The College Assessment Plan (CAP), is Otis’ coordinated effort to maintain, strengthen, and prioritize improvement across campus. This overarching plan utilizes new and existing assessment practices to support student and institutional success. Additionally, the Assessment Committee, comprised of faculty and staff, helps ensure that Otis College upholds its commitment to assessment and improvement. This accountability measure is also supported by the Academic Assembly (Read more here).
CAP Two Main Elements
Otis’ College Assessment Plan relies on two primary modes of assessment. The CAP is overseen by the Assessment Committee of the Academic Assembly.
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Campus-wide assessment of selected ILO and PLO pairings evaluated during the Annual Assessment process. (All ILOs to be assessed individually over a 5-year period)
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Comprehensive program review (all curricular and co-curricular programs to undergo internal and external peer review every 7 years)
Annual Assessment
Annual program assessment is the process of reviewing student learning and program effectiveness on a yearly basis. Beginning in 2025-26, all programs will assess the same Institutional Learning Outcome (ILO) each year, alongside the ILO-aligned Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). This structure promotes shared inquiry and helps the College evaluate learning across disciplines.
The approach is rooted in the practice of critique, a cornerstone of the Otis pedagogy. In the classroom, critique cultivates self-reflection, communication, and metacognition. Similarly, in assessment, faculty gather to examine student work, “find the learning,” discuss strengths and areas for growth, and identify actions for improvement. Like classroom critique, this process is dialogic, inclusive, and formative—not merely evaluative.
Just as critique takes varied forms to meet diverse student needs—through rubrics, peer review, or digital tools—Otis’s assessment practices adapt to the nature of each program. This alignment fosters a coherent institutional culture grounded in inquiry, feedback, and continuous improvement.
Program Review
Conducted every seven years, our programs undergo rigorous, systematic reflection as they develop a comprehensive self-study. The self-study requires a synthesis of student learning outcomes derived from annual assessment findings, student and faculty feedback, and analysis of market trends and required competencies for students’ success post-graduation.
The on-site portion of the review provides an opportunity to engage industry professionals and colleagues from peer institutions whose expertise make them strong reviewers of the program’s curriculum, learning outcomes, and operational effectiveness. The review process is designed to evaluate how well programs prepare graduates for their unique professional and academic ambitions. Program Review generates actionable recommendations that inform academic planning within departments and across the College.