FAQs

Accrediting agencies do not consider course grades a sufficient measure of student learning at the program level. Individual grading policies and practices often vary by faculty member. Grades also often incorporate components, such as class participation, that are not directly related to learning outcomes.  A grade in a particular course does not provide direct evidence of what a student has actually learned.  Diagnostic information of student learning at the program level requires an aggregation of analysis of actual student work or actions in order to provide the level of specificity necessary to make assessments of strengths and weaknesses in student learning for a particular program. 

With federal and state regulations now requiring the University to regularly report on assessment of student learning outcomes for accreditation, assessment is no longer a movement, it is a mandate. While accreditors do expect particular kinds of information to be identified, collected, analyzed, and used (i.e., student learning goals, direct and indirect evidence, results), each insititution is expected to articulate the framework and content of an assessment plan that is meaningful for the particular goals of the institution. 

When you submit your assessment report, please describe how far you got in implementing your assessment plan, and why your program was not able to complete the assessment. Next, please detail the steps you will take to complete your plan and how you will ensure timely completion. Please do not hesitate to contact Office of Academic Assessment for help in designing, implementing, analyzing, and/or using the results.

Please describe in your assessment report how far you got in implementing your assessment plan. Provide an explanation of factors contributing to the failure, and what the department has learned. Finally, please describe in detail plans for completing a new iteration (including changes to the original plan, timelines, and expected use of results). Do not hesitate to contact the Office of Academic Assessment for help in designing, implementing, analyzing, and/or using the results.

Programs own and control the data they generate for assessment.

If an external professional accreditation process for a program overlaps with the institutional requirements for student learning assessment at NYU, it is the responsibility of the program to demonstrate how the accreditation requirements also fulfill NYU expectations for student learning assessment. If a program cannot show how the professional accreditation requirements directly map onto NYU student learning assessment requirements, the program is responsible for assessing student learning outcomes regardless of the professional accreditation.

Independent assessments for dual/joint degrees are only necessary if the student learning outcomes for the dual/joint degree are conceptualized as distinct, and separate from, the student learning outcomes associated with the programs that define the dual/joint degree. Otherwise, the student learning outcomes for a dual/joint degree can be assessed within the various departments where their respective programs are housed.

No, you are not expected nor required to examine population-level data for your program. Sampling is an acceptable and encouraged practice for assessment. Please do not hesitate to contact the OAA if you require assistance with determining a sufficient sample size and methodology appropriate for your particular program needs.

• Decide it is necessary to expand the original assessment (i.e., more data is determined necessary to reach a meaningful conclusion)
• Implement changes to the curriculum, add or delete program requirements, alter programmatic structures
  
• Change existent policies, funding, and planning efforts that engender student learning
• Expand opportunities for faculty development