University Assessment & Testing

AAIC Policy

"OSU requires that all academic programs conduct Program Outcomes Assessment to comply with the assessment mandates of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA – the accrediting organization). Each academic unit is required to have an assessment plan on file with the Office of University Assessment and Testing that describes expected student learning outcomes for each degree program and the methods used to evaluate those outcomes. Academic units are also required to file brief annual reports describing their assessment activity from the previous year."

 

Assessment of student learning in all academic units can be a beneficial tool for facilitating dialogue about the curriculum and encouraging continuous programmatic improvement throughout a campus. Assessment refers to the systematic collection, review, and use of information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development (Palomba and Banta 1999). Assessment is not a review of faculty performance. Program Outcomes Assessment provides feedback to an academic unit on the performance of its curriculum; thereby allowing informed decisions regarding the need for changes. Assessment is, therefore, an integral part of the commitment at OSU to sustain and enhance academic quality and the student educational experience.

 

The Assessment and Academic Improvement Council (AAIC) supports the idea that academic units are best suited to determine how to assess their students’ learning outcomes and how to use assessment results for program improvement. AAIC and the Office of University Assessment and Testing work to facilitate program outcomes assessment by providing information, guidelines, and financial resources to conduct effective assessment and by coordinating assessment at the program and institutional level.

 

AAIC encourages academic units to develop and implement Program Outcomes Assessment with the following concepts in mind. These characteristics form the basis for providing feedback to academic units regarding assessment methods and uses of results.

• Program Outcomes Assessment is based on a process in which faculty have identified the desired student outcomes that are consistent with the objectives of the academic unit. Assessment focuses on evaluating student achievement of these expected learning outcomes. Assessment results must not be used for RPT evaluations or annual appraisals of faculty or staff.

• Program Outcomes Assessment seeks to help faculty understand and improve student learning by asking key questions such as What should graduates of this program know or be able to do? Have the graduates of our program acquired this learning? How can student learning, or our curriculum, be improved?

• Program Outcomes Assessment should provide feedback to the academic unit and contribute to program development. Assessment should not simply be viewed as collecting data for program evaluation; it should be viewed as integral to ongoing self-evaluation, development, and improvement of the program.

• Program Outcomes Assessment should include a variety of measures that are suited to evaluate the unique learning objectives in the unit.

Assessment should optimally include direct and indirect measures of student learning. Direct measures include a capstone experience, senior project, portfolio assessment, standardized tests, certification and licensure exams, locally developed exams, exams blind scored by multiple scorers, juried review of student performances and projects, external evaluation of student performance in internships. For graduate programs, direct measures also include faculty review of theses and dissertations. Indirect measures include data from student surveys, alumni surveys, exit interviews, retention and transfer rates, length of time to degree, graduation rates, job placement, and program acceptance.

 

The same assessment methods do not have to be used every year. Program Outcomes Assessment should be systematic and ongoing; the timetable for implementing assessment measures should be appropriate for the curriculum and resources of the program.

 

Each academic unit should periodically review and evaluate the assessment methods and determine how these methods contribute to program development. Assessment methods may change over time as different concerns emerge regarding the curriculum or student learning.

 

Assessment reports should be brief summaries of the assessment activities in an academic unit and are requested annually to comply with requirements of the State Regents. The reports should be shared with all faculty in the academic unit and reviewed by the dean of the appropriate college. The reports are used for continued accreditation with the North Central Association and a variety of programmatic accrediting agencies.