Course Level Assessment

What is Course-Level Assessment?

Course-level assessment is based in the content and goals of individual courses within departments and programs. At NCC, course-level assessment includes two components: (1) discipline-specific learning goals assessment defined by Departmental Assessment Plans and (2) General Education learning goals assessment based on SUNY system-wide general education goals. Each course within a department or program defines its own explicit student learning goals, learning outcomes that represent the achievement of those goals and measures that reliably assess the specified learning outcomes. In addition, many courses contribute to the achievement of general education competencies, and these courses are also required to assess SUNY general education learning goals. While course-level learning goals and outcomes are course-specific, they are closely aligned with the goals and learning outcomes of the overall program and/or department within which the course is located.

Departmental Assessment Plans

Each department has developed a unique 3-4 year Departmental Assessment Plan (DAP) which guides course-level assessment activities. Plan designs encompass all of a department's courses, including those identified as General Education courses. In the case of the latter, course faculty uses SUNY-designated learning goals and outcomes as the basis for designing course-level assessments. For non-General Education courses, course faculty identifies appropriate learning goals and outcomes around which to build the course-level assessments. At the end of each academic year, departments are required to submit to the Office for Assessment and Program Review a report called the Annual Departmental Assessment Report (ADAR), which details assessment activities and results as well as evidence-based modifications in the departmental assessment implementation, pedagogy or other aspects of individual courses, and any other changes relevant to the department's course-level assessment practices.

Guidelines–2013 Annual Departmental Assessment Report (Revised August 2012)

Departmental Assessment Plan Template

What is General Education Assessment?

General Education Assessment at NCC is embedded in course- and program/department-level assessment of student learning. Core competencies of general education are integrated into student learning assessment in the areas of (1) Natural Sciences; (2) Social Sciences; (3) American History, Western Civilization and Other World Civilizations; (4) the Arts; (5) Critical Thinking; (6) Information Management; and (7) Basic Communication (written and oral). For most of these, the assessment is framed by common SUNY system-wide general education learning goals.

General Education Learning Goals