UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State uses assessment evidence to improve student learning and ensure that students graduate with the knowledge and skills necessary for their future careers or studies.

Active, non-accredited, undergraduate degree, graduate degree, and for-credit certificate programs

Active, non-accredited, undergraduate degree, graduate degree, and for-credit certificate programs are required to participate in annual assessment reports using the online assessment management system, Nuventive, by June 30.

To assist new Nuventive users, OPAIR is hosting a series of Zoom training sessions from April through June.

Two types of training are being offered:

• Nuventive Training for Assessment Leaders/Annual Reporting is designed to support assessment leaders who report assessment plans and results for graduate and undergraduate programs and for-credit certificates. This two-hour session introduces users to the most common tasks they will complete in Nuventive. Examples include editing and archiving program learning objectives, entering assessment plans and assessment results, including documents and other evidence in the plans, submitting plans, and producing assessment reports.
• Nuventive Training for Academic Administrators and Disciplinary Community Members focuses on accessing summary information available to academic leaders such as associate deans for undergraduate/graduate education and directors of academic affairs. Assessment leaders who are also members of designated disciplinary communities, where a credential is offered at multiple locations, should also attend. This one-hour session provides instructions for accessing an overview of the assessment status and assessment details for all the programs in an individual college, campus, or disciplinary community, as appropriate.

To register for either or both sessions, visit Penn State’s Learning Resource Network and search using the keyword “Nuventive.” Self-guided training is also available. Users can visit the Nuventive Training Resources website to download training manuals, and access pre-recorded training. For more information, or if users have any questions, please contact your assessment liaison.

The Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) assessment liaisons support assessment leaders in designing effective and efficient assessment processes.

Professionally accredited programs

Professionally accredited programs that meet assessment standards for Penn State and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) are not required to report separately through this internal process. Instead, these programs meet MSCHE’s standards for accreditation and requirements of affiliation using an eight-year cycle of accreditation review, culminating with the University’s self-study evaluation and final report that documents compliance with these standards, requirements of affiliations and all accreditation-related federal programs. The University’s current self-study is underway with its final report due in Jan. 2024.