University at Buffalo (UB)
Empowering Instructors | Supporting Excellence
2022-23 Impact Report
The Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation's portfolio is strategically aligned to the goals of academic affairs as well as the broader university.
Our primary strategic goals for 2022-23 were:
- Successfully transition the campus from Blackboard to Brightspace as our Learning Management System
- Provide guidance and support for the Middle States reaccreditation effort and the development of the self-study
- Provide leadership and professional development in 21st century pedagogies, curricular and instructional design, learning spaces, and instructional technologies.
- Leverage systems data and analytics to promote improvements in the areas of student learning, pedagogy and curricular/instructional design, usage of instructional technologies, and learning spaces.
- Provide oversight and direct support for rigorous and systemic assessment through comprehensive program review, annual program assessment, and course evaluations.
The Middle States Commision on Higher Education (MSCHE) is the university's regional accreditor. As such, every decade UB is responsible for conducting a rigorous and comprehensive self-study toward reaccreditation.
CATT's Associate Vice Provost and Director is one of the co-chairs of the university's reaccreditation efforts, and several CATT staff members also have integral roles in the process. Core contributions and responsibilities of our staff include:
- Helping to direct and coordinate the reaccreditation process.
- Leading communications efforts with key stakeholders and campus constituents.
- Coordinating the drafting and designing process of the self-study.
- Managing and organizing the body of self-study supporting evidence.
- Providing staff and organizational support for all subcommittees.
The LMS transition to Brightspace was an intensive, multi-year project for the university. The 2022-23 academic year was a critical period in these efforts as evidenced by the timeline below.
- Summer 2022Initiated preparation for course migration from Blackboard to Brightspace.
- Fall 2022Coordinated with the Brightspace by D2L Support Team to provide in-person training for UB instructional support staff.
- Winter 2022-23Faculty training efforts commenced.
- Spring 202392 instructional support tickets managed by CATT, in addition to ongoing UB Learns support.
Comprehensive Program Review
Comprehensive Program Review, conducted by university departments and supported by the Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation, contributes to the university’s educational and research mission by ensuring quality assessments and continual improvement of graduate and undergraduate programs.
Programs Reviewed:
Fall 2022
- Chemical and Biological Engineering (Graduate; remote)
- Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering (Graduate; remote)
- Computer Science and Engineering (Graduate; in-person)
Spring 2023
- Electrical Engineering (Graduate; remote)
- Industrial and Systems Engineering (Graduate; in-person)
- Materials Design and Innovation (Graduate&Undergraduate; remote)
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Graduate; remote)
Annual Program Assessment
99% of Programs Participating
84% of Program Learning Outcomes Assessed
6 Programs Missing PLO's
Administration of Course Evaluations
UB Course Evaluations is the standard system, administered by CATT staff, that helps to ensure consistency of information about teaching effectiveness from across the university. Course evaluation data is used to assess student attitudes about the quality of teaching.
Units Engaged: 18
Fall 2022 Courses: 5916
Spring 2022 Courses: 5738
Units participating in mid-semester evaluations:
- School of Dental Medicine
- School of Social Work
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Counseling and Educational Psychology (online)
- School of Public Health and Health Professions
The Teaching Technology Integrations Gateway (TTIG) is the official source for reporting on teaching technology integrations with UB Learns. The gateway provides faculty and staff information about teaching technologies, connects them with specialist consultation and self-paced content and helps faculty and staff navigate the UB procurement process.
As of fall 2023, there are 27 applications integrated with UB Learns using the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standard methodology:
- Seventeen integrations are general tools: These LTIs are typically external tools used in course sites and are comprised of legacy LTIs from the previous Blackboard LMS and some newly requested LTIs.
- Nine integrations are enterprise tools: These are LTIs that are either UB enterprise-supported tools integrated with the LMS, or are component tools that are an integral part of the LMS and supported through a university contract.
- Two integrations are Pilots: One is a pilot at the enterprise level, Feedback Studio by Turnitin, and the other, Navigate eBook by Jones & Bartlett Learning, supports an individual Nutrition course.
The TTIG protocols are being expanded to include the management of internal reviews of SUNY IITG grant applications to improve the strategic impact of IITG grants and provide more effective and complete support for awardees. The gateway will expand the technology review protocols for faculty and staff looking to integrate teaching technology into their programs and services by implementing a standardized interview tool in partnership with the Teaching Transformation team.