Assessment

Assessment of student learning at Ohio Wesleyan is the responsibility of all faculty and staff who engage in the teaching and learning enterprise. The purpose of assessment is to collect data that the university and its departments and programs can use to monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum in helping students meet the university’s mission and aims and department’s or programs’s learning outcomes that are based on their specific goals. These assessments take many forms ranging from informal assessment that occurs during one-on-one dialogues between students and faculty/staff mentors and teachers to formal classroom assessment such as papers, exams and projects. University assessment is typically conducted through a variety of surveys, whereas department and program assessment is outlined in department/program assessment plans. 

For university assessment, Ohio Wesleyan uses a combination of  “in-house” assessment measures and national surveys to capture a wide range of general academic skills and requirements. Most of these assessments are conducted on an annual basis and are reviewed by the Teaching and Assessment Committee and others for whom they are relevant. These measures, in conjunction with those used by departments, programs, and individual faculty members, allow OWU to assess how well we meet our Statement of Aims.

Academic assessment is guided by the Teaching and Assessment Committee (TAC), a non-overlap faculty committee. The committee is composed of elected faculty members, ideally one from each division (Social Sciences, Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts, and Natural Sciences/Mathematics), a faculty representative who serves as a liaison between the committee and Academic Affairs, the Director of Libraries, the Director of International & Off-Campus Programs, and two students assigned by the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA). Assessment procedures are carried out by departments, programs, and Academic Affairs representatives. Interpretation and evaluation of assessment results, as well as recommended studies or changes to measures or curricular approaches, are made by departments, programs, and the Teaching and Assessment Committee (TAC).

Descriptions of the assessment processes for General Education, The OWU Connection, First Year Seminar, and Departments and Programs can be found by clicking the desired category. Resources for department and program faculty and staff can be found here.