Academic assessment in the College of Arts and Sciences takes a few different forms, depending on the nature of the program being reviewed, the scope of inquiry, and the goals for reviewing the program. This site provides guidance on the forms of assessment required by the college and university, but it also provides resources that any program might use to improve and develop academic programs in a methodical and collaborative manner.
If you’re new to assessment, then you are encouraged to visit the “Assessment” page on the Office of Academic Affairs website, where you can find a general overview of academic program assessment, including definitions, purposes, and additional resources. If you are involved in assessing graduate programs, then you’ll find the Graduate School’s site especially useful.
On this page, you’ll find a quick overview of the types of assessment ASC faculty and staff should be aware of, including information about who is responsible for assessment-related activities. Fuller resources and guidance are linked below for assessing major programs especially.
For questions related to assessment or to set up a consultation with the ASC Assessment Coordinator, please email Dan Seward.
Assessing Major Programs
Major-program assessment focuses on determining how well students are meeting the learning outcomes for the program, which are initially submitted in the program proposal. Depending on the administrative structure of the department housing the program, the program director, director of undergraduate studies, department chair, or an administrative staff member will be responsible for overseeing and reporting annual assessment activities. The following pages explain the process more fully and provide resources to help departments ensure major program receive ongoing assessment:
- Major-Program Assessment: The Basics. This page provides an entry point for anyone new to learning-outcomes assessment in general or to major-program assessment in particular
- Major-Program Assessment: Annual Process. This page includes an annual timeline for ensuring program assessment is completed and reported to the Office of Academic Affairs.
- Major-Program Assessment: Developing Assessment Plans. This page explains the types of details programs need to consider in working out the logistics of annual assessment.
- Assessment Resources on the OAA website. The Office of Academic Affairs determines the overall expectations for assessment at the university; this site provides an overview.
- Assessment Resources provided by the OSU Graduate School. The central Graduate School site provides even more detailed resources on assessment, although some assessment methods may prove more useful to graduate programs than undergraduate ones.
- Nuventive.Improve on BuckeyeLink. Departments submit assessment plans and record assessment results in Nuventive, procedures treated in an OSU-specific guide to the platform. To gain access to the system, you will need to take Nuventive.Improve training in BuckeyeLearn.
Assessing Gen-Ed Courses
The General Education program is in the process of updating GE assessment guidelines and supporting materials. Once those are available, we will link to them here and provide any additional resources needed for ASC faculty and staff to fulfill requirements to assess GE courses.
Assessing Non-Major Programs
Non-major programs have various requirements, depending on the scope and format of the program:
- Certificate Programs: Proposals for certificate programs should an assessment plan for the program's learning outcomes. The assessment plans in certificate proposals are reviewed by the ASC Curriculum Committee and subsequent curricular bodies.
- Minor Programs: There is not currently a requirement to assess minors housed in ASC departments. However, units may find value in doing systematic academic program assessment of minors too in order to determine whether students in the minor are achieving the program’s goals and whether the program continues to meet the needs of students.