WASC Assessment and Accreditation Update
Back to Issue 13 Table of Contents
WASC Interim Report 2015
In March of 2015 our Interim report to WASC will be due. The three areas identified by the Commission Action Letter:
- Strengthening systems of assessment and program review
- Enhancing student success and diversity
- Establishing faculty workload guidelines
The task force established by the Provost has been working diligently on all these areas towards a goal of a draft report to the university community late fall. Sections of the work will come forward to appropriate committees throughout the fall semester.
WASC Assessment Update
WASC requires that all universities set performance standards and assess student achievement in five core competencies: Critical Thinking, Written Communication, Oral Communication, Information Literacy, and Quantitative Reasoning. Following up on early work done by a group of faculty last year, Pacific will send groups of interested faculty to WASC workshops and retreats. Funding and space are limited, if you are interested in attending one of the workshops or retreats, please contact Eileen McFall, Director of Learning and Academic Assessment soon. We have made great progress in the area of assessment reports and assessment plans since our last accreditation visit. Thank you all for your hard work and we will be continuing to gather the assessment reports completed in 2012-13 and 2013-14 in the upcoming months. The Assessment Working Group was formalized last academic year and begins this new academic year as the University Assessment Committee. The committee is still seeking a few representatives, including from the College and the Eberhardt School of Business, as well as an at-large representative to be appointed by Academic Council. If you are interested in this committee please contact Lourdes Reyesor Courtney Lehmann, Chair of Academic Council for more information about the committee. Eileen McFall, Director of Learning and Academic Assessment, is now located in WPC 128 and will have weekly office hours in the CTL (times to be announced). Individual faculty members, departments, and programs can contact her at 209 946-7715 or email for help with course and program assessment for degree programs, Centers and Institutes, and General Education.