Annual Assessment Work

Academic Annual Program Learning Outcome Plans

A core part of serving students responsively as we strive for intellectual and creative excellence is assessing student learning. About every seven years, program faculty step back and, through the process of program review, consider program effectiveness and capacity, and plan for changes to improve the program. In between program reviews (typically five years), programs annually assess program learning outcomes and plan for changes if needed. These annual plans become part of the next program review. There are three steps to this annual process:

Step 1: Start the Plan for the Year

• Faculty meet to determine which program learning outcomes (PLOs) will be assessed and decide what measures will be used to assess each outcome.  About 20% of each program’s outcomes should be assessed each year so that all PLOs are assessed before the next program review is conducted. This work can typically be done in an hour or two in faculty meetings.
• The Program Assessment Lead (PAL; this is often, but not always, the department chair) creates a plan for the academic year in Watermark Navigator, along with one or more measures for each PLO that will be assessed during the academic year. (See Step 1 Watermark Instructions)
• Suggested deadline:  October 31(departments or schools may choose an earlier deadline)
  • Suggested deadline for 2025-2026 school year is February 28, 2026

Step 2: Measurement and Results

• Faculty collect evidence for each measure and summarize results.
• The PAL and/or faculty enter results for each measure into Watermark Navigator as they are collected, along with supporting documentation.  (See Step 2 Watermark Instructions.)
• This work can happen at any time, depending on what measures are used. It typically involves the most work of the process, but that work can be distributed throughout the year and across faculty.
• Suggested deadline:  June 30 (departments or schools may choose an earlier deadline or may set intermediate deadlines for partial information)

Annual Program Learning Outcome Plan Instructions as a PDF

Annual Program Learning Outcome Plan Instructures as a Google Doc (read only, must use @lasierra.edu account)

Support KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

More instructions on KPIs soon. Please check with your Vice President to see what the Unit (department or division) KPIs are and talk with the VP about what KPIs they would like to see from you this year (2025-2026).

Sample Rubrics for Student Work

Sample Communication-Speaking Simple Rubric UNST

Sample Communication-Speaking Detailed Rubric UNST

Sample Writing Rubric PSYC

Sample Poster Rubric SDSU/SDCC

Program Assessment Resources

Sample Alignment Matrix (Course to Program to University)

Peer Review of Teaching - Overview (from the Society of Teaching Psychology)

Useful Links

Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Designing Scoring Rubrics for Your Classroom