This site is under development through spring 2024. If you need assistance while the content is updating, please contact assessment@duke.edu.
General process
The new form of the Department Assessment Portfolio is a simple questionnaire. Structured Excel workbooks and access credentials to cloud storage are no longer used. However, the topics of inquiry remain the same.
- Student learning outcomes (between two and four) for their department or program and how they represent the educational mission.
- Measurement: how are they collecting information to evaluate these outcomes
- Interpretation and discussion: How are you making sense of the findings, with whom are they shared?
- Action: How is the department using these insights?
The College requests a report from each of its departments and programs on June 1, representing assessment work from the previous academic year.
For the 2023-24 academic year
Because the College's simplified template is launching so close to the annual June 1 deadline, the template is shortened even further. Click here for the abridged template for reports due June 1, 2024.
A completed DAP can be submitted to the Office of Assessment in one of three ways:
- Using the DAP template above as a guide, send a narrative written in MS Word, formatted as you see fit, to assessment@duke.edu.
- If you’re new to assessment and desire the precision of a structured grid, download this file, then resend the completed copy to assessment@duke.edu.
- You can use a Qualtrics web form for 2023-24, but you are advised to develop the content offline before risking a tim-out within the web form. https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8enlRIqo1sPX1tQ
Assessment staff will share feedback, advice, ideas and more in the months following the June 1 deadline. We hope this feedback will help our campus partners jump start the next phase of work in the coming fall term.
Looking ahead to the 2024-25 academic year?
Note that the full DAP will take effect in the 2024-25 academic year. Click here for a guide to the full descriptive document for the 2024-25 academic year. It includes a summary for process changes and comprehensive explanations of the new program evaluation sections. Faculty and staff who want the full picture of the annual DAP and the requirements for periodic program evaluation should begin their reading here. A quick start guide also is available for the 2024-25 DAP. Reports will be due June 1, 2025.
As in summer 2024, 2024-25 reports can be submitted via email, Qualtrics web form, or a table. Additional information about these submission formats will be provided later in the 2024-25 academic year.
Starting with the 2024-25 academic year, revised DAP includes new sections to prepare a unit for periodic program evaluation. These sections are not required annually; they are due only upon request from the Dean of Trinity College or the appropriate Divisional Dean. Although they will be completed intermittently, reviewing and revisiting these expectations regularly can help faculty and staff scaffold their assessment work over time. Moreover, the information obtained through these 'program review' sections can help a department or program interpret the findings developed in its annual assessment processes. Each of these sections has corresponding support materials to simplify access to and interpretation of evidence.
- General description of undergraduate program
- Curriculum
- Connections with the co-curriculum
- Connection between undergraduate and graduate programs
- Instructional faculty / Teaching
- Enrollment trends, recruitment, and retention of majors/minors
More information about assessment of Trinity academic departments and programs
Informational meetings about the revised DAP will occur April 30, May 1, and May 2, 2024. If you'd like to attend one of the meetings but did not receive an invitation, please contact assessment@duke.edu for more information. A PDF of the slides will be posted after the events.
Many faculty and staff are involved in educational research, not just the designated assessment liaison or DUS. If you wish to survey your colleagues to gather information about assessment and educational research across the department or program, you can request a copy of this Qualtrics questionnaire for adaptation and distribution. Contact assessment@duke.edu with questions.
Some faculty and staff may want to obtain old records from previous years of assessment. The Department Assessment Portfolio developed and submitted via OneDrive is discontinued effective spring 2024. An archived website explains that process, which may be useful if one needs to locate old materials. If a faculty or staff member cannot access an old OneDrive folder, please reach out to assessment@duke.edu for assistance.
Curious whom to contact to get help? In past years, the Office of Assessment assigned a staff member to each A&S department to maintain continuity of relationships and process knowledge. These relationships can continue! However, individuals who are new to assessment or don't know what kind of help they need can use this web form. The assessment team will make sure your question is routed to the right person or Duke office.
Reviewed April 2024