In industry, there’s an adage to “measure what matters”. In higher education, student learning matters! And, assessment of student learning is a means to measuring this important purpose of our institution. Through assessment, we can better understand our strengths and identify opportunities to level up further.
CARS has been a national leader in student learning outcomes assessment for over 30 years. Indeed, we were recently awarded the 2022 Trudy W. Banta Lifetime Achievement in Assessment Award It’s an exciting time in CARS as we build on our strengths and begin to chart a new course forward.
Internally, CARS has made shifts to enable more client partnerships where there is high energy for positively impacting student learning at JMU. To provide new services and invest in partnerships, we are making a few changes to academic degree program assessment, notably
- Beginning in 2024, CARS no longer provides formative feedback using the APT Rubric. The tool is still available as a reference for best practice in assessment.
- CARS offers new services including focus groups and educational research projects. Our goal is to consult with partners on projects they are energized about that have a good chance at improving the educational experience at JMU.
- The annual assessment report will be submitted through Smartsheet using this link. The eAPT system will no longer be available.
Please note the annual assessment report will still be due on June 1st to CARS.
Program Assessment Change - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- When is the due date for the annual assessment report?
Assessment reports will be due on June 1st.
- How do I submit the annual assessment report?
Please use this link to submit your assessment report through Smartsheet. Note, CARS is using the institutional naming convention for degree programs.
- When will I receive feedback after submitting my assessment report?
CARS will send feedback reports via email and through a shared folder before the Fall semester.
- How is assessment quality feedback generated?
An internal team within CARS will review the assessment report and provide lean feedback relative to the three components of SACSCOC standard 8.2.a (i.e., student learning outcomes, aligned measures, seeking improvement based on results).
- What is SACSCOC Standard 8.2.a?
Standard 8.2.a reads:
The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results in student learning outcomes for each of its educational programs. For interpretations to the principles of accreditation, please see this pdf.
- Can I receive a kudos letter?
Historically, we sent out kudos letters to Assessment Coordinators (ACs) of programs engaging in exemplary assessment processes. However, we do not define exemplary assessment anymore since we no longer assign quantitative scores to APTs. Instead, we will provide customized kudos letters to ACs who engage in partnership with CARS beyond submission of their annual assessment reports.
- Will I still have access to the eAPT system?
Since CARS no longer provides formative feedback using the APT rubric beginning in 2024, the eAPT system will not be available anymore. If you would like to receive a copy of any previous document submitted on the system, please contact programassessment@jmu.edu. Beginning in 2024, assessment reports and feedback reports will be available through a shared folder the Assessment Coordinator has access to.
