University of Wisconsin System Academic and Student Services and

Office of Professional and Instructional Development

Announce three regional workshops on

Assessing and Enhancing Student Learning in the Department or Program: Feasible, Practical, and Simple Strategies

Led by Barbara E. Walvoord

Workshop participants will be able to:

· Identify the assessment measures they are already taking, including those embedded in grading processes;

· Envision how they might make their assessment processes more simple, effective, and efficient; and

· Outline a departmental assessment report that meets the needs of internal and external audiences, including accreditors.

To facilitate this hands-on work, we will discuss:

· How can the grading process be effective for program assessment?

· What is the most basic, no-frills assessment plan?

· What are the strengths and weaknesses of various assessment measures?

· What are the greatest pitfalls of assessment, and how can they be avoided?

· How can assessment processes be described briefly yet effectively for various audiences?

· How can assessment data be used for genuine improvement?

· How can a department effectively address campus-wide general education goals?

Participants are urged to bring any assessment documents or plans they already have, and to bring their laptops if they wish. You will be able to work on your own assessment plan during the workshop and to receive guidance and feedback on it.

Barbara Walvoord is a fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives and concurrent Professor
of English at the University of Notre Dame.  She has been coordinator of Notre Dame’s regional accreditation self-study, founding director of four faculty development programs, consultant to more than 250 institutions, and the author of Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment (Jossey-Bass, 1998).  In addition, Professor Walvoord has presented at OPID’s Faculty College twice and at several UW institutions.  She is held in very high regard by UW faculty and adminis-trators who have worked with her and is incredibly well respected in faculty development nationally.

When registering, you will be asked to choose one of three locations (and dates):

UW-Milwaukee on Friday, February 17, 2006

UW-River Falls on Tuesday, February 28, 2006

UW-Baraboo/Sauk County on Friday, March 10, 2006

The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end by 4:00 p.m. to allow participants to travel there and back in one day.  Lunch and a break will be included.  Each participant will also receive a copy of Barbara Walvoord’s book, Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education (Jossey-Bass, 2004). 

Please contact your Provosts Office for information on registering before December 21, 2005. 

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