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Assessment

During the AY 2004-2005, the department faculty began a series of discussions about the mission and goals of our graduate MUP program. As part of this process, ten major program-level student learning outcomes (SLOs) were identified, taking into account the Planning Accreditation Board knowledge areas, faculty input, and the program mission and goals. The SLOs are:

  1. Apply the history and theory of planning in relation to social and economic structures, including, but not limited to, such characteristics as income, race, ethnicity, and gender.

  2. Understand the ethics of professional practice and behavior, including the relationship to clients and the public, and the role of citizens in a democratic society.

  3. Understand the role of government and citizen participation in a democratic society and the balancing of individual and collective rights and interests.

  4. Interpret case laws relevant to the field of urban and regional planning and application of these laws to realistic hypothetical situations.

  5. Understand the contexts in which planning takes place, focusing particularly on agencies conducting planning or employing planners, and the processes by which plans are made and implemented.

  6. Conceptualize problems from complex, real world situations so that the problems are meaningful to clients, and are research-worthy.Apply statistical and other analytic techniques, as well as computer methods, to define planning problems, generate alternatives, and evaluate their consequences. Use census data to inform policy formulation.Apply statistical and other analytic techniques, as well as computer methods, to define planning problems, generate alternatives, and evaluate their consequences. Use census data to inform policy formulation.

    1. Design and conduct first-hand research.

    2. Frame research questions and hypotheses.

    3. Analyze and synthesize data from multiple sources.

  7. Communicate effectively.Work effectively as members and leaders of planning teams, and to apply an understanding of interpersonal and group dynamics to assure effective group action.Work effectively as members and leaders of planning teams, and to apply an understanding of interpersonal and group dynamics to assure effective group action.

    1. Communicate effectively in writing.

    2. Communicate effectively by expressing concepts in visual terms.

    3. Communicate effectively through public speaking.

  8. Synthesize planning knowledge and apply it to actual planning problems.

Next, courses (and assignments within courses) were linked to each SLO, and a 7-year assessment plan was identified. Each SLO underwent at least one complete assessment cycle in this 7-year period – SLO assessment, identification of areas for improvement, implementation of improvements, and reassessment of the SLO to gauge effectiveness of improvements. Several SLOs underwent two or more such assessment cycles. The formal SLO assessment process began in AY 2005-2006.

Initial SLO assessment indicated that the 80%-100% of students met the threshold for achieving the SLO. These percentages have only risen since. Significant improvements made as a result of the assessment process includes more structured master’s report advising (creation of URBP 298A and URBP 298B), and restructuring of several key core course including URBP 200 (Seminar on Urban and Regional Planning), and URBP 204 B (Quantitative Methods II). 

2010-2011 MUP Assessment Report [.pdf]