The Mount Mercy mission and goals lie at the heart of the University's academic programs and other student-oriented educational experiences. Ongoing assessment activities are attuned to the university-wide objectives that further delineate the desired outcomes of a Mount Mercy education to help assure a continued high level of program quality.

The objectives were written by a team of faculty and staff members with input and contributions from across the campus. Transitional planning is underway to assure that ongoing curriculum development and assessment processes reflect the priorities established by our mission, goals, and university-wide objectives. The objectives are listed below for reference, and to exemplify the priorities that guide Mount Mercy’s assessment practices.

Assessment of the Major

Each academic major has a set of agreed upon general and specific outcomes for its graduates. These outcomes are assessed through a variety of established techniques such as portfolios, field- or campus-based projects, presentations, senior capstone projects, final papers, tests, and individual assignments. Faculty members in the appropriate department collaborate to develop an academic assessment strategy that best suits their specialty. At the University level, a Director of Assessment and an Academic Assessment Committee are charged with establishing reporting guidelines, reviewing and evaluating annual reports for each major, and providing feedback for improving general assessment endeavors and those at the departmental level.

Mount Mercy’s faculty members strive to assure that students demonstrate strong achievement in their majors prior to graduation. An important component of the academic assessment process involves faculty collaboration to determine the necessary steps needed to address any noted shortcomings and to build upon areas of student success. Articulating the plan for future improvement is essential to a strong assessment cycle.

Highlights from the most recent Department Assessment Report:

• Social Work graduates were assessed on their ability to use their knowledge of “a planned change approach to social work practice and skill.” Students were evaluated during their junior and senior field placements by both the Mount Mercy faculty and the field supervisor. Results indicated favorable mean performance, with improvement from junior to senior year.
• Education majors completed a senior portfolio that documented their ability to implement varied instructional strategies that follow effective teaching guidelines. Faculty evaluated a videotaped lesson that students taught and students completed a self-evaluation of the lesson. Mean performance ratings were all in the effective range for the 2006-2007 senior cohort.
• Criminal Justice majors were presented with ethical dilemmas in the criminal justice field in order to assess their ability to “critically analyze ethical dilemmas and make principled choices in their field.” Senior students performed better on the measure than sophomores, documenting the gains in ethical decision making by those majoring in criminal justice.
• Accounting majors were assessed on their ability to process complex financial information. Examination results from four courses in the major verify progressive gains in student understanding relative to financial analysis.

Assessment Beyond the Major

A wide variety of programs and services contribute to realizing Mount Mercy’s commitment to a strong and student-focused education. Through a rich core curriculum, service learning experiences, student development opportunities, and many other campus programs, students are encouraged to use reflective thinking capabilities, develop strategic communication skills, serve the common good and set the stage for lifelong learning. Assessment activities beyond the major include administering nationally recognized instruments on a regular basis, as well as conducting studies of individual programs on campus. Through nationally administered measures such as the National Survey of Student Engagement, the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) and the CIRP American Freshman Survey, it has been documented that Mount Mercy students perform as well as, or better than, their peers at other educational institutions. A few highlights from these surveys include:

• Mount Mercy students were more satisfied than their peers at other institutions with: the knowledge and accessibility of their academic advisor, campus safety, the reputation of the university, library resources, and ability to get the class they want (SSI, 2005).
• 89% of Mount Mercy freshmen participated in volunteer work. Substantially more Mount Mercy freshmen have been involved in volunteer work than their peers at other institutions (CIRP, 2003).
• 91% of Mount Mercy students report their experience at Mount Mercy has helped them acquire a broad general education (NSSE, 2003).
• 89% of Mount Mercy seniors report that their experiences at Mount Mercy have helped them to think critically and analytically (NSSE, 2003).
• 90% of Mount Mercy seniors report they were asked frequently to analyze ideas, theories, cases or situations in depth (NSSE, 2003).

For further information about Mount Mercy’s assessment processes, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs.