Program assessment is a term commonly used to encompass the process of gathering and using evidence about a program’s impact on student learning or student success to guide improvements to our programs.

It complements assessment of individual student performance by focusing on students as a group. Program assessment results in action; programs must interpret the evidence they collect and act on that evidence for assessment to benefit student learning. Then programs re-evaluate to see if changes had the desired effect on student learning and success. At Wayne State, all student services programs (e.g. APEX, Student Disability Services, Housing and Residential Life, Financial Aid) engage in program assessment. Staff members lead assessment efforts in student services programs. Students and other stakeholders may also participate in assessment.

University Libraries Assessment Committee Charge 

July 19, 2019 

The University Libraries Assessment Committee (ULAC) is charged with assisting in the assessment of the University Libraries’ operations and their contributions to the learning, teaching, and research activities of Wayne State University.  It assists with the Libraries’ participation in the University’s program assessment and with other assessment efforts including evaluating and recommending effective measures, tools, and techniques to be used in such assessment. 

ULAC has an essential role in the University Libraries’ annual program assessment efforts. The University Libraries’ assessment plan is revised and submitted to the WSU Director of Assessment and the University Assessment Council each fall semester with the assessment itself carried out the following winter semester. During that winter semester and the subsequent spring/summer semester, the results of the assessment are analyzed, action plans and timelines are formulated, and the assessment and actions are presented to stakeholders. This annual assessment is an essential part of the University’s continuous improvement efforts.

ULAC also assists in formulating policies, procedures, and philosophy related to the assessment of the University Libraries’ operations and their contributions to the University’s educational and research activities.  

ULAC’s efforts lead to improvements in our teaching and services, enhancement of our collections and facilities, development of our staff, and promotion of a culture of assessment.  

Members: 

Paul Beavers, Interim Associate Dean of the University Libraries, Coordinator for Assessment [Library Resources and Collections Strategy Services] 

Veronica Bielat [Instruction] 

Jan Bissett [Law Library] 

Rachael Clark (chair), Collections Strategy & Assessment Librarian [Library Resources and Collections Strategy Services] 

Mike Hawthorne, Director of Resource & Collections Strategy Services [Library Resources, Collections Strategy, and Access Services] 

Ella Hu [Medical Library]

Minhao Jiang [Technical Services and Discovery Services]

Brandi Jones [User Experience Support Service] 

Sarah Lebovitz [Reuther Library]

Karen Liston [User services other than Instruction]

Meghan McGowan [User Services other than Instruction]

Amelia Mowry [Technical Services and Discovery Services] 

Katrina Rouan [Reference and User Services]

Program assessment is a cycle focused on continuous improvement.

During the cycle, you will identify your program’s goals, specify what you expect students to gain from the program, measure whether students are doing so at target levels set by the program, and use the results of those measurements to inform programmatic decisions and actions. Your decisions and actions then become part of the cycle’s feedback loop; programs evaluate whether decisions and actions led to programmatic improvement including student learning. You may refine or redefine goals, expected outcomes, or assessment methods as well as make changes to the program itself as part of continuous improvement efforts.

Collecting, reporting, and using evidence of Wayne State's assessment practices to improve those practices across campus is an important  component of the HLC's criteria for accreditation:

Criterion 4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement

The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.