The University of Illinois Springfield Office of the Provost, in conjunction with the Campus Senate Committee on the Assessment of Student Learning, is pleased to announce that five faculty projects will be receiving program assessment grants for the 2023-2024 academic year. This grant program, which is in its inaugural year, is designed to promote best practices in program-level assessment of student learning outcomes.
These one-time funds, which are matched at the college level, assist in the piloting, creation, or revision of a program’s assessment process or instruments. Based on the recommendations of a subcommittee of faculty chaired by Mohammed Mohi Uddin, the five projects included:
| Collaborating Colleagues | Proposal Title & Description | Unit |
| Richard Funderburg, Associate Professor, & Junfeng Wang, Associate Professor | Assessing Student Abilities in Data Analytics in the Masters of the Public Administration Program and Technology Adoption by Illinois Government Agencies To assess the effectiveness of PAD 503 and PAD 507 in meeting and furthering a universal core competency required by the international accrediting body of MPA programs, and to evaluate the adoption of technology within Illinois government agencies where students work. | School of Public Management and Policy, College of Public Affairs and Education |
| Lynn Fisher, Chair of Sociology/Anthropology Department | Develop and Apply a New Rubric to Assess Learning in the Goal Area “Sociocultural Theories and Applications” Develop a rubric that clearly identifies expectations for novice, intermediate, or advanced levels of competence in this goal area and form a team of 3-4 faculty to simplify and rework learning objectives. | Sociology/Anthropology Department |
| Stephanie Hedge, Ph.D. | “Closing the Loop” for English Program Student Learning Outcomes End the Spring 2024 semester with a robust, flexible, and completing intensive assessment of student learning outcomes; for recruitment to the program; and a revised set of clear, measurable, student-centered learning outcomes that are explicitly tied to curriculum and UIS baccalaureate goals. | Department of English |
| Tiffany Nielson, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Tim Hakenewerth, Ph.D., Assistant Professor | Counseling Program Comprehensive Assessment Plan Systematically assess overall program effectiveness; organized into evaluation of the program and its objectives, assessment of students, and the evaluation of faculty and supervisors. | Department of Counseling and Social Work |
| Elizabeth Ribarsky, Ph.D. | Understanding Student Growth, Satisfaction and Success within the School of Communication and Media Assess two key areas within the School of Communication and Media, Oral Communication (the general education course) and Communication Majors/Minors. A summer stipend is required to complete the assessment work as well as support for travel to present the outcomes. | School of Communication and Media |