The Educational Effectiveness Plan (EEP), originally implemented in 2018, offers a structure that ensures that departments continually engage in a systematic inquiry into the effectiveness of their efforts to support student success. This assessment process is integral to maintaining high educational standards and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Drawing from the essential elements of student learning assessment, the EEP process focuses on evidence-based inquiry and using results to enhance department/program practices. Inquiry results can be used to inform the full range of departmental planning and reporting requirements, including:
- Annual Planning and Budgeting
- Program Review (Academic Quality Assessment and Development, or AQAD)
- Strategic and Unit Planning
- Disciplinary and NECHE Accreditation
The Educational Effectiveness Process (EEP) is a valuable tool for departments, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and providing a robust framework for enhancing student success. By engaging in regular, systematic inquiry and aligning their efforts with institutional goals, departments can ensure they are delivering high-quality education that meets the needs of their students.
To this end, the EEP requires departments to engage in the following four EEP components on a regular basis. Note: following each component, you can see an example of how it matches AQAD core criteria.
1. Review their student learning objectives (SLOs)
Measurable, achievable, and relevant SLOs provide a useful framework for designing courses, identifying teaching strategies, and organizing curricula. SLOs help in setting clear expectations for student learning and provide a basis for assessing educational effectiveness. (SLO review resources and examples coming soon.)
Programs shall ensure teaching/learning environments that facilitate student success.
To what extent has the Program articulated learning outcomes (content and skills) for students? (Outcomes should be articulated at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and by sub-fields, when relevant.)
2. Review their curriculum mapping
Curriculum mapping draws links between SLOs and the curriculum. It can also serve as a catalyst for discussion about course sequencing, the degree to which the curriculum supports student learning, and the extent to which learning objectives are addressed within the curriculum. This process helps to ensure coherence and alignment within the curriculum, helping to identify gaps and redundancies in instruction. (Curriculum Mapping resources and examples coming soon.)
Programs shall ensure that curriculum is relevant, rigorous, current, and coherent.
Has your department engaged in a curriculum mapping exercise for their EEP work?
3. Engage in direct and indirect assessment of SLOs
Direct and Indirect assessment are the various methods or ways to collect evidence (beyond GPA) to determine that students are achieving departmental SLOs. Direct assessment involves evaluating student work (e.g., exams, projects, essays, portfolios) to measure learning objectives, while indirect assessment gathers perceptions of learning (e.g., surveys, interviews, faculty reflections about student learning). By consistently analyzing evidence of student progress and identifying areas for improvement, departments can make informed decisions that enhance educational outcomes. (Direct and Indirect assessment resources and examples coming soon.)
Programs shall ensure teaching/learning environments that facilitate student success.
By what means are these outcomes measured?
Are they achieved by the majority of students?
4. Identify and implement a department-defined line of inquiry (LOI) into student success
The EEP process includes the expectation that departments will identify, design, and implement their own investigations into their program effectiveness through ongoing inquiry into their students’ learning and experiences in the major. In this process, the department should identify the actions needed to improve or enhance students’ learning and experiences. LOI can include investigating factors that impact learning, experimenting with new teaching methods, or analyzing trends in student performance. (Examples of LOI coming soon.)
Programs shall ensure teaching/learning environments that facilitate student success.
How does the department collect and use evidence to inform and improve the quality of the student experience and student learning? Describe the processes the department deploys to identify lines of inquiry (e.g., EEP lines of inquiry), draw from existing evidence and collect additional evidence, and develop a collective understanding of findings and priorities for improvement
The EEP process has been intentionally designed to be a collaborative inquiry into your students’ learning and experiences. In ASER, we understand assessment as a research process where each department selects its own research questions (lines of inquiry) that will inform improvement to better support your students' success during and after college. ASER staff are available to support departments' EEP work.
EEP Resources
The following updated EEP resources will be available by the end of the fall 2024 semester:
- EEP report template
- EEP report example
- EEP calendar
- EEP Glossary