How does the annual assessment report help student learning?
"Assessment of student learning demonstrates that, at graduation, or other appropriate points, the institution's students have knowledge, skills, and competencies consistent with institutional and appropriate higher education goals" (Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 2007, from Self Study: Creating a Useful Process and Report).
Program assessment provides faculty the opportunity to continually measure the extent to which students are meeting the learning outcomes for their programs. Once programs collect data, they can take time to reflect on the results, and then choose the best course of action in order to improve student learning. Perhaps students need earlier exposure to a key concept or technique critical to the field, maybe curriculum changes need to be made, or perhaps students are meeting a key learning outcome with great success, which is an equally important message to communicate.
How does the annual assessment report help my program?
The annual assessment reporting process aids deparments in five ways:
- Aid departments in assessing student learning more effectively
- Aid departments in keeping a record of their assessment efforts
- Aid deparments in recording changes made due to assessment results
- Aid departments in better articulating and supporting arguments when requesting resources from administration
- Aid departments in documenting changes made in light of assessment results, which can be used when writing 5 year self-studies
The annual assessment report form can be found here, and a submission timeline can be found here.
How do I access or edit previous reports?
Departments and academic programs should keep departmental copies of their assessment plans and reports. The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment also acts as a depository for all assessment reports, and upon request, could provide you with a copy of your program's assessment report.
Any editing of assessment reports must be done before August 15, which is when reports are filed with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.
Can I see other programs' reports?
You can only view the assessment plans and reports of other academic programs if given explicit permission from that program.
Our program submitted an assessment report to our professional accrediting agency this year. Can I submit that instead of completing a local report?
If your program is accreditated and annually submits a report to your accrediting body, you may use that same report in lieu of completing SUNY Oswego's annual assessment report.
Do I have to submit separate reports for each degree program?
Each degree program should have distinct learning outcomes, which means you will need to submit separate reports for every degree program in your department.
Do I have to submit a report for minors and/or certificate programs?
Assessment reports only need to be submitted for major degree programs. You are not required to report assessment results of minors or certificate programs, however assessing minors and certificate programs is highly encouraged. These results are critical in any program improvement and/or modification.