The Process of Outcome Assessment in a School of Allied Health Sciences

This article describes a process of outcome assessment for a school of allied health sciences to assist others who may be involved in a similar endeavor. In the mid-1990s, the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Office of Planning and Institutional Improvement charged each of the schools on its campus with developing a process to determine how and to what degree students were meeting the IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Education; the focus was on student learning. The administration and faculty of the School of Allied Health Sciences decided to expand the assessment from student learning to include assessment of the school's five goal statements, which were part of its mission. After several years of work, faculty in the school developed a plan of assessment including competencies, strategies, measurements, and desired outcomes. In 2001, the outcomes themselves were assessed, and actions were taken; reassessment occurred in 2002.