Lessons Learned in Developing and Implementing a Program Assessment Plan

Although there is certainly no single, correct way to develop and implement an assessment plan, this paper presents a case study using a proven process for constructing an effective plan. The process described allows for a wide variety of approaches to assessment, while at the same time providing guidelines so that no important component of a successful plan is overlooked. The paper also includes a number of lessons learned in developing a plan for a specific program in chemical engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. We believe that the process we followed and the lessons we learned can be adapted to a variety of contexts and programs.