Educational Assessment & Review

First Week of Classes on the North Campus Spine Photographer: Douglas Levere.

Supporting continuous improvement to promote student learning and success.

  • Institutional Learning Outcomes
    9/7/22
    Institutional learning outcomes were etsablished in 2014 in the Realizing UB 2020 report. The Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation, in collaboration with the University Assessment Council, compiles assessment data to demonstrate student achievement of these outcomes.
  • Annual Program Assessment
    1/11/22
    Program assessment is very important for ensuring that UB students are achieving important learning outcomes for the degree program and is also key for demonstrating to our external stakeholders that we take our educational mission seriously and are committed to continuous improvement.
  • Comprehensive Program Review
    7/27/21
    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.
  • Assessing Teaching Effectiveness
    8/16/22
    At UB, course evaluations are just one method for examining teaching effectiveness. Several additional options are available, and these can all be initiated by individual instructors or by department chairs and/or faculty mentors. CATT can provide additional information and support for the following approaches:
  • Completed Studies
    5/17/23
    Throughout each academic year, CATT staff conduct studies to collect useful data which can be used to guide teaching and learning at UB.
  • UB Course Evaluations
    3/22/23
    Course evaluations are an important part of UB's commitment to academic excellence. Course evaluations are now administered by the Office of Curriculum Assessment & Teaching Transformation, with oversight provided by the Course Evaluation Advisory Committee.

UB's Assessment Model

UB Assessment ModelAt UB, we conceptualize assessment and continuous improvement as a spiral. Over several rounds of assessment, aspects of the program or service needing improvement are refined. After several rounds of assessment, the outcomes of the program or service are being achieved as expected and very few changes will need to be made: Plan – Identify goals, objectives and learning outcomes; map thee outcomes to courses and other learning experiences; determine how learning will be measured; design and deliver courses and programs; Collect – Determine the timeline for collecting data on learning outcome achievement; collect, compile and interpret the data; share results with key stakeholders; Reflect – Review the results to determine are achieving learning outcomes to the desired level. In light of these results, consider program strengths and areas for improvement; Improve – Plan and implement necessary improvements (e.g., course delivery, sequencing, etc.). The effectiveness of these changes will be addressed in a future assessment cycle; and Cycle – With each new cycle of assessment the effectiveness of the process is refined.