Executive Council on Assessment

The Executive Council on Assessment (ECA) is the oversight body for evaluating strategic planning processes and assessment practices universitywide. The ECA has responsibility for assessing the methods and implementation of the university’s strategic plans and planning processes. This includes engagement with all four of the foundational elements stated in the University Strategic Plan:

• Building an equitable, inclusive, and diverse community of faculty, students, and staff;
• Fostering a reputation as a powerhouse for research, academics, and the social good;
• Coordinating and strengthening our collaborations in research and academics;
• Making Rutgers clear and easy to work with, for all members of our broader community.

In addition, the ECA oversees:

• The broader expanse of institutional assessment, including student progress and student success, such as retention, graduation rates, time to degree, and more general matters that affect the quality of life of the university community
• The procedures for the evaluation of teaching across the university, using summative assessment for promotion and tenure, and formative assessment for the professional development of our faculty at every level as teachers, and is responsible for supporting and coordinating the teaching evaluation systems in the schools
• The procedures for investigating and assessing the academic impact of technological and administrative initiatives (such as the new scheduling system, new student records system, course management systems, new administrative systems, new budgeting systems) and support services on the quality of education, student learning, and the student experience
• The annual assessment reporting processes conducted by its sub-councils, the Assessment Council on Learning Outcomes and the Assessment Council on the Student Experience
• The procedures for the assessment of academic governance and leadership, including the University Senate’s processes for the evaluation of deans and chancellors

The ECA participates in the reaccreditation process through the university’s membership in the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and monitors the activities of the many schools and programs within the university that are accredited by professional associations.