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Assessment of Student Learning Grants
Academic Programs and Graduate Studies is excited to introduce Assessment of Student Learning Grants. Three grants totaling $9,000 will be awarded each academic year subject to availability of funds dollars.
About the Grants
The purpose of the Assessment of Student Learning Grants is to recognize program/unit achievement and improvement in learning outcomes assessment. Good assessment practice follows an intentional and iterative process designed to provide actionable evidence about what and how well students are learning.
Three grants are planned each academic year:
- The UCM Exemplary Program Assessment Grant ($3,000) – awarded to the program that demonstrates effective use of the five distinct yet interrelated actions of the program assessment cycle in program assessment in the review period. The assessment plan for this program is a model for other UCM programs to emulate.
- The UCM Advancing Assessment Grant ($2,500) – awarded to the program that demonstrates effective use of portions of the program assessment cycle in the review period and significant improvement compared to program efforts in the prior review cycle. The assessment components are judged to be “best practice” and a model for other UCM programs. Two awards are available in this category.
- The UCM Support Unit Assessment Grant ($1,000) – awarded to the UCM support unit that demonstrates effective use of the five distinct yet interrelated actions of the program assessment cycle in the review period. The assessment components are judged to be “best practice” and a model for other UCM support units.
Programs may use grant funds in any manner consistent with university policy regarding departmental general operations budgets.
Eligibility
All UCM departments and support units are eligible to apply.
Grant Consideration Submission
The FSUAC will review proposals during the summer. The application deadline is May 15th each year.
Fill out and submit the Assessment Grant Consideration Form to assessment@ucmo.edu. Requests must be submitted in the spring semester. Grant award decisions will be announced at the beginning of the fall semester.
What can be funded
Grants must be used to fund activities and/or items allowed by university policy for general operations budgets. Programs are encouraged to consider the following activities/items to further improve assessment work in the unit:
- Course releases or summer salary for faculty
- Student labor costs for activities to support program assessment
- Develop assessment instruments such as a capstone course, test items, etc.
- Incorporate previous assessment findings into curriculum improvements
- Re-assess improvements made in response to prior assessment findings to determine efficacy of changes
- Develop, revise, or refine student learning outcomes in the major
- Integrate/develop an equity lens in program assessment practices
- Fund a department retreat for faculty look at assessment data together and discuss assessment plans
- Support a meeting of faculty to score student work/artifacts together
- Review General Education data
- Stipends for guest speakers/consultants related to learning outcomes assessment
- Purchase nationally normed assessment instruments or supplies directly related to assessment of student learning.
- Purchase of books or other materials that support learning outcomes assessment efforts
- Faculty attending an assessment conference (except for meals and entertainment) sponsored by a professional organization
What cannot be funded
- Course design and/or preparation activities
- Raffle prizes, gift cards, incentives for participants
- Membership fees
- Multi-year proposals. Funds must be spent within the current fiscal year.
Grant criteria
This is a competitive process and funding decisions will be based on the following factors:
- FSUAC scoring of the quality of each element of the program assessment cycle.
- Final narrative program assessment report of actions taken submitted in Nuventive.
- In the event of ties, the FSUAC may recommend more than one award recipient in each category to the Vice Provost for Academic Programs.
