The University of South Dakota’s 2020-2026 Strategic Plan is the culmination of far-reaching discussions and information-gathering sessions involving a broad range of constituencies on campus and in the Vermillion community. During the 2019-2020 academic year USD was engaged in a collaborative strategic planning process that involved over 1,000 internal and external stakeholders. With this planning effort we generated and agreed on six strategic themes that will shape our time, attention and resources over the next five years. 

Data Tools & Helpful Links

• Enrollment Dashboard
• Persistence Dashboard
• Completions Dashboard
• Student Satisfaction Dashboard
• Graduate Outcomes Dashboard
• 2020 - 2026 Strategic Plan
  
• USD Common Data Set
• USD Tableau Online – Training Resources (MyUSD login required)
• SDBOR Strategic Plan
  
• SDBOR Dashboards
  
• SDBOR Fact Book

This page lists the foundational documents that underpin all major assessment efforts at the University of South Dakota. These documents provide faculty, staff and students with broad perspective on the university's various assessment processes.

USD Assessment and Program Review

The USD Assessment and Program Review Handbook lays out the overarching framework for all academic and program review assessment activities. The handbook describes how the university's assessment efforts are integrated into a single, comprehensive system. The handbook underscores the evidence-based, collaborative and continuous nature of the university's assessment and program review system.

• USD Assessment and Program Review Handbook 
• SDBOR Policy 2.3.9 Assessment

General Education Assessment

From 1998 to 2016, all universities governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) administered the ACT Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) examination as a primary measure of student achievement in general education coursework. Following the board's repeal of the CAAP requirement in 2016, the university system office initiated a major revision of system-level general education assessment procedures. The links below provide the foundational and working documents associated with the university's current general education assessment model.

• SDBOR List of General Education Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
  
• SDBOR General Education Assessment Rubrics
  
• SDBOR General Education Assessment Reporting Guidelines

Program Review

SDBOR policy requires all degree programs in the university system to undergo a substantive program review every six years. The SDBOR Policy 2:3.4 outlines the requirements and procedures associated with this review process for all degree programs at the University of South Dakota. SDBOR Academic Affairs Guidelines define the procedures required to comply with the program review policy. The originating board policy is provided for general reference.

• SDBOR Policy 2.3.4 Academic Program Evaluation and Review
• Academic Affairs Guidelines Program Evaluation and Review
• USD Program Review Self-Study Template Guidelines
• SDBOR Summary Report Template
  
   

The following services and tools represent key points of contact between faculty, staff, students and the university's overall system of assessment. These items involve specific software applications or services that are used as a component of campus assessment activities.

Nuventive

In 2017, we deployed our first comprehensive platform for academic assessment management. Developed in partnership with a company called Nuventive, this system provides a single "one-stop shop" for department-level performance data, strategic goals and student learning outcomes. Nuventive is available to all university faculty members and select staff.

• Nuventive Log-in

IDEA Course Evaluation

All end-of-term course evaluation surveys conducted at USD using the primary IDEA form are administered through the Campus Labs mobile platform. Sometimes referred to as "student opinion surveys" or "student ratings of instruction," these web-based questionnaires provide students with an opportunity to report impressions of teaching quality. Several related resources are provided below:

• Campus Labs Faculty Log-in
• Campus Labs Student Log-in
• Campus Labs Administrator Log-in
• Login Credentials Help
• Campus Labs Platform Training Video
• Faculty Reporting Training Video
• Administrator Reporting Training Video
• Campus Labs Printing Results
  

Digital Measures

Digital Measures is the web service through which university faculty may submit professional information - such as educational background, scholarly activities and professional achievements - into a central repository. Information supplied to the Digital Measures system are used for a variety of purposes including department websites, accreditation reports and promotion and tenure evaluations.

• Digital Measures Log-in
  
• Training Videos
  

ACCUPLACER Testing

All undergraduate students entering USD are subject to mathematics and English placement procedures established by the South Dakota Board of Regents. Though most placement decisions are made on the basis of common assessments (e.g., ACT, SAT, Smarter Balanced), a limited number of placements are determined by scores on secondary assessment instruments. To this end, the Office of Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment administers the ACCUPLACER examination - the designated secondary placement instrument of the regental system - in accordance with university system requirements.

• SDBOR Guidelines 7.6: Placement Guidelines