Academic outcomes assessment at Quinnipiac University is based on objectives identified by faculty and administrators for specific academic and support programs. The process employs a variety of measurements to discover, as accurately as possible, whether the programs are achieving the student learning outcomes in areas such as general education and major programs of study.
The purpose of academic outcomes assessment is to produce feedback to the department, school/college or administrative unit on the performance of the curriculum, learning process and/or services, thereby allowing each unit to improve program offerings. As part of providing feedback to faculty, student work (that has been de-identified) may be used for faculty development. This type of assessment is not for the purpose of evaluating performance of an individual student, faculty member or staff member.
Measurements may be drawn from surveys, course evaluations, placement tests and a variety of other standardized or locally developed tests. For example, required course assignments and examinations may be used first as a basis for course placement or for assigning grades to a student, and then later used again in an outcomes assessment for an academic or support program. In these cases, the outcomes assessment is conducted as a process separate from and without influence on the course placement or grading process for individual students.
Whenever academic performances are used in outcomes assessment, confidentiality of individual student identities is strictly maintained. Outcomes assessment results for academic and support programs do not disclose analyses at the level of the individual student without written permission from the student.