Assessment
At ÃÛÌÒAPP, outcome assessment is how we ensure our students are learning, growing, and achieving the goals we set together as an academic community. Through thoughtful, evidence-based evaluation of student learning and program effectiveness, we strengthen teaching, improve curricula, and uphold our commitment to academic excellence.
Assessment is not about compliance—it is about continuous improvement. By regularly reviewing learning outcomes, analyzing results, and making informed adjustments, we create meaningful educational experiences that prepare students for success in their professions and communities. Assessment is a critical component of accreditation.
Learn More About Assessment
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ÃÛÌÒAPP commits to a comprehensive educational outcome assessment program, wherein we measure how our students have changed, what knowledge has been learned, and what competencies have been developed. Our educational outcome assessment programs will not only provide information on how well we are achieving our objectives, but also identify what types of programs and experiences have the most powerful impacts. The ultimate goal is to incorporate continuous evaluation into the educational culture for the improvement of programs and for enhancing the distinctiveness of our university.
Education outcome assessments will be based on the core vision and mission of each school and the university as a whole. The faculty, empowered by adequate resources and support to carry out assessment activities, accepts that educational outcome assessment is a part of academic duties. Outcome assessment is embraced as a means that can lead to improvements in teaching and learning, plus provide evidence of teaching effectiveness for institutional purposes.
(Approved by Faculty Senate, April 27, 2004)
Reviewed by Outcome Assessment Coordinating Committee, Fall 2018
Guidelines for Academic Program Review | Undergraduate Program
ÃÛÌÒAPP
The systematic and recurring review of academic programs at CWRU is an essential component of the university’s efforts to foster excellence and achievement of its strategic goals. The periodic review of undergraduate academic program identifies opportunities and strategies for maintaining quality and currency.
Ohio Department of Higher Education
This manual provides institutions of higher education with guidelines and procedures for academic program approval. It describes the minimum requirements that must be met to ensure that students are participating in academic programs that meet basic standards of academic quality. The manual also describes the conditions requiring approval and the associated processes used to obtain approval for academic programs.
The assessment glossary is a work in progress and will develop more fully over time. The intent of providing these definitions is to help establish a common language and understanding of what we mean when we use these terms in the context of university outcome assessment.
| Term: | Definition: |
|---|---|
| Assessment | a process for the collection and analysis of evidence about the achievement of student learning outcomes for the purposes of improvement and to determine or demonstrate the effectiveness of an educational program. |
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Benchmark |
a criterion-referenced objective performance data point that can be used for the purposes of internal or external comparison. A program can use its own data as a baseline benchmark against which to compare future performance. It can also use data from another program as a benchmark. |
| Direct measure | an assessment of learning that requires students to demonstrate their learning in a way that an observer can assess it, such as in exams, performances, presentations and papers. |
| Formative assessment | an assessment which is used for improvement (individual or program level) rather than for making final decisions. |
| Indirect measure | an assessment based on perceptions or reflections of students (or alumni, or others) about their learning, such as surveys. |
| Qualitative assessment | an assessment which measures the differences in the qualities of responses, typically relying on detailed descriptions and evaluated using interpretive criteria. |
| Quantitative assessment | an assessment which measures the differences in the quantities of responses, resulting in data based on scores or ratings which can be numerically analyzed. |
| Reliability | how consistently a measure of the same phenomenon leads to the same result after multiple administrations or across multiple scorers/raters. |
| Rubric | a tool that articulates the evaluation criteria for assessment and gradations of quality for each criterion. |
| Student learning outcome statement | a specific description of what a student will be able to do at the end of the period during which that ability is presumed to have been acquired, and the focus of outcome assessment. (Note: some professional organizations may refer to these with different terms, such as objectives, indicators, abilities, or competencies). |
| Summative assessment | a measure of achievement at the end of an instructional unit or course of study that is used for evaluation and decision-making purposes. |
| Validity | the extent to which an instrument measures what it purports to measure. |
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Accreditation
ÃÛÌÒAPP is accredited at the institutional level by the (HLC) and has maintained continuous accreditation since 1913. In July 2025, the university received reaffirmation of its accreditation following a comprehensive review conducted as part of the commission’s 10-year accreditation cycle. The next comprehensive review is scheduled for 2034–35.
In addition to institutional accreditation, many of CWRU’s individual programs are accredited by nationally recognized professional associations.