Assessment
Program Assessment
Program assessment is a systematic process that consists of designing and implementing methods to gather data to improve student learning across curricula as well as student experiences of nonacademic and co-curricular units. This process of evaluation provides a platform for department, program, and course innovation. The assessment process or cycle is divided into four phases:
Phase I: Develop/define goals (this could be either learning goals and/or operational goals).
Phase II: Gather evidence that will help to better understand if and how these goals are achieved.
Phase III: Analyze the evidence collected and draw conclusions.
Phase IV: Use evidence to determine necessary program/course enhancements.
Figure 1: Phases of an Assessment Cycle
A. Why is Systematic Assessment Beneficial?
- Collaboration – Creates a platform for ongoing discussion of expectations and content across a program.
- Improvement – Provides a formal process for faculty and administrators to identify strengths and weaknesses of a curriculum or program. Assessment results helps inform decisions.
- Accountability – Acts as a mechanism to systematically evaluate, document, and enhance both academic and nonacademic programs for stakeholders, such as prospective and current students, employers, and accrediting bodies including Middles States Commission on Higher Education and Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA).
B. Guiding Principles of Learning Assessment
- Collective Leadership: Faculty-driven academic assessments, in combination with administrative leadership for nonacademic units, provide consistent vision, guidance, and relay accreditation expectations across the College.
- Positive Culture and Partnership: Assessment initiatives thrive when embedded in a positive assessment culture and when integrated throughout all aspects of an academic institution.
- Program Enhancements: Assessment promotes ongoing program growth and improvement. How can we better help students learn the skills and knowledge we deem most meaningful to their careers?
Assessment of Administrative, Educational Support, and Student Support (AES) units
The Office of Assessment, Accreditation, and Institutional Effectiveness at Baruch College partners with administrative Divisions and Departments to engage in assessment of administrative, educational support, and student support (AES) offices.
AES assessment includes all units of Baruch College that are not academic departments. This includes the Office of Administration and Finance, the Office of College Advancement, the Office of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs, the Office of Legal Counsel and Labor Relations, the Office of Diversity, Compliance, and Equity Initiatives, the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost/ Division of Academic Affairs, the Division of Student Affairs, the Division of Enrollment Management and Strategic Academic Initiatives, and the Division of Information Services. It also includes assessment of the operations of each of the schools at Baruch College.
AES assessment is driven by the Baruch College strategic plan as well as the goals of each unit. Such assessments may include ways to better understand service delivery, efficiency, goal attainment, and stakeholder satisfaction.
Assessment of Student Learning
At Baruch College, in accordance with Middle States Commission on Higher Education Standard V: Educational Effectiveness Assessment, and recognized best practices in higher education, faculty lead all work on assessment of student learning.
The Baruch College Governance Charter clearly states that “[t]he School Faculties shall be responsible for and conduct all educational affairs including but not limited to affairs customarily conducted by an academic faculty: including the formulation of School policies relating to curriculum and degree requirements; academic credits; the granting of degrees; student admission and retention standards; and the academic status, role, obligations, and freedoms of the School Faculty.”
Faculty at Baruch College are hired by and teach in degree programs housed within one of three Schools: the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and the Zicklin School of Business. Assessment of student learning is therefore driven by School-based faculty, with administrative support on assessment provided by an assessment lead for each School, reporting directly to each Schools’ Associate Dean.
Faculty are responsible for assessment of student learning at the course level. This includes faculty setting their own course learning outcomes or objectives, and assigning work that facilitates the faculty member’s assessment of student learning.
Faculty are also responsible for assessment of student learning at the program level — this is done collaboratively in each academic department, where department faculty work together to articulate program learning outcomes or objectives for the degree program as a whole, and then provide samples of student work to the School/department’s assessment coordinator, who facilitates the process of assessment of program learning goals.
Defining Goals
Note: Other common terms often used interchangeably with the word goal: objectives, competencies, etc.
Purpose of Goals/Outcomes:
- Incorporate the mission or purpose of the unit, program, or course.
- Provide a mechanism for faculty and staff to articulate the expectations of the program as well as the experiences, skills, knowledge, and habits of mind they want students to gain.
- Provide clarity and transparency regarding the student experience.
- Act as a measure when assessing student proficiency.
- Establish accountability for both the program team and the students
Learning Goals
- Program learning goals are broad statements that address the higher order learning of a degree program, encompassing the degree’s mission, values, and overall expectations. These goals represent what a student should know and be able to demonstrate by the time they graduate. Program learning goals are addressed throughout the curriculum.
- It is important for all faculty to be familiar with the program learning goals of the degree they are teaching in, particularly as they create or revise course content and course goals.
- Course goals are the learning expectations specific to a course. As each course represents a component of a unified curriculum, course goals are often derived from/speak to the relevant program learning goals of the degree. This is critical to ensure the program operates cohesively, allowing for the assessment of teaching and learning at both the course and degree level.
- When relevant program learning goals are also incorporated and emphasized in class, students are then able to align the course goals with broader program expectations, producing meaningful curriculum connections across the degree. This allows students to understand the learning expectations from both the course and program lens and hold themselves accountable.
Operational Goals
Operational Goals are clear, measurable statements that address a desired result achieved by the department or program beyond student learning. For example, increasing mentors by 10% or increasing participation by 50%.
College-Wide Learning Goals
College-wide learning goals encompass a universal set of expectations that speak to the student’s holistic Baruch College experience. Student learning is assessed through the college-wide learning goals which are embedded across the general education curriculum as well as department programs.
Baruch’s college-wide learning goals are clearly articulated as follows:
- Critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills
- The application of learning to practical situations
- Oral, digital, and written communication skills
- Teamwork, social intelligence, and interpersonal relationship skills
- Cultural and ethical competence
General Education
Baruch College is a part of the CUNY system-wide general education framework known as the Pathways curriculum. The Baruch College Pathways requirements are broadly communicated to all students via the Office of Undergraduate Advisement and Orientation and located on the undergraduate degrees page as well as well as the undergraduate academic bulletin. At Baruch, college-wide learning goals are incorporated within the general education curriculum, as every student is provided this pedagogical foundation.
To support ongoing assessment initiatives, CUNY provides every campus with guidelines on creating a general education assessment plan with the common core, as well as on conducting a course-level assessment of selected common core student learning outcomes. There are also many additional resources that CUNY provides on assessment of general education and the Pathways curriculum.
Program Learning
Marxe School of Public and International Affairs: NASPAA Competencies and Program Learning Goals
For program learning outcomes in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, please see:
- MSPIA Master in Public Administration program learning goals
- MSPIAMaster in International Affairs program learning goals
- MSPIA Master in Higher Education Administration program learning goals
- MSPIA Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs program learning goals
Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Learning Goals
For program learning goals in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, please see Weissman Assessment.
Zicklin School of Business: AACSB Learning Goals
For program learning goals in the Zicklin School of Business, including the program learning goals for the BBA in general, the majors within the BBA, as well as for graduate MBA, MS, and PhD programs, please see the information about Assurance of Learning, which is part of the requirements for AACSB accreditation.
Assessment Resources:
- The Assessment Review, A CUNY Publication: Learn more about the range of academic and administrative assessment activities taking place across the City University of New York system and beyond.
- Assessment 101: Free online asynchronous course that introduces the basic principles of assessment in higher education through Blackboard/Brightspace.