Leadership in the Public Sector Recognized for Excellence in Assessment

The Office of Assessment and Accreditation has selected the Leadership in the Public Sector (LPS) program as one of the inaugural honorees for NC State’s Excellence in Assessment award. This recognition is for degree and certificate programs that meet NC State’s expectations for high quality outcomes assessment, and additionally incorporate multiple best practices in their assessment processes aimed at improving student learning. 

The LPS program was selected for this award based on their clear commitment to continuous improvement of student learning  by using assessment data in a way that is meaningful for the program to make decisions, said Stephany Dunstan, Ph.D., Assistant Vice Provost, Office of Assessment & Accreditation. “Program faculty engaged in assessment efforts that were student-centered and considered a number of different ways to help students grow in the program.”

The LPS assessment report met multiple criteria and engaged in a number of best practices including: assessing student products from a capstone course; applying a rubric (a VALUE rubric developed through the Association of  American Colleges & Universities) that analyzed at the dimension level  so that the program faculty were  able to identify specific strengths and areas for improvement; and assessing across multiple course sections/levels to identify patterns in the curriculum. LPS also provided clear evidence that the assessment process is student-centered and focused on improving learning, including the decision to seek Quality Matters certification.

This award recognizes the LPS program’s demonstrated commitment to improving student learning through data-informed decision-making, which is just one of the many ways the Leadership in the Public Sector program serves its students.