseminated each semester. |
Purpose: To ensure that all new Graduate Teaching Assistants (those who are teaching a course or lab, or have significant interactions with students) have adequate communication skills to be effective in the classroom or lab, a survey is offered to the students in their class(es) early in their first semester of teaching. |
Procedure: Department Heads are asked to provide the Office of Assessment with a list of first-time GTAs. The Office of Assessment uses Qualtrics survey the students within the GTA-taught classes during the 4th and 5th week of the semester. Reports are generated for each GTA (copies sent to Department Head/GTA faculty supervisor), and if areas of 'serious concern' are identified, appropriate resources and referrals will be utilized, and the GTA may be re-surveyed later in the semester to assess improvements. An interpretation guide and list of resources are included with each report. *The departments of Chemistry, English, Mathematics, and Statistics use their own system for evaluating GTA communication; results for these are reported to the Office of Assessment. A summary report is sent to the Provost. |
Purpose: The Office of Assessment solicits feedback from seniors to identify strengths and understand how K-State can improve the college experience for students. The survey includes issues relating to satisfaction with K-State regarding academic programs, intellectual and personal growth, student services, and preparation for a career or a graduate/professional school. Programs may also add questions for their graduating students, eliminating the need for redundant program-level surveys. |
Procedure: The survey is offered to a students who have applied for graduation in December, May, or August and have been cleared for graduation by their colleges. The survey is offered through K-State's online survey system; the survey is open one month prior to the graduation date each semester, and remains open until several weeks after graduation. Results are sent to the Provost, department heads, and deans each summer. |
Purpose: The Office of Assessment solicits feedback from alumni (one year out) to identify strengths and understand how K-State can improve the college experience for our students. The survey includes issues relating to satisfaction with K-State regarding academic programs, intellectual and personal growth, student services, and preparation for a career or a graduate/professional school. |
Procedure: The survey is offered to a list of alumni for whom email addresses were provided by the Alumni Association. The survey is offered through K-State's online survey system; the survey is open for four weeks. |
Purpose: The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE; pronounced "nessie") has been evaluating four-year colleges and universities around the nation to measure the extent to which students engage in effective educational practices that are empirically linked with learning, personal development, and other desired outcomes such as student satisfaction, persistence and graduation. The NSSE was developed under the premise that the frequency in which students engage in effective behaviors is an indicator of good educational quality. The College Student Report captures first-year and senior student behaviors to determine an institution's level of engagement. |
Procedure: Conducted every three years (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, ...) Fall: A list of all first-year and senior students with appropriate information for the current academic year is submitted to NSSE, which generates a random sample of students to survey. The Office of Assessment provides materials to promote the completion of the survey. |
Spring: An email is sent from NSSE (through correspondence from K-State) to the students containing a link to complete the survey; reminder emails are sent periodically. |
Summer: The Office of Assessment receives results (demographics, characteristics, frequencies, means, benchmarks, etc.) and generates reports for the university community. |
Purpose: Academic programs and units must identify their learning outcomes, develop related assessment plans, engage in assessment activities, and develop a culture of "continuous improvement" in their programs and units to improve student learning. |
Procedure: All undergraduate programs and units must submit an annual progress report to the Office of Assessment each October via PRISM. Graduate programs submit progress reports via PRISM based on their scheduled Kansas Board of Regents review, but may also use PRISM to house data. The Office of Assessment provides feedback to each program/unit and prepares a summary from the reports for the Provost. |
Purpose: An accreditation schedule is maintained within the Office of Assessment for annual submission to the Kansas Board of Regents by mid-February. |
Procedure: Memorandums are sent from the Office of Assessment to appropriate departments that are nationally accredited, requesting information in regards to their site visit (current year or upcoming year). The office tracks and displays all accredited programs at K-State on the Assessment website. |
Purpose: The Institute for Student Learning Assessment is an annual conference held at Kansas State University featuring best practice posters, sessions, and workshops focused on the assessment of student learning. This opportunity for college and university educators from across Kansas and the region to share theory, research, and applied best practice provides valuable professional development and networking |
Procedure: Call for Proposals, Keynote Speaker Information, Sponsorship Opportunities, and conference registration are made available over the summer. Registration continues until mid-October. The conference is held every November. Institute for Student Learning Assessment
|
