1. Educational foundations of Environmental Design & Planning
   • SLO1: Students will acquire a breadth and depth of knowledge concerning the historical, philosophical. sociocultural and technical bases for the professions and practices of architecture, planning, and design.
   • SLO2 : Students will demonstrate the effective use of a variety of communication skills and modalities.
   • SLO3: Students will demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and synthesize information pertinent to environmental design and planning.
2. Research
   • SLO4: Students will demonstrate knowledge of various research methodologies and analyze their appropriateness for specific research problems.
   • SLO5: Students will demonstrate proficiency in developing a research proposal and applying correct method(s) of inquiry to a specific issue.
   • SLO6: Students will demonstrate the ability to present and defend research.
3. Academic and Professional Integrity
   • SLO7: Students will demonstrate and articulate an ethical position that recognizes the issues pertinent to the conduct of environmental design & planning.

1. Educational Foundations of Environmental Design & Planning
   • All students enrolled in the Ph.D. in Environmental Design & Planning program will be assessed in the following ways concerning foundational elements of the field, defense, which will require the committee to submit a rubric with consensus rating for each item, prior to signing the ballot.
     
     
   • Preliminary questions will cover the breath and depth of knowledge concerning the historical, philosophical. sociocultural and technical bases for the professions and practices of architecture, planning, and design. Direct measures will include ratings from preliminary exam questions (rubrics will be completed by each reader) and average course grades for the core and foundation courses.
     
     
   • All students writing abilities will be assessed using three direct measures. Direct measures include, writing of the dissertation proposal, preliminary exam questions, and the final dissertation. Rubrics for the dissertation proposal, and for the preliminary exam questions will be completed by the readers. Rubrics for the final dissertation will be completed by a consensus of the committee at the dissertation defense. All students oral communication skills will be assessed using two direct measures, which include the dissertation proposal defense and the dissertation defense. Rubrics will be completed by each member of the committee at the dissertation proposal. Rubrics for the dissertation will be competed by a consensus of the committee at the dissertation defense.
     
     
   • All students will be assessed as to their ability to critically evaluate and synthesize information pertinent to environmental design and planning through direct measures, which include the preliminary exams (rubrics will be completed by each reader) and rubrics for the dissertation will be completed by a consensus of the committee at the dissertation defense.

2. Research

   • All students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Environmental Design & Planning will be assessed as to their knowledge of various research methodologies and their ability to analyze their appropriateness for specific research problems. Direct measures will include ratings from the preliminary exam questions focused on research (rubrics will be completed by each reader) and candidacy rubric, which requires a consensus rating for each item, will be completed by the doctoral committee prior to signing the ballot’s approval for candidacy status.

   • All students will be assessed as to their proficiency in developing a research proposal and applying correct methods(s) of inquiry to a specific environmental design and planning question at the proposal meeting. Direct measures will include a rubric completed by each committee member and the advisor at the time of the dissertation proposal.

   • All students will demonstrate the ability to present and defend research work in oral written and graphic forms, which will be assessed at the dissertation defense. The direct measure will be the dissertation defense, which will require the committee to submit a rubric with consensus rating for each item, prior to signing the ballot.

      

3. Academic and Professional Integrity

   • All students in the Ph.D. in Environmental Design & Planning program will be assessed as to their ethical position with regard to the social context in which environmental design & planning is practiced, and their responsibility to promote environmental sustainability as part of their dissertation defense. The direct measure will be the dissertation defense, which will require the committee to submit a rubric with consensus rating for each item.

Each of the assessments described above will be conducted using a four-level scale (deficient), developing (acceptable), met expectations (proficient), or exceeded expectations (exceptional).

• All SLOs will be indirectly measured by student self-assessment through a survey the students will complete prior to the dissertation defense.