Comprehensive Five-Year Program Assessment Study

Abstract

This comprehensive five-year program assessment study illustrates the full circle of the assessment cycle: development, implementation, feedback, and reshaping of curriculum. First, this study provides specific information on the development and implementation of multiple measures of program assessment for both core and track goals and objectives. Second, it provides five years of quantitative and qualitative data illustrating the use of internship e-portfolios and presentations in assessing students’ proficiencies on 13 specific core competencies and numerous track competencies. Data collected from students’ self-rating, faculty’s rating, and Site supervisors’ assessment provide evaluations of students’ performance and levels of preparedness to enter the public health field and indicate high levels of proficiencies for students and support that program and track goals and objectives are being met. Qualitative data support these statistics and provide insight into program needs that are not being met; based on both sets of data, program solutions are identified and implemented creating an assessment feedback loop. Finally, audience feedback from internship presentations provides a final measure of program assessment and also supports the numerous benefits of students attending these events. Results of all these measures provide valuable insight into future program and course curriculum, along with teaching strategies and techniques in order to increase student learning.