In 2006 St. John’s acquired WEAVE, a web-based
assessment and planning management system designed to help faculty
and administrators write goals, objectives, and criteria for
tracking, assessing, and developing action plans. This tool
currently serves as our University’s primary repository for student
learning assessment—a living database where all departments and
offices regularly record and monitor their various assessment
activities.
The WEAVE management system has five main sections: 1) Assessment,
2) Action Plans, 3) Achievement Summaries, 4) Annual Reporting, and
5) Document Repository. The first section, “Assessment,” is the
most detailed. It requires all programs and units to a) enter and
edit their mission/purpose; b) establish goals for achieving
that mission; c) develop outcomes and objectives; d) identify
measures; e) specify achievement targets; f) enter findings; and g)
develop action plans in response to those findings.
All Departments will need to submit summaries of their ongoing
assessment activities into WEAVE every year, and ideally at the end
of every semester. The importance of submitting accurate, detailed,
and honest reports to WEAVE cannot be understated. When outside
accreditation agencies explore our commitment to assessment, one of
their primary concerns is to see that assessment is taking place,
and is ongoing. The Associate Director of University Assessment,
housed in Institutional Research, is available to assist chairs and
their Department Assessment Coordinators in uploading and updating
their assessment summaries, plans, and reports.
Our goal: For faculty to regularly discuss within
their departments their ongoing assessment initiatives, and
document those activities (and their results, and their follow-up
plans) on WEAVE.
For more information on WEAVE please contact Steven
Glogocheski, Associate Director of Academic
Assessment, 718-990-6998.