Assessment reporting at IUP is primarily done through Nuventive IMPROVE, a planning and outcomes assessment software that is used by universities around the country to meet accreditation standards.
This web-based relational database allows IUP faculty and staff to enter strategic plans or learning outcome goals, then track specific indicators and results over time to assess where potential changes would have the most impact. Reports can easily be customized for individual programs or for entire colleges, depending on assessment needs.
Data entry for program-level student learning outcomes and Liberal Studies course-based student-learning outcomes will initially be done by Karen Rose Cercone, the coordinator of IMPROVE assessment and reporting for Academic Affairs. Program-level student learning outcomes (along with indicators and a proposed timeline of assessment) are currently being transcribed into the database to create an initial assessment plan for all academic programs. Beginning in the 2018-19 academic year, the IMPROVE database will then send out automated e-mails to the assessment point person(s) requesting assessment results in the form of PDF or Excel data files. These will be uploaded and archived for future use in the university accreditation and academic program review process.
Any program that wishes to input assessment results directly into IMPROVE and/or use it to track their strategic actions for review or specific program accreditation purposes can apply for user-level access to IMPROVE by contacting Cercone at kcercone@iup.edu. One-on-one training in the use of IMPROVE or individual consulting on the development of assessment plans can be provided as well.
For more detailed information on the assessment and reporting features of IMPROVE, you can also visit the company's website.