The goal of General Education Assessment at SUNY Oneonta is to better understand student achievement in the specific areas, examine effectiveness of the program as a whole, and engage the campus community in dialogue about the purpose and outcomes of General Education.
Responsibility for General Education Assessment
The Academic Assessment Committee conducts General Education assessment annually, submitting their results to the General Education Committee, a standing committee of the Faculty Senate. The Institutional Assessment Office has primary responsibility to support the implementation of GE assessment with additional support from the Deans and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The GE Committee reviews, endorses and recommends improvements to the GE assessment procedures for SUNY Oneonta to assure best practices exist. The Committee meets bi-weekly and relies on the administrative structure and responsibilities of Institutional Assessment in carrying out all tasks of the Committee. Such tasks include, but are not restricted to sampling procedures, implementation of assessment procedures, analysis of results, and assessment reporting. The office of Institutional Assessment conducts all General Education assessment tasks with the approval and support of the Academic Assessment Committee. The success and viability of GE Assessment at SUNY Oneonta is dependent on the cooperation and coordination between the entire University faculty, GE Committee, and office of Institutional Research and Institutional Assessment.
All faculty teaching General Education have responsibility for participation in General Education assessment and support of the learning outcomes by:
- Ensuring that course syllabi include the specific course category and learning outcomes for the GE category of the course
- Participating in assessment activities as relevant to the category assessments
- Participating in review of assessment results and discussions on implications for category.
| Semester | Assessed | Reviewed | Announced | Plan rubric & artifacts | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fa23 | A3 + FL3 | O/WCOM + IL | HUMA | 1 | |
| Sp24 | HUMA | ||||
| Fa24 | HUMA | USCE + WHGA | O/WCOM + IL | 2 | |
| Sp25 | O/WCOM + IL | ||||
| Fa25 | O/WCOM + IL | Decide on reassessment | USCE + WHGA | 3 | |
| Sp26 | USCE + WHGA | ||||
| Fa26 | USCE + WHGA | DESJ + CTR | Plan reassessment | 4 | |
| Sp27 | Reassess years (7), 1, 2 | ||||
| Fa27 | Eval reassessment | SOSC + NSCI + MATH | DESJ + CTR | 5 | |
| SP28 | DESJ + CTR | ||||
| FA28 | DESJ + CTR | WLAN + ARTS | SOSC + NSCI + MATH | 6 | |
| SP29 | SOSC + NSCI + MATH | ||||
| FA29 | SOSC + NSCI + MATH | Decide on reassessment | WLAN + ARTS | 7 | |
| SP30 | WLAN + ARTS | ||||
| FA30 | WLAN + ARTS | HUMA | Plan reassessment | 8 | |
| SP31 |
Reassess years 3, 5, 6 |
||||
| FA32 | Eval reassessment | HUMA | 1 | ||
| SP33 | HUMA |
SUNY Oneonta’s General Education Program, Dragon Academy, is effective for students matriculating Fall 2023 who have not yet completed SUNY Gen Ed requirements and/or have 30 or fewer total credits. Incoming students with more than 30 credits will fall under SUNY’s “hold harmless” approach as the system transitions to a new GE program. In other words, they will be exempt from new requirements, including DRGN 1000: Red Dragon Seminar. Visit the Dragon Academy for more information.
Attributes:
- Arts (ARTS)
- Critical Thinking & Reasoning (CTR)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice (DESJ)
- Global Literary (GL)
- Humanities (HUMA)
- Oral Communication (OCOM)
- Written Communication (WCOM)
- Quantitative Reasoning (MAT)
- Scientific Reasoning (NSCI)
- Social Science (SOSC)
- US History and Civic Engagement (USCE)
- World History and Global Awareness (WHGA)
- World language (WLAN)
Provost
The SUNY Oneonta Provost provides the leadership necessary to sustain the culture that values and promotes student learning assessment within the context of the institutional mission and the Strategic Plan of SUNY Oneonta. Other responsibilities of the Provost related to assessment are to:
- communicate with SUNY System Administration regarding its assessment expectations;
- make decisions with respect to SUNY Oneonta’s application and maintenance of all program accreditations, including the assessment of student learning as required by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education;
- determine the level of resources that must be committed to the campus’ assessment efforts; and
- sponsor activities that involve faculty, staff, and students in ongoing efforts to enhance teaching and learning.
The Provost also provides a clear charge to the Academic Program Assessment Committee (APAC) with the goal of communicating expectations for assessment.
Academic Deans
The Deans of SUNY Oneonta’s academic divisions involve faculty and other appropriate groups in understanding the value of outcomes assessment. Additionally, they facilitate faculty efforts to:
- identify the learning goals that are most important to their students;
- assess outcomes; and
- analyze and use the results.
The Deans initiate public recognition of faculty members’ ongoing efforts and accomplishments regarding the assessment of student learning as one means of demonstrating SUNY Oneonta's commitment to a culture that values the enhancement of student learning.
Department Chairs/Program Directors
Department Chairs/Program Directors provide leadership and organization for the assessment of student learning and academic programs for which they are responsible. This leadership includes:
- accessing appropriate informational sources and identifying resources to provide appropriate training and assistance for faculty involved in assessing student learning and academic programs;
- leading efforts to organize and assure completion at specified intervals the assessment of student learning as well as the assessment of academic programs;
- leading efforts to organize and assure completion at specified intervals the assessment of academic programs housed in the department; and
- guiding faculty’s use of assessment results to improve teaching and learning as well as the quality and effectiveness of academic programs.
Faculty
Faculty members traditionally have had the primary responsibility for facilitating student learning. Their role in the assessment process is prominent and a professional expectation. They determine what students should learn, both across the curriculum and within individual courses or programs, and how students should demonstrate this learning. Faculty members utilize various methods of gathering evidence of student learning and collaborate with other faculty members in evaluating student learning in their majors and academic programs. They analyze and use this information to create a true partnership for learning with their students and to improve student learning, pedagogy, and curricular programs.