Program assessment

Program assessment is the gathering and analysis of data to assess the relationship between an educational institution’s stated mission, purpose, and objectives and the actual outcomes of its educational programs. A goal of program assessment is to provide evidence that there is congruence between the institution’s mission statement and the learning outcomes of the individual academic programs. Another important goal is to provide evidence that the programs are actually preparing students according to the programs’ learning outcomes.

To achieve these goals, all academic programs at UB are assessed on an annual and five-year basis. This cyclical assessment process is a best practice that follows the principles of continuous improvement and ensures that:

1. students are being adequately prepared to pursue careers in their chosen fields
2. the University can obtain and maintain accreditation for programs of study
3. the academic integrity and overall quality of certificate and degree programs at the University remain high.

To begin this process, all programs must have identified student learning outcomes that are tailored to the program and aligned with UB’s Mission Statement. To provide evidence that the program learning outcomes are addressed in the program, programs must establish a curriculum map: a tool that indicates the alignment of the course-level outcomes to program learning outcomes. The curriculum map provides a foundation for ongoing program assessment.

At the end of the academic year, programs are required to submit an Annual Assessment Report to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) at University of Bridgeport. The Annual Assessment Report summarizes progress made on the program’s assessment plan, reflects on what went well during the prior year, and identifies changes planned for the upcoming year.

In addition, each program will submit a formal Five-Year Review. The Five-Year Review documents the summative and formative assessment process for each program over the prior four years. The final report lists all program outcomes, documents any changes in the outcomes or curriculum map, indicates the cycle of assessment of each outcome, and outlines the methods that were used for assessment each year. For those programs with professional accreditation, site visit reviews are acceptable in place of a formal five-year review.

For both annual and five-year reviews, the OIE serves as a resource for program directors and department chairs. We will work with you on how to establish an assessment plan that is practical and useful for evaluating the quality of your program. The OIE can be reached by emailing ubassessment@bridgeport.edu or by submitting a request on the OIE portal.