View source for RCampus Program Review, Assessment & Planning Overview

RCampus supports assessment across all levels of an institution. The word "assessment" means different things depending on context — it can refer to evaluating individual student work, reviewing course effectiveness, or examining whether entire programs and units are meeting their goals. This documentation covers the last of these: '''program and unit assessment''' — the systematic planning, review, and improvement of academic programs and administrative units as a whole.

For documentation on student and course-level assessment using rubrics, see [[IRubric|iRubric]].

For a broader discussion of how the word "assessment" is used in higher education, see [https://info.rcampus.com/the-different-meanings-of-assessment/ The Different Meanings of Assessment].

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== What Is RCampus Program Review, Assessment & Planning? ==

RCampus Program Review, Assessment & Planning is a comprehensive system for managing institutional assessment across academic programs and administrative units. It supports the full assessment cycle — from defining goals and outcomes, to collecting evidence and results, to reviewing findings and documenting improvements — within a single, integrated environment.

The system is built around three connected activities:

* '''Planning''' — Programs and units define their mission, goals, outcomes or objectives, and the methods they will use to measure success.
* '''Assessment''' — Evidence is collected, submitted, and evaluated. [[IRubric|iRubric]] rubrics can be applied to evaluate any element of a submitted plan.
* '''Review''' — Results and performance data are analyzed, improvements are identified and documented, and the cycle begins again.

Together these activities form a '''closed loop of continuous improvement''' — the foundation of effective accreditation practice and institutional effectiveness.

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== Two Tracks ==

The system supports two parallel types of assessment:

* '''Academic Programs''' — Used by colleges, departments, and degree programs to assess student learning outcomes and meet regional and programmatic accreditation requirements.
* '''Administrative Units''' — Used by non-academic offices and departments to assess operational objectives and unit effectiveness.

Institutions can configure separate templates for each track, ensuring that each type of program or unit is assessed in a way that fits its specific needs.

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== How the System Works ==

At the center of the system is the '''[[Planning_Matrix_Template|Planning Matrix]]''' — a structured table that organizes and delivers assessment activity across the institution. Assessment coordinators deploy a Planning Matrix for each assessment cycle, assigning programs, contributors, and reviewers to it. Each program receives access to the matrix to complete and submit their assessment plan. The matrix controls permissions, manages the assessment workflow, tracks submission progress, and houses the rubrics used to evaluate submitted plans.

The '''Plan Navigator''' gives assessment coordinators a comprehensive, hierarchical view of all assessment plans across the institution — organized from the institutional level down through schools, departments, and individual programs. It serves as a central repository where any plan from any cycle can be found and reviewed.

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== Who Uses the System ==

; Assessment coordinators
: Deploy and configure the Planning Matrix for each cycle, assign programs, contributors, and reviewers, manage permissions, and oversee submission progress. They use the Plan Navigator to view and access plans across the institution.

; Program directors, department chairs, and unit administrators
: Access their assigned matrix to complete their assessment plan — entering their mission statement, goals, outcomes or objectives, results, and supporting data and evidence — and submit it for review.

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== Assessment Cycles ==

Institutions determine their own assessment schedule. The system accommodates any frequency — annual, biennial, or otherwise — with each cycle managed through its own Planning Matrix deployment.

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== See Also ==

{{Program Review see also}}