Reporting Process

The focus of the Office of Educational Effectiveness is to collaborate with each academic program offered at Stony Brook University to coordinate, develop, and enhance their program assessment process. Programs will follow the SBU Academic Program Assessment Policy and Procedures linked below. 

SBU Academic Program Assessment Policy

SBU Academic Program Assessment Procedures

 

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Academic Program Assessment Requirements for Fall 2023 - Spring 2024

SBU academic degree programs will conduct an assessment of at least one Program Learning Objective (PLO) and provide a brief assessment report on their findings by February 23, 2024. You will also update your accomplishments, improvements, and evidence of improvement for 23-24. 

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Academic Program Assessment Requirements for Fall 2022 - Spring 2023

SBU academic degree programs will develop an assessment plan and conduct an assessment of at least one Program Learning Objective (PLO) in the Fall 2022 semester and provide a brief assessment report on their findings by Feburary 20, 2023.

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Academic Program Assessment FAQs

• What is due for the 2023-2024 assessment reports?

  To complete the assessment reporting requirements for 2023-2024, please ensure your report includes the following by 2/23/24: 

  1. Make any desired edits to your assessment plan using the feedback you received from the SBU Assessment Council on your 2022-2023 reports.

  2. Update the top section of the report template with your 2023-2024 Accomplishments, Improvements, and Evidence. 

  3. Conduct an assessment of at least one PLO. Provide Results/Findings and Actions/Improvements for any PLOs you assess. 

• How do I access the template for my assessment report?

  Each year, OEE shares a google doc that is pre-populated with your most current program assessment information with your assessment coordinator. For assistance locating  your personalized assessment report template, please email EducationalEffectiveness@stonybrook.edu.

  For your reference, blank assessment report templates and sample resources are available below: 

  • 2023-2024 Blank Report Template

  • Annotated Report Template with Instructions

  • Sample Completed Report Template

  • Report Template Quick Reference Guide

• How do I submit my assessment report?

  If you use the google doc template shared by OEE with your assessment coordinator, no formal submission is required. OEE will automatically review your document on the report deadline to check for completion. 

  If you choose to use a local copy (such as a word doc, pdf, private google doc), please email your final document directly to EducationalEffectiveness@stonybrook.edu.

• Do I need to assess all of my program learning objectives every year?

  No. You can assess as many PLOs annually as you would like, but SBU's flexible approach to assessment only requires that you assess one PLO per year. 

• Do I need to redo my entire assessment plan every year?

  No. You should have submitted a complete assessment plan in 2022, year 1 of SBU's 5-year assessment cycle.  The plan should have included a complete list of your program goals, program learning objectives, assessment location, assessment methods, assessment timeline/frequency and assessment benchmarks. You are welcome to make edits and updates to these elements as you see fit, but revision is not required annually. Instead, only the assessment of at least one PLO and updating your accomplishments, improvements, and evidence is required annually. 

• Do I need to respond to the feedback from the Assessment Council on last year's assessment report?

   We hope that you will take the Council's feedback into consideration and use their suggestions to improve your assessment plan, but their feedback is non-binding and may not be applicable to the nuances of your program's mission, goals, or learning objectives. Please note, however, that if choose not to use the Council's feedback to make changes or improvements, you may receive similar feedback in subsequent reviews. 

• Where are we in SBU's 5-year assessment cycle?

  The following timeline provides an overview of SBU's 5-year assessment cycle from academic years (AY) 2022-2027:

  • Year 1: AY 2022-2023 - Report due February 20, 2023. 

  • Year 2: AY 2023-2024 - Report due February 23, 2024. 

  • Year 3: AY 2024-2025 - Report due September 30, 2025.

  • Year 4: AY 2025-2026 - Report due September 30, 2026.

  • Year 5: AY 2026-2027 - Report due September 30, 2027.

  By the completion of the assessment cycle in 2027, you should have assessed all of your PLOs at least once. Then, the 5-year cycle will start over between 2027-2032.

• My program is accredited. Do I need to submit a report?

  No. Accredited programs are not required to submit annual assessment reports at this time, unless otherwise specificed by your individual School/College leaders.

• How do I know if my program is accredited or non-accredited?

  Accredited programs have specialized, discipline-specific accrediting agencies at the program level. A complete list of SBUs accredited programs is available on our website. If your program is not listed there, then it is considered non-accredited and an annual assessment report is required. 

• Why is it important to submit my annual assessment plan?

  Submitting your annual assessment plan can help your program make incremental progress toward curricular, pedagogical, and student learning improvement in an evidence-based way.

  In addition, all non-accredited programs periodically participate in an external review process called Department/Program Review. Your annual assessment report will serve as a useful source of information and student outcomes data to support your self-study document. 

• I still have questions about the assessment process or report requirements. How can I get assistance?

  • Email your questions to EducationalEffectiveness@stonybrook.edu

  • Request a consultation with OEE. 

  • Review our archived workshops and training materials. 

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Assessment Coordinators' Words of Wisdom

Looking for some assessment inspiration? Hear what your fellow assessment coordinators had to say about keeping the assessment processes manageable and meaningful, or read the video transcript.