Samford University has long fostered a culture of assessment. The history of
assessment at the university is documented in
The Story of Assessment at Samford University and
Betterment the Samford Way. In the spirit of the
continual quality improvement paradigm that has guided the university, a new
phase of coordinated assessment processes have been undertaken in 2006-07. This
effort corresponds to the arrival of a new President and subsequent
implementation of a
new strategic planning process. Dr.
Westmoreland, when assuming the presidency, included a new strategic planning
process and a revised assessment process in his list of major first-year
initiatives. The reformulation of the Office of Institutional Research into the
Office of
Institutional Effectiveness and the creation of a Director of Assessment
position in the Division of Academic Affairs were the first steps in providing a
structure to ensure coordinated, consistent, and constructive assessment.
SU Pharmacy Students returning from Davis Library
There are 5 guiding principles to this new assessment process:
-
The process must accommodate the unique mission of each unit or division while
supporting the overall university mission
- Complexity does not equal quality and the process must be manageable and
adaptable
- The process should integrate the current assessment processes as not to
duplicate efforts
- The assessment process should have a clear timeline and provide a consistent
format
- There should be a structure built into the organization to coordinate the
process
SAMFORD MODEL OF ASSESSMENT
The new Model of Assessment includes five assessment areas that span the
university. This model includes already existing processes along with newly
created ones. The chart below elaborates on each of the five areas.
