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The Xitracs Programs™ module allows you to manage program assessment reporting and curriculum mapping. Used in conjunction with the Xitracs Portal™, assessment reports may be gathered easily by assigning programs to a portal user for input or peer review. Programs can belong to a group and a department, making it easier to organize them. Creating and managing a program is via the Control Panel.

 

Program assessments are managed in cycles, according to a time track which is specified by the institution. Three cycles are always displayed to a program assessor or peer reviewer: the Current cycle (i.e. falls within the current timeframe), Prior cycle and Next Cycle. For example, if the cycle timeframe is Jul 1 - Jun 30 and today's date is Mar 15, 2017, then the Current cycle will be Jul 1, 2016 - Jun 30, 2017, the Prior cycle will be Jul 1, 2015 - Jun 30, 2016 and the Next cycle will be Jul 1, 2017 - Jun 30, 2018.

 

Input for each program assessment cycle is via fields which are defined using the Control Panel > Field Sets function. The available or open cycle for each field can be specified at the time the field set is created. In the example below, there are four fields: Goal, Objective, Result and Reflection. The Goal field in this case is set to be available for editing for the Next cycle; in other words, during the current cycle Jul 1, 2016 - Jun 30, 2017, a program assessor will be able to enter the goal for the next cycle (time frame Jul 1, 2017 - Jun 30, 2018). Similarly, a program assessor will be able to add the Reflection for the Prior cycle.

 

The field names in a program can be changed if this function is enabled. See Control Panel > Program Settings. This is a convenient way of having a standardized field set across multiple programs, while still providing the flexibility to change one or more field names in a specific program.

 

Example:

 

 

The transition from one cycle to the next is managed by the system automatically, based on the specified time track. So, using the example of a Jul 1 - Jun 30 time track, on Jul 1, 2017 the Jul 1, 2016 - Jun, 30 2017 cycle will move from current to prior. A grace period can also be specified to keep fields open after the cycle availability closes. A field can also be manually locked in the portal by a manager. This is useful when you do not want a program reviewer to edit a particular field, such as a mission statement.

 

If the Planning Module is installed, fields may optionally be linked to one or more sections of a plan. This is a useful way of generating a plan report that includes data from one or more program assessment reports, for example to use in a program review.

 

Courses in a program can be defined. If the Assessment Module is installed, course assessment data can be collected and reported by semester. Program Fields may also be linked to one or more courses, for example, to show how a course is part of addressing a particular objective.

 

The Curriculum Mapping feature lets you manage your maps online. A map consists of a matrix which includes both outcomes and courses, together with a level such as 'Introduced' or 'Emphasized'. Both general maps and program-specific maps can be created and then linked to a program. With Outcomes Mapping, you can map course outcomes to program or GenEd outcomes.

 

Programs will be listed in the left menu on the page by group or department and the number of available programs will be shown. Click on the group or department link to list the programs, then click the View link to open the selected program.