Assessment and Accreditation

Matters pertaining to assessment and accreditation at Whitman College fall under the responsibilities of the Assistant Dean of the Faculty, Michelle Janning (janninmy@whitman.edu). The College’s Assessment Committee, chaired by the Assistant Dean, consists of one faculty member from each of the three academic divisions (John Cotts, Division I; Scott Elliott, Divison II; Mark Juhasz, Division III), as well as the Director of Institutional Research (Neal Christopherson), the Director of Academic Resources (Juli Dunn), and the Director of Instructional and Learning Technology (David Sprunger).

Assessment of the Academic Program

In order to document and maintain the high quality of teaching and learning at Whitman College, and to seek ways to improve, assessment processes are woven throughout elements of the academic program.  Specifically, the Provost and Dean of the Faculty Office New Faculty Orientation programming includes, among other things, instruction on how to create clear learning goals at the course level.  Course revisions and proposals, which undergo a rigorous vetting process with the Curriculum Committee and faculty approval, include rationales for how courses meet curricular goals at the department or program level, and for how they meet student learning goals in the larger academic program.  , The Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty administers internal grants for innovation in student learning and faculty development, all of which require clear goals, assessment mechanisms, and reporting about impact on the academic program of the College.  Administrative offices that report to the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty participate in an annual review process that outlines their goals, strategies for improvement, and future plans to meet goals. The Provost and Dean of the Faculty Office works closely with the Office of Fellowships and Grants in order to ensure that effective assessment mechanisms are included in external grant pursuits.  The Office of Institutional Research, which reports to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, facilitates much data collection, analysis, and reporting for decision-making processes about the academic program, including a five-year Mellon-funded panel study on student learning at the College (2012-2017).  Academic departments and programs submit annual assessment reports that include articulation of major-specific and student-centered learning goals, direct and indirect measures of student learning, and future plans to address desired improvement in student learning that the departments or programs may find to be important (note: this process is currently under revision). These goals and plans may relate to the Senior Assessment in the Major, or they may relate to other portions of the course sequence within majors. The Provost and Dean of the Faculty Office sponsors faculty development, through various means such as Center for Teaching and Learning programs, workshops, or conference funding on topics such as: program goal development, senior assessment in the major innovation and assessment, teaching excellence (including assessment of student learning), collaboration and assessment across colleges in the Northwest Five Consortium, and ways to bridge curricular pursuits across majors and minors. In addition, academic departments, programs, and administrative offices that report to the Provost and Dean of Faculty office participate in a decennial cycle of external reviews, which consist of in-depth self-studies and alumni surveys, among other things, in order to get objective assessments of the quality of undergraduate education, as well as to seek best practices that may help the College improve its academic program.  

Student participation in assessment at the College is important and multi-faceted. It is successful student learning that most clearly demonstrates that the academic mission of the College is being fulfilled. The College documents direct and indirect measures of student learning and related experiences, including, but not limited to: department and program-level assessment of major-specific learning goals, graduation and retention rates, and co-curricular involvement rates, as well as surveys that ask students to reflect on their overall collegiate learning experience (e.g., the National Survey of Student Engagement, the HEDS Senior Survey, the CIRP College Senior Survey, and the Research Practices Survey).

Department and program assessment materials can be found on the Provost and Dean of the Faculty CLEo site; information about student surveys can be found on the Office of Institutional Research website.

Faculty and Staff members who need assistance with survey construction or other assessment materials may contact the Assistant Dean of the Faculty (janninmy@whitman.edu) or the Director of Institutional Research (christnj@whitman.edu) for consultation.

Accreditation

Whitman College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.  Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality evaluated through a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation. Accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution. Inquiries regarding an institution’s accredited status by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals may also contact:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
8060 165th Avenue N.E., Suite 100
Redmond, WA 98052
(425) 558-4224
www.nwccu.org

Information about the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities' accreditation standards and procedures can be found on the Commission's web site. The Standards can be found here on their website.

Whitman College’s Assessment Committee meets regularly to work on documents and tasks associated with accreditation that is required by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.  The Year One Report was submitted to the NWCCU in September 2011. In this document, the College identifies its mission and core themes as an institution. To this end, the Assessment Committee has gathered ideas for the core themes from College documents (e.g., Strategic Plan, the Mission Statement, the College’s Trustee Statement on Diversity), as well as met with various campus constituencies to receive feedback during the Year One Report drafting process in 2010-2011. The College will submit its Year Three Report in Fall 2013. Past accreditation reports, as well as information about the accreditation cycle, are linked below. 

Questions about Whitman’s accreditation process in the NWCCU may be addressed to the College’s Accreditation Liaison Officer, Michelle Janning (janninmy@whitman.edu).

Accreditation Links and Documents: