Revised on September 8, 2008

 

Purpose

The NCBS Commission develops the standards and policies related to assessment, curriculum, academic program review, and related areas for Africana Studies departments and programs across the country and abroad. The Commission serves institutions of higher learning and the public by reviewing programs and ensuring quality and rigor in the field of Africana Studies. 

 

Commission members consult with departments on assessment (including the development of assessment plans, learning outcomes, etc.) and program review practices and policies.  It also maintains a corps of trained program reviewers who conduct site visits of departments/programs. 

 

History

The Commission's annual Summer meetings serve as a think tank for the development of curricular ideas, best practices, and policies related to the discipline.  Hosted by Chicago State University, the first Summer Commission meeting was held on July 8 and 9, 2004.  The second Summer Commission meeting was held on July 8 and 9, 2005, hosted by the Office of the Provost, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.   Subsequent meetings have been 8, hosted by the African American Studies and Research Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Department of Black Studies at San Francisco State University.

 

The Commission also meets during the NCBS Fall Board and Spring Board meetings each year.   

 

Program Review

The National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) views the episodic program review as essential to maintaining high quality and rigor in Africana Studies departments and academic programs.  The professional organization offers a team of experts in the field who provider thorough examination and evaluation of units to assist academic units and departments in their quest for excellence. 

 

Therefore review teams evaluate the entire department, not just the curriculum.  In addition to the curriculum, assessment practices, general unit/departmental operations (including financial and human resource management), faculty quality (e.g.:  teaching, research and service profiles), student performance and attitudes, as well as the unit's overall contributions to the college and campus are inclusive of the review.

 

Statement on Assessment

Like many of the accrediting agencies in the country, the NCBS Commission views assessment as student learning outcomes.  What do students know?  What skills do they possess?  Assessment provides essential information about overall program health.  Therefore, assessment plans must accompany all program review documentation.