University of Nebraska Kearney

During the fall semester of 2003 the faculty of the department considered the following points:

• Are the desired outcomes for the graduates of our department relevant and defensible? The faculty of the department believes the answer to the above question is yes.
   
• Does the current means of assessing actually assess the department's desired outcomes for graduates and provide information that allows for the continuous improvement of our program? Given that the process allows for assessment to occur at both the course level and at the end of the program (internships) the faculty believe that data collected will allow for improvement of the program.
   
• Is the scope and focus of our assessment process reasonable? The faculty believes that while the process is time consuming it is reliable. We have been required to do this assessment for a number of years in order to maintain accreditation. Analysis of our assessments over the past six years has prompted us to review and update our curriculum and clinical experiences. Assessment results since the changes were made indicate that we are on target.
   
• Do we need to discontinue or add any assessment activities? We will certainly examine our assessment activities in light of the new professional certification standards that go into effect in 2005. The new standards will require us to document student outcomes in a very specific manner and some of these may be redundant.