Graduate program directors and administrators utilize direct and indirect methods to measure program effectiveness. Here we detail a universal methodology designed to collect unbiased direct and indirect program assessment data for students in both master's and doctoral programs strategically using placeholder (zero-credit) courses to assess graduate students' progress toward degree. Within a college of arts and science, graduate students study a wide range of fields and being able to track each student effectively allows for accurate and efficient reporting of data and for data-based decision-making. For example, a zero-credit placeholder course for each program's master's comprehensive exams, college-wide, permits the college to analyze the average time it takes for a student to become eligible for the master's comprehensive exam and pass rates by program, by semester. Faculty may then assess pass rates in conjunction with course offerings. Using a zero-credit placeholder for doctoral students qualifying exams, the program and college can analyze how long it takes a doctoral student to advance to candidacy and determine how long it takes for a student to defend their dissertation after course work completion. We believe this novel methodology provides valuable indirect assessment data to drive curricula review and revision.
Stephanie Poczos
Jaime Marie Burton
Suzanne Weinstein
Conna Bral
Jamie Wigand
Donna Harp Ziegenfuss
Monica Rysavy