Progress Report
Overview of Annual Academic Program Improvement Progress Report
RIT’s annual Academic Program Progress Report is an opportunity for department chairs and program directors to share assessment findings with the campus community. The overarching goals for the report are to:
- Highlight student learning outcomes achievement in RIT’s academic programs
- Determine how data are used to guide improvements in curriculum, pedagogy, and practices
- Determine how to better support program level assessment practices across the university
RIT’s annual Academic Program Progress Report launches in September and is due in November. The Office of Educational Effectiveness Assessment provides consultation and support to help programs complete the annual Progress Report. Progress Report submissions are reviewed by the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee and results are shared with the campus community in the spring. Academic Program Progress Report results are used to determine how well RIT achieves two university student learning outcomes goals:
- The percentage of programs meeting or exceeding expected levels of student performance
- The percentage of programs using assessment results to guide continuous program improvement
Progress Report Samples:
Progress Report Results
Annual Progress Report results are also used to determine how well RIT achieves its two university student learning outcomes goals:
- The percentage of programs meeting or exceeding expected levels of student performance
- The percentage of programs using assessment results to guide continuous program improvement
Result: 100%
Goal: 90%
Student Achievement Benchmarks:
Student achievement benchmarks, established by each program, provide detailed descriptions of an expected level of student performance and determine if the selected student learning outcome was met based on assessment results. RIT exceeded the 90% goal.
Result: 98%
Goal: 100%
Data-Driven Continuous Improvement:
RIT's Academic Program Assessment Continuous Improvement Rubric is used to rate each program's Progress Report. Programs receiving rubric ratings of Evidence (2), Clear Evidence (3), or Advanced (4) demonstrate the use of assessment results to guide decisions to improve student learning and programs. RIT did not meet the 100% goal.
Achievement of both student learning outcome goals are shared and integrated into two university-wide processes, the provost’s Academic Quality Dashboard (AQD), used to track and report on key university performance indicators, and the Annual Program Analysis and Review (APAR) Dashboard used to review and improve academic program performance. The Office of EEA maintains a dashboard with college level results and trends.
See the Academic Program Improvement Progress Report dashboard
| % of Academic Programs that Met/Exceeded Student Achievement Benchmarks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Years | % Met/Exceeded Benchmark | Goal |
| 2022.23 | 100% | 90% |
| 2021.22 | 99% | 90% |
| 2020.21 | 99% | 90% |
| 2019.20 | 100% | 90% |
| 2018.19 | 96% | 90% |
| 2017.18 | 96% | 90% |
| % of Academic Programs Practicing Data-Driven Continuous Improvement | ||
|---|---|---|
| Years | % Practicing Continuous Improvement | Goal |
| 2022.23 | 98% | 100% |
| 2021.22 | 96% | 100% |
| 2020.21 | 91% | 100% |
| 2019.20 | 93% | 100% |
| 2018.19 | 90% | 100% |
| 2017.18 | 85% | 100% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
Assessment results collected in the prior academic year. Progress Report 15 is based on AY 2023-2024.
Program Level Outcomes Assessment Plan (PLOAP) and Progress Report submissions are stored in the Progress Report 15 Google Drive, organized by program folders. You can also access your program workspace in Taskstream by Watermark. Program Assessment Plans are accessible on the main page. Progress Report submissions from prior year(s) are found in the Progress Report Archive in the Taskstream workspace.
What to Include in the Progress Report
We recommend that you assess at least two learning outcomes annually, however, for the Progress Report you will share assessment results from one program-level student learning outcome.
When choosing an outcome, programs are encouraged to review areas where changes to curriculum or instruction led to improved student learning. Focusing on assessment results when a benchmark was not met can be meaningful as this provides programs an opportunity to identify gaps in student learning and implement improvements.
No, programs should NOT include supplemental materials such as accreditation reports, tests, or assignments.
Programs should include a summary of assessment results and a description of how the program scored the assessment such as the rubric name or assignment description.
Progress Report Scoring
Progress Report submissions are reviewed by the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee (SLOAC). Each college has a SLOAC representative, who will review and score Progress Reports for each academic program using the Academic Program Assessment Continuous Improvement Rubric. The committee compares scores across colleges and programs to determine each program’s success in providing evidence of continuous improvement.
Why Complete a Progress Report
Results from the Progress Report provide RIT with a clear and comprehensive understanding of how academic degree programs are using assessment data to improve student learning. Data from the Progress Report is used as evidence of meeting RIT’s strategic goals, including the percentage of programs that meet/exceed designated student achievement benchmarks and the percentage of programs that use student learning outcomes assessment data for continuous improvement.
Progress Report results are used for:
- Annual Program Analysis and Review (APAR)
- Provost’s Academic Quality Dashboard (AQD)
- Program or College Accreditation Reviews
- EEA Progress Report Executive Summary
- MSCHE standards evidence, RIT Board of Trustees, advisory boards, and other stakeholders as needed
Getting Help
Leah Bradley, Director of EEA, lmbdfp@rit.edu
Kate Scahill, Assistant Director of EEA, kscdfp@rit.edu