Interdisciplinary Studies and the Real World: A Practical Rationale for and Guide to Postgraduation Evaluation and Assessment

This article is an outgrowth of the evaluation and assessment process in a large interdisciplinary studies (IDS) program at West Virginia University. We argue for the importance of collecting and assessing quantitative and qualitative data concerning learning outcomes, student satisfaction, career choice and development, and graduate education after students have graduated from an undergraduate IDS program. While there are difficulties inherent in developing an assessment instrument and gathering quality data, we contend that this process ultimately yields valuable insights that can improve student learning, teacher quality, and programmatic design. Moreover, a comprehensive postgraduate tool can provide evaluative data directly relevant to critics' demands for higher education to implement greater accountability measures and demonstrate programmatic achievement. To assist other IDS programs, this article includes a practical guide to navigating the difficulties in developing a postgraduation evaluation and assessment tool and carrying out a plan for collecting data on a large scale.