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The University has informed SCHEV of its decision to substitute our own, "emerging area" of focus for Information Technology Literacy. This emerging area of focus is one of two two learning components to the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) that was submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as part of the University's reaffirmation process. The assessment of undergraduate research begins in 2008-09 with the establishment of some baseline measures of student competence, attitudes, and cognitive development. These baselines will be used over the 10-year implementation period of the QEP to gauge progress and identify aspects of the plan that need improvement.
Some key documents are:
Executive Summary of the SACS Quality Enhancement Plan (pdf)
Assessing the QEP
An Institutional Definition, Goal, and Taxonomy with Learning Outcomes (pdf)
If you are a member of the University Community, a Collab site has been established to manage the ongoing assessment of undergraduate research. The name of the Collab site is "Undergrad Research." Additional details about the assessment of undergraduate research can be found on the Collab site.
From the University's Quality Enhancement Plan1:
As inquiring scholars, students start by asking a question. They learn to frame the question and to identify appropriate methods for finding an answer. Depending on the subject area, these methods might begin with reading books and journal articles, followed by data collection—in archives, in the laboratory, in the field, in the library—and analysis of those data. From their findings, the students then must seek to draw logical conclusions. Students engaged in significant creative projects—for example, in art, writing, or music—embark on a similar process of discovery. Once students have found answers to their initial questions, they learn that, as scholars, their next duty is to communicate their findings, making their work public. This requires embracing an openness to criticism and an expectation of debate and discussion. At this point, students’ work may lead to new questions. Thus, through research, students participate in discovery and learn how knowledge is created.
The University seeks to develop in students the capacity to conduct academic research, and the habits of mind of learners who frame and contextualize knowledge within their own reasoned points of view, recognize that knowledge evolves, and actively rethink and question existing assumptions, arguments, methods of inquiry, and facts.
Over the next 10 years, the University will devote significant resources to making research a fundamental part of the undergraduate experience. This site will be used to facilitate the assessment process through:
- carefully defining what we mean by research, both as an institution and within our individual schools and programs,
- delineating specific learning goals and measurable outcomes, and
- designing assessment processes and tools that will provide not only a means to measure the success of the initiative, but also to contribute to that success by providing solid information to guide decision-making and foster continuous improvement.
1University of Virginia Quality Enhancement Plan: "Enhancing Student-Faculty Engagement” Revised July 2007. As part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaffirmation process, the University submitted a Quality Enhancement Plan to be implemented over the next ten years which seeks to enhance undergraduate student-faculty engagement. Two primary learning initiatives will be pursued: making research a fundamental part of the student experience, and incorporating thoughtful public service into the curriculum.
IAS
Reports: UVa Core Competency Assessment |
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