The University will undertake an effort this year to formulate curricular and cocurricular learning objectives based on a framework of campuswide learning goals crafted by the Committee on Assessment of Student Learning to meet the accreditation guidelines of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, University Provost Marty Krauss said.This year, the administration will continue its discussions with the various community members it consulted in drafting the learning goals about how to tailor the goals to specific academic departments or other University departments such as Athletics or the Hiatt Career Center, Krauss said. Eventually, program-specific goals could go in the University Bulletin so that students can have a better idea of what they would learn from a major, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Michaele Whelan said. Krauss noted that the languages and the sciences already engage in assessment.

As part of the University's reaccreditation by the NEASC in 2007, representatives from NEASC visited Brandeis at the end of 2006. They compiled a report in spring 2007 on the University based on their visit and a self-study completed by the University administration. The NEASC report noted that "Brandeis does not have a systematic, broad-based and integrated approach to assessment of student learning."

Among the many standards the association requires is that the institution "develops the systematic means to understand how and what students are learning and to use the evidence obtained to improve the academic program." NEASC requires that Brandeis submit a fifth-year interim report in 2011 before a comprehensive re-evaluation in 2016.

In its self-evaluation, Brandeis reported that student learning assessment already occurs through interactions between teachers and students during grading and exams as well as when faculty members respond to student concerns. The University report also noted a required course sequence in the pursuit of some majors and stated that the consultations among faculty in smaller departments can function as a form of assessment, with course evaluations and the senior survey also playing a role. The self-study concluded that "assessment of student learning at Brandeis is uneven and incomplete."

Krauss formed the Committee on Assessment of Student Learning in the spring of 2007, which consisted of University faculty and staff. Krauss said that the committee consulted with many organizations, including the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Committee for Support of Teaching, department chairs, Academic Services, the Hiatt Career Center, Athletics, senior administrators and as the Board of Trustees, in addition to looking at information from other institutions.

The committee became very interested in discovering "what is it we want our students to learn," committee member Prof. Dan Perlman (BIOL) said.

The final document on the Brandeis Web site published last Monday states that "a Brandeis education combines core skills, knowledge and social justice." The document further breaks down each of those three points with subitems such as communicative, quantitative and critical thinking skills and the ability to engage in research, intellectual flexibility and intellectual creativity.

Because of the upcoming NEASC interim report, the implementation of the new Universitywide learning goals and the assessment of student learning "is not a choice; it's really something that we need to do," Krauss said.

After articulating goals, finding the evidence to assess their fulfillment is often difficult, Krauss said, asking as an example, "What kind of evidence would you use to determine whether or not you become a better critical thinker because of your time at Brandeis?" She said, "You just can't say that a Brandeis education will develop critical thinking skills. ... You have to be able to say how you know that."

Perlman said the effort was about "trying to understand in a systematic way how much of a difference we've made in our students' understanding and skills and knowledge"

Krauss said that plans to familiarize the community with the goals included the distribution of bookmarks and a banner on the Shapiro Campus Center. Whelan added that there would be talks with the Student Union about establishing a student subcommittee of the Committee on Assessment of Student Learning in order to continue to get student input on the assessment effort.

Staff from the Provost's Office also presented the proposals to Roosevelt Fellows last year.

"I thought it was a very interesting idea to make your University experience structured in a certain way," Roosevelt Fellow Nadir Daudi '10 said. "I still think there is a lot of work that can be done with it, because just sort of encompassing students' four-year experiences here on a piece of paper is a little difficult to do.