A Guide to the Doctor of Ministry Program Assessment Process

Assessment includes outcomes linked to your learning experience, direct assessment in your modules, for your professional dissertation proposal, for each chapter in the professional dissertation, plus the steps described below. We want to know how we are doing in achieving our shared goals and contributing to important change in you, your ministry, and the community you serve.

Desired Outcomes are Articulated

• Your particular concentration in the DMin program forms outcomes from the DMin program outcomes and publishes them in each syllabus and schedule.
• Your assignments are linked in the syllabus to learning for specific outcomes. Feedback is then posted on the Learning Hub.

Direct Assessment

• Each module year (starting with the second year) you are required to write a chapter that is integrated into your professional dissertation. That chapter document is assessed by a rubric posted on the DMin web site.
• When you sit for your professional dissertation defense it is evaluated with a rubric posted on the DMin web site.

A Context Support Group Gives Feedback

• You are assigned the formation of a Ministry Development Plan (MDP) in your first year. The MDP describes your current situation, your vision for your life and ministry five years in the future, and steps to achieve that vision pursued during the years of your program. When you appear for your professional dissertation defense you will present a paper reflecting on your MDP. A description of the MDP will be provided to you.
• You are assigned the task of forming a context support group in the first year that reviews your MDP with you at an assigned meeting in the first and each subsequent year, providing personal feedback to you during your learning/changing experience. The context support group also completes an assessment survey (context support group survey) in the first year and again one year after graduation, describing transformational change they have observed in you as a program participant and the change effect experienced within their ministry organization context. A description of the context support group and a copy of the assessment document will be provided to you.

The Three Surveys

• You will be given an electronic survey when the assignments are due (the module survey) in your module evaluating the learning experience of that module.
• You will complete a survey annually (annual program assessment) providing feedback on your learning experience thus far in the DMin program.
• After you successfully defend your project, you will be asked to complete an electronic exit survey (exit survey).

How Your Professional Dissertation is Assessed

• When you defend your professional dissertation an assessment of your learning experience in the project/dissertation is done. A copy of that document will be provided to you.

1/30/2020