Administrative Unit Assessment

Since NC State’s last reaffirmation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in 2014, the 2018 edition of the SACSCOC’s Principles of Accreditation: Foundation for Quality Enhancement became effective, with three separate principles that focus on administrative and academic/student support assessment: 7.3 Administrative Effectiveness; 8.2.c Student Outcomes: Academic and Student Services; and 12.1 Academic and Student Support Services.

The university is expected to provide evidence of administrative and academic/student support assessment, with it being best practice to provide at least three consecutive years of assessment data. Centralized processes for academic and student support assessment are well established on campus. The Office of Assessment and Accreditation has recently developed a systematic, consistent and centralized way to succinctly collect assessment data from administrative units.

Administrative Assessment Process

Create a Plan

Each unit will create an assessment plan specific to that unit. The assessment plan will list the outcomes (goals) of the unit and also when and how each outcome will be assessed. Units should assess at least one outcome per year, and assess all of their outcomes within 3-5 years.

Annual Assessment Reports

Assessment reports will be submitted annually at the end of the fiscal year to dovetail with annual reporting processes. The assessment report template is designed with feedback from NC State faculty and staff, and allows for units to easily share information on outcomes/goal information from annual reports (as applicable). Please follow this link to submit your report.

Workflow and Timeline

Using a process facilitated by the Office of Assessment and Accreditation in Google suite, each division/administrative unit area will create a report describing findings from the outcome assessed and actions taken for improvement. Reports will be submitted using the following workflow:

• The unit head submits an assessment report to the division head (or designee). 
• The division head reviews the assessment report(s) from their unit(s) and approves or returns for edits (if needed). 
• The division head (or designee) drafts a division-level summary report, responding to questions about the assessment process and how assessment findings are used for improvement. 
• This summary report is submitted to the Office of Assessment and Accreditation.
• The Office of Assessment and Accreditation archives assessment reports and summary reports, and submits an annual university summary to the Provost and other appropriate institutional leaders.Assessment reports that require revision are returned to the unit for edits, changes or additions, as needed.

Administrative Assessment Report Template

We have provided a template for administrative assessment reports, which are comprised of five sections:

• Section I – Unit Mission, Objectives and Outcomes: This section includes a comprehensive list of the unit-level mission, objectives and outcomes, along with the year(s) each will be/have been assessed.
• Section II – Annual Assessment Results for 2020-2021: This section provides an overview of the two (or more) outcomes that were assessed during 2020-2021. For each outcome reported on it includes the assessment data/evidence collected, an analysis and summary of the results, how results were reported and actions taken based on the results.
• Section III – Assessment Plan for 2021-2022: The section provides an overview of a unit’s plans for how the outcomes scheduled to be assessed in the next year will be measured and analyzed.
• Section IV – Summary Report (Unit Head): This section is to be completed by the unit head.
• Section V – Summary Report (Senior Leadership): The section is to be completed by the senior leadership the unit reports to.

Support and Resources

The Office of Assessment and Accreditation provides guidance and workshops on the assessment process.

Individual consultations

A staff member from OAA will meet with your unit to support any aspect of the process from writing outcomes and creating an assessment plan to writing and submitting the report. Contact OAA (assessment-and-accreditation@ncsu.edu) for more information.

Workshops

Virtual workshops are offered on topics including Assessment 101, Writing and Revising Outcomes, and Assessment Report Writing. Learn more and register for upcoming sessions on the assessment resources page.

Resource Documents

The following documents are designed to help you navigate the administrative assessment process.

Administrative Unit Assessment Handout
Administrative Assessment Report Template
Example Administrative Assessment Outcomes

Contact Us

Office of Assessment and Accreditation (assessment-and-accreditation@ncsu.edu).