Evaluation

Iowa State University generates considerable data and information to support ongoing program evaluation and assessment processes. The primary purpose of this formal and regular institutional data and information gathering is to provide reliable evidence of institutional effectiveness and to inform sound planning and decision-making. The information also serves to meet state and federal reporting mandates, and accountability obligations to the Board of Regents. The Office of Institutional Research has the primary responsibility for gathering and interpreting data and information.

The Board of Regents develops periodic strategic plans and mandates that the universities it governs develop strategic plans that are consistent with the Board’s overall strategic planning policies. Iowa State has a five-year strategic plan that reflects its land-grant role and mission. Both the Regents’ plan and Iowa State’s own strategic plan call for evaluation and the development of performance indicators by which progress on stated goals and objectives can be assessed. To that end, an annual progress report that includes data on performance indicators is prepared and submitted to the Regents.

Iowa State has had on-going evaluation and assessment processes in place for over a decade. The processes, which involve both self-study and external peer review, provide the mechanism for improving academic programs on a continuous basis. Academic evaluation and assessment are inextricably linked to ongoing strategic planning. The Board of Regents requires an annual report on academic program review as evidence of institutional efforts to improve academic program quality and effectiveness, and as means to meet the Regent’s responsibility for ensuring maximum utilization of resources.

As a Carnegie Doctoral/Research Extensive University, ensuring the quality of graduate programs is an important aspect of Iowa State’s mission. Assessment of research/doctoral programs by credible groups, such as the National Research Council (NRC), provides valuable feedback for quality improvement. Several Iowa State graduate programs were ranked high in the 1993 NRC study, and the next NRC study, now scheduled to start in the summer of 2006, will have expanded coverage that will highlight some of ISU’s best programs in agricultural and engineering sciences.

Accreditation signifies meeting or exceeding stated criteria of educational quality. In addition, accreditation standards and periodic external reviews provide the formal structure and process for stimulating improvement in the quality of academic programs. Iowa State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and is currently under review for re-accreditation in 2006. Many academic programs are also accredited by their relevant accrediting bodies.

A more detailed description of each of the above-mentioned components of evaluation follows.