Assessments

Assessments in the College of Dentistry

Assessments in the College of Dentistry are centralized in the embodiment of the Directorate of Assessments. Internal reviews and validation of efforts is assured through the oversight of an Assessments Committee, which is a cross-sectional of all departments in the College. Processes formally began in 1999 and are systemic and ongoing. The purpose of Howard dentistry assessments is to serve as an analytical and advisory tool to all departments and programs in the College. Outcome activities are intended to provide information on institutional activities and their effectiveness. While the determination of whether the overall goals of the College are being met can be shown in a summary matrix (Attachment 1), progress in program development and program effectiveness is monitored through a more complex and detailed matrix (Attachment 2). Altogether, these activities have laid the basis for Assessments to be proactive in evaluating all functions in the College, to include:

1. Assessing and revising the academic mission and goals of the College 
2. analyzing academic programs and recommending change based on requirements by accreditation agencies and student and program director self-evaluations 
3. evaluating student didactic, clinic, and laboratory learning experiences and influencing positive change 
4. examining instructional/teaching methods and practices and recommending change.

Data obtained from these efforts have been used in the development of probability-based models to measure the effectiveness of operations in the College. Indeed, the application of factor analysis and discriminant probability function methods to the data has allowed Assessments to cluster the effectiveness of leadership and educational processes into seven outcome categories:

• Leadership outcomes
• Faculty outcomes
• Student outcomes
• Staff outcomes
• Clinical and patient outcomes
• Alumni outcomes
• Fiscal outcomes