OUS Newsletter 2005-2006

Contents

University-wide Assessment Update
OASIS Activities for February 2006
UCARE Deadline - February 10

Special Announcement

University-wide Assessment Update

To extend the progress UNL has made in programmatic assessment of student learning outcomes we need to further integrate assessment evidence into decision making and planning. This integration is critical because assessment is more likely to lead to improvement of learning when it is a part of a larger set of conditions that promote change. A mechanism for accomplishing this is currently being piloted in the Colleges of Education and Human Sciences and Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. That mechanism is PEARL (Program Excellence through Assessment, Research, and Learning).

PEARL is an on-line reporting system developed at Colorado State University that provides a better mechanism for the sharing and discussion of assessment evidence and practices. To this point, UNL has not had a formal infrastructure for faculty to share and discuss assessment within and across units. For this pilot, academic programs in the two colleges specify annually a plan for assessing student learning then receive support for their plans through feedback by peer faculty reviewers. Once plans are implemented, programs will follow up by sharing results and their reflections with the same peer group.

The pilot will continue through 2006-07. Although conclusions are still preliminary, PEARL has the potential to improve the process of assessment and its use because it allows assessment to be a more active, ongoing and widely shared activity among faculty and provides documentation that is retrievable for decision making and planning.

For additional information about the PEARL pilot project - please contact University-Wide Assessment Coordinator, Jessica Jonson, at jjonson2@unl.edu .

Announcements & Events

OASIS Activities for February 2006

• February 2 - 4 Keys to Graduation: Jennifer Nelson, 6:00 p.m., Culture Center
• February 7 - Movie Night: 3 Girls I Know, 6:30 p.m., Culture Center
• February 9 - Women's Center Relationship Workshop, 6:00 p.m., Culture Center
• February 15 - Movie Night, 6:30 p.m., Culture Center
• February 16 - Overcoming Academic Obstacles: Colleen Jones, 6:00 p.m., Culture Center
• February 23 - African American Heritage Month Celebration: Taste of Harlem, 6:00 p.m., NE Union Centennial Ballroom

Contact the Office of Academic Support and Intercultural Services (OASIS) for more information.

UCARE Deadline - February 10, 2006

Applications for UCARE 2006-07 are due on Friday, February 10, 2006. Applications are available on the UCARE website. Faculty are invited to post UCARE opportunities (a brief description plus contact information) on the website. For more information or to post an opportunity please contact Laura Damuth, Ldamuth1@unl.edu .

Dr. Rita Kean, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Textiles, Clothing and Design
Jamar Banks, Director of OASIS
Dr. Patrice Berger, Director of NU Honors Program and Professor of History
Dr. Laura Damuth, Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Advisor
Dr. Donald Gregory, Director of General Studies and Associate Professor of English
Gail Hackwith, Administrative Assistant
Dr. Jessica Jonson, University-wide Assessment Coordinator
Jennifer Lantz, Staff Assistant
JoAnn Moseman, Academic Transfer Coordinator
Dr. Debra Mullen, Academic Learning Communities Coordinator