Culture of Improvement - Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Continuously Improving Academic Programs

At KSU, our faculty have a demonstrated commitment to the development, growth, and success of our students, both in the classroom and in their future careers. With this commitment, we strive to build and maintain a culture of assessment and continuous improvement.

To build and maintain this culture, we align our assessment practices with KSU’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities. We provide training, workshops, and consultations to help faculty engage in meaningful and manageable assessment processes. We collaborate with faculty and administrators across campus to ensure the quality of our program assessments.

We also strive to follow best practices in building a culture of assessment and continuous improvement.

Our Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategic Priorities

Assessment and continuous improvement support our KSU Mission and Strategic Priorities. Assessment tells us how well we are achieving our mission, achieving the goals set forth in the strategic plan, and living our values on a daily basis. Our focus on continuous improvement ensures we make the necessary changes in our work when deficits are identified.

Learn More About Our Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategic Priorities

Best Practices

Building and Maintaining a Culture of Assessment and Continuous Improvement

Begin with a clear, well-communicated mission and a core set of values for the institution.
Develop a shared vision and a clear strategy on how to get there.
Share a simple, clear continuous improvement model to guide the process.
Become a collaborative, “learning organization” (Senge, 1990).
Communicate expectations and model the process at all levels of the institution.
Identify and communicate common ties among initiatives.

Keep continuous improvement “top of mind” and part of the institutional lexicon.
Integrate with human resource systems, such as job descriptions, performance reviews, and training.
Utilize and build on existing measurement tools and improvement processes.
Understand improvement takes time and is not always a straight path.
Share ideas, tools, and innovations; break down a “silo” mentality.
Communicate, celebrate, and reward successes!