Office of Academic Assessment

Why do we engage in academic assessment? The answer is simply that as educators we belong to a culture of scholarship. As scholars we are committed to academic excellence. The goal of academic assessment is not to simply document evidence of student excellence but to use that evidence to improve student learning. The target of academic assessment is the program curriculum, not an individual course. The truly important things that we want students to achieve are the result of a curriculum in which student’s skills, knowledge and abilities are fostered, nurtured and reinforced systematically throughout their college experience.

The key components of academic assessment include:

• Identifying faculty expectations of student learning
  
• Systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence with regard to desired outcomes
  
• Using resulting information to understand and improve student learning

The ultimate responsibility for academic assessment rests with the faculty. They are the experts within their fields and are best able to identify the important outcomes they seek. This is confirmed by SACS statement 3.4.12 which states, “The institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of its curriculum with its faculty.” The Office of Academic Assessment serves as a resource for academic programs striving to meet this responsibility. The Office of Academic Assessment provides support to the faculty and departments with consultation, collaboration, training and technical support services. The primary goal of the office is to enhance student learning through ongoing and systematic assessment activities.

Stephen C. Zerwas
Director of Academic Assessment

To contact our office call (336) 334-5531 or email us at assessment@uncg.edu