Planning and Institutional Improvement colleagues provide leadership for assessment and improvement across the Indiana University Indianapolis campus, the United States, and globally through our presentations, publications, and international conferences. Across the Indiana University Indianapolis campus, we coordinate the Program Review and Assessment Committee (PRAC), program reviews, and assessment grants, along with providing support for campus accreditation activities.
Program Review and Assessment Committee (PRAC)
Program Reviews
Assessment Grants
Support for Accreditation Activities
Campus Assessment Resources
Program Review and Assessment Committee
The Program Review and Assessment Committee (PRAC) is composed of representatives from a broad range of academic and support units. The committee provides guidance for student outcomes assessment throughout the institution. It also provides a forum for the exchange of program review and assessment information and strategies among graduate and undergraduate programs and administrative units. This committee funds small grants that promise innovative approaches or improved practice in assessment. It also has the responsibility for preparing campus assessment plans and reports that may be required by the Higher Learning Commission. The activities of the committee are sponsored and supported by staff in the Office of Planning and Institutional Improvement (PAII).
Membership
- PRAC Membership 2023-2024 (by name)
- PRAC Membership 2023-2024 (by school)
PRAC Subcommittees and Groups
- Grant Review Subcomittee
- PRAC Reporting and Recognition Subcomittee
- The Record Subcommittee
- Special Interest Groups
Meeting Schedule & Minutes
PRAC School Assessment Reports
Each Indiana University Indianapolis school and related educational unit reports annually to the Program Review and Assessment Committee to summarize its assessment of student learning during the previous academic year. Over time, each unit's PRAC reports should reflect sustained attention to:
- Student learning outcomes for each academic program--associate through PhD.
- Assessment methods for each student learning outcome.
- Assessment findings.
- Use of findings for continuous improvement in instruction, curriculum, and/or student support services such as advising.
Assessment Reports (2011-2023)
PRAC Report Guidelines (Revised March 20, 2024)
Archived Resources for PRAC School Assessment Reports
- Planning Matrix for Assessment - Academic and administrative units may use this matrix to construct a basic assessment plan or as an outline for their annual PRAC Assessment Reports.
- Tip Sheet for PRAC Report Writers - Important Considerations for Writing Annual PRAC/Assessment Reports (especially if you’re new to this task and/or haven’t been involved in campus-wide discussions of assessment)
- Reviewer Sheet for PRAC Report Review - Each year a subcommittee of PRAC members reviews reports to provide feedback to authors regarding strengths and areas for clarification or improvement, using a rubric grounded in the PRAC Report Guidelines. We advise PRAC report authors to use this as a checklist of issues to address in the report.
- Glossary of Assessment Terms - The Advanced Practices Subcommittee of PRAC has provided a glossary to clarify assessment terminology and offer a common language for discussion.
- Direct and Indirect Measures of Student Learning
Program Reviews
Program Review at Indiana University Indianapolis is a collaborative process designed to bring to bear the judgment of respected colleagues in assessing and improving the quality of academic units, student affairs and co-curricular units, and research centers and institutes. The Program Review process involves multiple stakeholders, including students, faculty, community members, school and campus administrators, and external specialists in the field or discipline.
Examples of Department Self Study
- Center for Enhancing Quality of Life in Chronic Illness (CEQL) - May 14, 2021
- Communication Studies - March 8-9, 2021
- Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) - April 19-20, 2021
- English - February 22-23, 2021
- Tourism, Event, and Sport Management (TESM) - April 22-23, 2021
Resources
- Academic Program Review Self-Study Elements
- Center and Institute Program Review Self-Study Elements
- Student Affairs and Cocurricular Programs and Services Program Review Self-Study Elements
- Departments Reviewed and Team Members
- Indiana University Indianapolis Program Review Considerations in Selecting a Review Team
- Indiana University Indianapolis Program Review Schedule Examples
- Indiana University Indianapolis Program Review Timeline
Assessment Grants
PRAC sponsors and funds grants for initiatives that promise innovative approaches or improved practice in assessment and/or program review.
- Assessment Grant Guidelines
- Assessment Grant Proposals and Reports
- PRAC Grant Proposal Rubric - This Rubric is used by the selection committee members to evaluate proposals.
Support for Accreditation Activities
Indiana University Indianapolis is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle St., Suite 7-500 Chicago, IL 60604. Phone: 1-800-621-7440.
- Statement of Accreditation Status for Higher Learning Commission (2022)
- Assurance Argument for Higher Learning Commission (2022)
Indiana University Indianapolis seeks and maintains appropriate program accreditation from specialized accrediting agencies through an ongoing process where faculty carefully consider the benefits of accreditation to students, faculty, the program, and the institution.
Many programs, and entire schools, in some cases, participate in professional accrediting or standards bodies that require periodic self-examination and peer review to maintain accredited status. Please click here for a list of Indiana University Indianapolis Accredited Programs by School.
Campus Assessment Resources
The Campus Assessment Resources was created to provide a central location for identifying, inventorying, and linking to the plentiful assessment resources at Indiana University Indianapolis and elsewhere. Indiana University Indianapolis’s culture of assessment and improvement relies on both central and distributed leadership, where responsibility for this work is jointly shared and undertaken by colleagues in various settings across campus.