The Advancement of Student Learning Council (ASLC) was developed to meet two major
needs of the University:
- To inculcate and sustain a culture of systematic student learning assessment in
all quarters of the University through the following functions: (a)training faculty
and co-curricular professionals in their respective schools or major areas in effective
and meaningful assessment practices, (b) facilitating annual and 5-year program
reviews in their respective schools or major areas and channeling aggregated data
aligned to the University's Institutional Educational Objectives to the Office of
Institutional Effectiveness.
- To serve as the body tasked with offering programs undergoing 5-year program reviews
with feedback on the quality of their critical inquiry process and use of evidence
to support their program improvement plan. (See Appendix A for the ASLC Internal
Review Report template).
Other functions of the Council include:
- When requested, offering advisement to the UAC on the quality of new program proposals
and existing programs requesting substantial change
- Preparing the University for WASC reaffirmation reviews.
Good practices for program review entail the
integration
of outcomes-based assessment and evidence-based decision-making. This integration
includes the following components:
- Program self-study
- External review of program
- Internal review of program
- Program Quality Improvement Plan
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
- Planning and Budgeting
- Tracking Improvements (see Appendix B for more details of each component)
An evidence-based decision-making model allows for transparency among stakeholders
(faculty, co-curricular professionals, and administration) as well as holds all
stakeholders accountable for upholding their commitments. A process for outcomes-evidence
integration within the University, and the ASLC’s role within this process, is visually
depicted in Appendix C,
Program Review Process.
The current state of student learning assessment and program review at Pepperdine
is uneven in its application and does not meet the standard of practice for higher
education. There are no channels to aggregate and store data for conducting program
review and the review of the University’s Institutional Educational Objectives;
the quality and/or availability of basic program assessment documents, e.g., student
learning outcomes, curriculum matrices, assessment plans, and assessment rubrics,
are unevenly employed; there are no formal internal mechanisms for ensuring an objective
assessment of program quality; and there are weak lines of interaction between central
administration and those responsible for assessing the curricular and co-curricular
learning at the University. Although there is commitment from central administration
and resources available for training and facilitating program review and the OIE
has issued guidelines for conducting program reviews, a mechanism for evenly instilling
a culture of assessment in all quarters of the University remains absent. The ASLC
will serve as the body responsible for this diffusion. Moreover, the ASLC will offer
programs undergoing self-study with recommendations for strengthening the quality
of their program review efforts.
The founding members are constituted of faculty and co-curricular professionals
who were appointed to the ASLC by the Office of the Provost in collaboration with
the deans. The appointments were based on the formal role for the assessment of
student learning and program review that each of these members holds in their respective
schools or major department areas. These appointments met the immediate need for
addressing the recommendations by the WASC Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR)
Steering Committee and the WASC site visiting team in preparation for the Educational
Effectiveness Review (EER). The Assistant Provost of Institutional Effectiveness
is an ex officio member of the Council without voting rights.
The following are the founding members:
- Joy Asamen, GSEP (Chair)
- Charla Griffy-Brown, Graziadio
- Michael Shires, SPP
- Constane M. Fulmer, Seaver
- Herb Cihak, School of Law
- Connie Horton, Students Affairs
- Lisa Bortman, OIE
Future ASLC Representation
Faculty, co-curricular professionals, and student engagement in the assessment of
student learning and program review is essential for successfully sustaining the
process. The following standing representation is suggested.
- Seaver College: 1 faculty representative
- GSEP: 1 faculty representative
- Graziadio: 1 faculty representative
- School of Law: 1 faculty representative
- SPP: 1 faculty representative
- Student Affairs: 1 representative
- Student Member: 1 representative
- Assistant Provost of Institutional Effectiveness, ex officio member