Using Quality Benchmarks for Assessing and Developing Undergraduate Programs

THE AUTHORS DANA S. DUNN is a professor of psychology and director of the Learning in Common Curriculum at Moravian College. The author or editor of numerous books, he serves on the editorial boards of several journals. MAUREEN A. McCARTHY is a professor of psychology at Kennesaw State University. She previously served as the associate executive director for the Office of Precollege and Undergraduate Programs at the American Psychological Association. SUZANNE C. BAKER is a professor of psychology at James Madison University, where she also serves as assistant department head in psychology. She has authored several book chapters and articles on teaching. JANE S. HALONEN is professor of psychology and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of West Florida. She is the author of Your Guide to College Success.

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• Foreword ixPeggy MakiPreface xiAbout the Authors xvii1 The Need for Quality Benchmarks in Undergraduate Programs 1Part One: Benchmarking For Eight Key Program Domains 232 The View from the Top: Checking the Climate and the Leadership of a Program 253 First Things First: Attending to Assessment Issues, Accountability, and Accreditation 46with George B. Ellenberg, Claudia J. Stanny, Eman El-Sheikh4 The New Architecture of Learning Design: Focusing on Student Learning Outcomes 715 Evaluating Curricula 926 Student Development: Solving the Great Puzzle 1207 Constructively Evaluating Faculty Characteristics 1488 Back to Basics: Program Resources 1839 The Art, Science, and Craft of Administrative Support 208Part Two: Benchmarking In Practice 23110 Benchmarking Quality in Challenging Contexts: The Arts, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Programs 233Jane S. Halonen with Gregory W. Lanier11 Special Issues in Benchmarking in the Natural Sciences 25712 Conducting a Self-Study 27213 Serving Our Students and Our Institutions 296Appendix A Using Benchmarking to Serve as an External Reviewer 307Appendix B Sources of Data 318Appendix C Assessment Materials for the Arts 322Appendix D Disciplinary Accrediting Organizations for Bachelor’s Degree Programs Currently Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation 331References 334Index 357