mastery-level outcomes for upper-division students. In 2011-12, the information literacy program reached 1,392 students enrolled in 89 courses. These students received direct instruction in effective uses of information and library research skills. All students receive instruction in research methods and information resources in Writing 102 (the second semester of UW-Superior’s two-semester first-year writing sequence), which centers on research-based argumentative writing. Instruction in research methods is also integrated in academic programs. Examples include the social science methods course in the undergraduate Psychology major; the research and production course in the Communicating Arts major; and the research in biology course offered by the Natural Sciences Department, placing students in collaborative research projects at labs both within and outside the university. All graduate programs, with the exception of the master’s degree in Visual Arts, require coursework in research methods as well as application in a research thesis or project. Students learning at a distance are supported by the designated Distance Learning Librarian, who facilitates access to resources and provides online resources to help these students carry out research. The Jim Dan Hill Library also supports the centers and institutes, and the broader grant needs of the community, through membership in the Foundation Center. Advisement UW-Superior has long had in place a faculty-based academic advisement model that fosters close relationships between the student and the faculty advisor. Within this model, advisement has traditionally focused on the academic major and course registration. In light of its Public Liberal Arts Mission, UW-Superior is working to use a more holistic approach to academic and professional development. The campus is also working to improve advisement for incoming first-year and transfer students in particular. The Center for Academic Advising is working with faculty to develop and implement professional development for advisors as well as a plan to evaluate and assess advising with a focus on continuous improvement and focus on student retention. Holistic Advisement In spring 2009, the UW-Superior Faculty Senate adopted a set of seven student learning outcomes for the undergraduate advisement program. Based upon the professional standards of the National Academic Advisement Association (NACADA), these student learning outcomes reflect a holistic understanding of the advisement process. In fall 2009, UW-Superior began assessing its advisement program on the basis of these outcomes. On the basis of this assessment, the campus is making ongoing changes and improvements in its advisement program to better achieve the program’s stated objectives. Some of the new initiatives being
assessment processes and results and contribute to the successful accreditation visit in spring 2013. Institutional Assessment: Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy Team To assist with assessment planning and implementation, the University applied and was accepted into the Higher Learning Commission’s Assessment Academy in 2010 and is currently completing the project proposal. Assessment of student learning is a fundamental responsibility of the faculty and the university and will be a major focus of UW-Superior's reaccreditation process. The HLC Assessment Academy offers HLC member institutions a four-year sequence of events and interactions that focus on understanding, confirming, and improving student learning. The Academy experience is intended to develop institutional culture and increase institutional commitment to assessing and improving student learning. The UW-Superior HLC Assessment Academy Team is responsible for developing and proposing an assessment project within the timeframe of our accreditation expectations. The Team has developed a four-year project timeline in accordance with the Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy expectations. The project involves the assessment of the five Liberal Education Learning Goals (LELGs) adopted by Faculty Senate in spring 2009. These Liberal Education Learning Goals articulate what all UW-Superior students are expected to achieve by the time of graduation. They are: The ability to and make connections across academic disciplines. The ability to express oneself in multiple forms. The ability to analyze and reflect upon multiple perspectives to arrive at a perspective of one's own. The ability to and engage as a global citizen. The ability to engage in evidence-based problem solving. These five LELGs are being implemented in all units across the campus. The Team is developing a campus-wide means for assessing each of the five LELGs within the four-year project window. The first year was spent developing the first assessment step. This was started fall 2011 and focused on LELG Number 2. The rubric and assessment plan for LELG Number 5 was developed during summer and fall 2012 for roll-out in spring 2013. The Team is currently working on the LELG Number 4 assessment plan. By the fourth year of the project (2013-2014), all five LELGs will have institutionalized means of assessment in place. At that time any needed changes in the implementation of assessment will be made. Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) The VSA communicates information on the undergraduate student experience through a common web reporting template, the College Portrait. It is designed to help institutions