Mission

PASS seeks to ensure JMU academic programs have high quality student learning outcomes assessment processes through assessment consulting services, the provision of assessment resources, and the dissemination and promotion of quality assessment practice.

What can PASS do for you?

PASS can support your academic program’s assessment practice in many ways:

• Assist programs in creating or modifying their assessment plans, including thinking through the details and timing of each step in the assessment cycle
• Provide consultation and guidance on best practices on assessment design considerations, including the appropriateness of the design to meet the program’s assessment needs
• Assist programs in articulating student-centered, specific, and measurable learning objectives
• Assist programs in selecting or designing assessment instruments, including providing guidance on the mode of administration (e.g., paper-and-pencil, Qualtrics, Canvas, Google Forms)
• Provide support in the analysis of assessment data for student learning outcomes or for estimating reliability and validity evidence
• Guide and support the assessment reporting process for APTs, APRs, and/or disciplinary accreditation reports
• Conduct workshops for academic programs or assessment teams on assessment-related topics, including the assessment processes at JMU, development of student learning objectives, item-writing, and rubric development
• Conduct cross-walk procedures to link disciplinary accreditation requirements to those from the APT process
• Attend assessment committee meetings or other program meetings (e.g., summer retreats) to lend assessment expertise, as requested

The APT Template

We understand that writing and organizing the APT can be difficult and that it may be unclear as to what exactly to include in the APT. PASS has developed a template for the APT that may be helpful in this regard. The APT Template has been designed to make your reporting as streamlined, efficient, and organized as possible. For every element of the APT rubric, there is a corresponding section on the APT Template. Tables are provided for many of the sections in the APT Template. You may use these specifically, or adapt them how you see fit. The APT template is completely optional, but we encourage you to examine it and determine if it would assist you in the reporting process. If you have any questions about the APT Template, please feel free to contact PASS (programassessment@jmu.edu).

APT Template

Schedule a Consultation

To schedule a consultation, please visit https://jamesmadison.mywconline.com/. The first time you visit the site, you will be asked to create an account. Once you've registered, please enter your email and password, then choose the schedule you would like to access. For PASS services, please select the "PASS (Academic Programs) Summer 2023" schedule. 

After clicking “log in”, you will see the available consulting hours for each of the PASS consultants. Available hours are represented by white boxes. To make an appointment, simply double-click the white box, indicate the time you’d like to meet, provide us with a bit of information about the assistance you would like, and save the appointment. Shortly thereafter, you will get an email confirming your appointment. You will also receive an email reminder the day before your appointment.

Before making an appointment, please review all relevant resources on the CARS website. These resources should answer most basic questions about the assessment process, allowing appointment time to be used most efficiently. 

We look forward to continuing to provide you with academic degree assessment services. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask

Joseph Kush

kushjm@jmu.edu

For questions:

Phone: 540-568-7103
Email: programassessment@jmu.edu