Assessment at Fredonia

Academic Program Review

Academic departments at Fredonia are required to complete a comprehensive review of their programs every five years; view the schedule. As noted in the State University of New York at Fredonia Guide for Periodic Evaluation of Academic Programs:

"Fredonia is committed to providing excellence in education. To this end, the Faculty, both as individual educators and corporately as members of departments/schools, is continually evaluating their programs as part of an ongoing review of their effectiveness in delivering the best educational opportunities for our students. As an integral part of this process, each department/school takes the opportunity every five years to reflect on the current state of its programs. In cooperation with Administration, and with the aid of colleagues from other, sister institutions, the department/school assesses the strengths and challenges of its programs and engages in long-term planning for their future. Together with Administration, they formulate an action plan designed to improve program effectiveness, with the commitment of the necessary resources as budgetary constraints will allow, and in congruence with University strategic planning. A summary report of the findings and actions of this periodic review is presented to the University Senate."

Many resources are available to departments throughout this process, including:
1. The aforementioned Guide for Periodic Evaluation of Academic Programs
2. College Administration
3. Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment (IRPA) staff

Program Review Data Requests
A list of data to be included in the review information is provided in the guide, and much of the requested data is readily available to departments. To help facilitate the process of acquiring needed data, IRPA has created a "Data Available to Departments from IRPA" document that outlines the data that is already available to departments as well as data that can be requested through a Tracker. Please note that this document details data available from IRPA; there may be other offices on campus that have data that is needed for reviews. As such, all requests for additional data should be submitted through the Tracker platform in order to be directed to the correct office or department on campus.

Finance and Administration Division

The Finance and Administration Division consists of nine departments with approximately 300 employees. The departments are: Vice President for Finance and Administration, Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration (Financial Services), Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability, Facilities Planning, Facilities Services, Faculty Student Association (FSA), Internal Control, University Police, and University Services.

The over-arching goals of the Finance and Administration Division at Fredonia are to:

• ensure the fiscal integrity of the campus
• provide a safe and supportive educational environment
• develop appropriate use of new technologies
• provide outstanding service to all customers
• assure well-maintained buildings and grounds
• support the region’s economic and educational development

Each office within the nine departments sets assessment goals at the beginning of each fiscal year. The assessment process is continuous as evaluation activities are a part of everyday operations. At fiscal year-end, outcomes/measures of these activities are reviewed. Some assessment goals remain constant for the next fiscal year, while others are amended, deleted, or new ones added.

The Finance and Administration Division publishes an annual report that outlines their activities and assessment for the previous academic year.

Assessment in University Advancement

The University Advancement division is responsible for providing leadership for all functions and matters relating to Fredonia’s philanthropic engagement, including the Fredonia College Foundation, Inc. as well as Marketing and Communications, and Alumni Affairs.

University Advancement fosters connections with individuals and organizations whose financial support fuels the efforts of students, faculty, and staff to make SUNY Fredonia, the western New York region, nation, and world a better place.

The Fredonia College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, governed by a 32-member Board of Directors, with the purpose of receiving private support, administering resources and supervising the investment of philanthropic funds in support of Fredonia.  The Foundation holds more than 587 endowed funds and awards that reach across every program and academic area of study and every student cohort.

A link to the most recent Fredonia College Foundation annual report can be found here: www.fredonia.edu/about/offices/fredonia-college-foundation

Marketing and Communications supports Fredonia’s strategic communication and marketing efforts, including public relations, website digital content, and creative design that promotes recruitment and retentions of students, and overall image of the university.

Alumni Affairs works to improve the quality of life for more than 50,000 alumni around the globe by being the common thread that links them to one another and to their university.   

The University Advancement division will continue to create, enhance, and promote key activities and programs that ensure continued success for Fredonia students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Campus-Wide Assessment Initiatives

In addition to the assessment activities taking place at the program or department level, there are also assessment projects undertaken with the purpose of gathering data from across the student body as a whole. From these projects, we glean information about our students in a way that is not necessarily tied to a particular major or program, for example. These projects provide data that is beneficial to the entire campus community. Here are some examples of these campus-wide assessment initiatives:

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Student Satisfaction Survey (SSS)
• Survey of Student Perception of Learning (SSPL)
• Assessment of Service and Civic Engagement (ASCE)
• Project SAILS (Student Assessment of Information Literacy Skills)

Please send information about additional assessment initiatives to the Office of the Vice Provost. assessment@fredonia.edu

Department of Business Administration

1. As part of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation process, the faculty of the department of Business Administration developed course objectives for all courses. These objectives are based on the five student learning outcome areas identified by the department:

• Business ethics
• Communication (written and oral)
• Critical thinking
• International awareness
• Leadership

2. Faculty organize their courses and other student experiences in ways that contribute to their students acquiring the skills and knowledge listed above.

3. At the end of each semester teaching faculty member submits a portfolio, including student work, that illustrates the learning activities that took place in the course. Assessment committees are formed to review the student work using rubrics to evaluate the extent to which each learning outcome is achieved. In addition to the portfolio review, the department collects assessment data from and about their students in a variety of other ways:

• Annual survey of internship supervisors in which the supervisor evaluates their interns' ability to apply the knowledge/skills learned in their major courses.
• Annual exit survey of students when they apply for graduation that seeks to gather perceptions of students about their experience in the department.
• Every two years the ETS Major Field Test is administered to students in the capstone course; this provides another source of content knowledge.
• Every five years an alumni survey is distributed to gather information regarding income levels, position titles, company/organizations, graduate work, and recommendations for the curriculum and course content to help achieve the department's learning goals.

4. The reports of the assessment committees are sent to the curriculum committee so that the assessment results are used to inform decision-making and action. The data from the other assessments is used to inform both curricular as well as program changes.

Recent changes made as a result of assessment data:

• Core course objectives have been revised in order to ensure coverage of areas deemed insufficiently addressed.
• Course activities have been revised in order to better address the learning outcomes.
• Several changes in the major have been implemented to better reflect the current state of the discipline.
• Many changes to the course pre-requisite system were made to better prepare students for advanced courses.
• New courses were developed to teach students about leadership, business ethics, and critical thinking.

Department of Applied Professional Studies

Sport Management Program

Goals for student learning:

In accordance with the department mission to provide outstanding education to its students we expect our graduates to be able to:

• apply knowledge of sport management, including facility and event management, leadership, management and computer literacy to practical problems
• incorporate quality organizational behaviors and extraordinary work-place behaviors to accomplish self-defined and organizational objectives.
• provide effective personal and professional communication within a sport industry organization.

 Methods of assessment:

The formal assessment of Goals 1, 2, and 3 is done though the capstone course SPMG 400 (Sport Management Internship). This experiential education class requires students to work under the direction of a field site-supervisor and is supervised by a faculty sponsor from within the department. During the course of the internship, the site supervisor sends mid-term and final evaluations of the student using a rubric. The student also sends mid-term and final self-evaluation reflecting on the internship experience and a journal of the performed tasks. These documents are used to assess the goals. The faculty sponsors provide the Assessment Committee Chair with a copy of each student’s rubric. The Assessment Committee Chair processes the data and applies simple statistical methods (mean, median, frequency distribution, and others) to assess the goals.

Music Industry Program

Goals for student learning:

In accordance with the department mission to provide outstanding education to its students we expect our graduates to be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced skills in business, communication, management, and leadership in the music industry field including:

   • Ability to communicate with various public and professional audiences through written texts, oral discussions, and multimedia presentations

   • Understand the basic principles of interpersonal and mass communications and the interaction with internal and external music audiences.

   • Ability to assume leadership roles in various professional settings and work effectively with diverse groups and organizations.

   • Demonstrate essential management and business related skills in the workplace.

2. Understand the common principles of artist management, artist promotion, tour management, event and venue management, music licensing and copyright, music performance, and music production. 

3. Understand the principles of finance, accounting, and the economics of the business of music as they fit into national and international economies. 

4. Demonstrate skillful operation of technology and assessment related tools that may be applied to various music management settings.

5. Critically discuss social, psychological, and philosophical bases of the music industry.

Methods of assessment:

The formal assessment of Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is done through an exit survey distributed to graduating students. The questionnaire summarizes the student's experience in the program. It is anonymous and is administered to the students that applied for graduation shortly before they finalize their studies. A rubric is used to assess the results. 

 The department secretary provides the students with the questionnaire either in electronic form or on paper copy. The Assessment Committee Chair processes the data and applies simple statistical methods (mean, median, frequency distribution, and others) to assess the goals.

Department of Economics

The Economics Program is student-oriented: student learning is our primary goal. We perform rigorous annual assessment of our programs and student learning outcomes.

Students achieve a working knowledge of the two core fields of economics: microeconomics and macroeconomics.  They understand the concepts and theories, can apply them to real-world situations, and develop problem solving skills utilizing these concepts and theories.

Learning Goals:

• Students achieve a working knowledge of the two core fields of economics: microeconomics and macroeconomics.  They understand the concepts and theories, can apply them to real-world situations, and develop problem solving skills utilizing these concepts and theories.
• Students achieve competency in the statistical analysis of economic behavior.  They understand statistical inference and probability distributions.  They can perform the calculations of statistical estimation, regressions analysis, time series analysis, and analysis of variance as well as interpret the results and test their reliability.
• Students can research a complex, real-world economic issue, gather relevant data and information, research the relevant literature, apply economic and statistical reasoning appropriate to the issue, and present their findings in a clear and professional manner.

Assessments:

• Economic students take two core theory courses (ECON 305 and ECON 310) as part of the major.  Sample exams and papers are to be gathered from economics students to assess the level of competency.  Student learning is assessed using rubrics partitioned by content areas and the level of complexity/difficulty.  Within each cell the percentage of students achieving poor, fair or good level is recorded.
• Economic students take two core statistical courses (ECON 200 and ECON 300) as part of the major.  Sample exams and computer labs are to be gathered from economics students to assess the level of competency.  Student learning is assessed using rubrics partitioned by content areas and the level of complexity/difficulty.  Within each cell the percentage of students achieving poor, fair or good level is recorded.
• The capstone Senior Seminar course (ECON 450), taken near the end of a student’s tenure in the department, provides an opportunity for students to apply the sum of their training to the analysis of a real-world economic issue.  In the course of the Senior Seminar, multiple papers are written culminating in a lengthy research paper and presentation.  Papers and presentation are evaluated by rubric.  An exit interview of economic majors is conducted to assess strengths and weaknesses of the program; all economics faculty are encouraged to attend.

Assessment Schedule:

Microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics are assessed on a three year rotation.  Senior Seminar is assessed every year.

College of Education, Health Sciences, and Human Services

The College of Education, Health Sciences, and Human Services (COEHSHS) has a systematic and comprehensive assessment program. The State University of New York at Fredonia is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).  SUNY Fredonia is working toward accreditation of its educator preparation programs under the AAQEP standards with an anticipated Quality Assurance Review in Spring 2026  Advancing Quality in Education Preparation (AAQEP) 

The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in Speech-Language Pathology at the State University of New York at Fredonia is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700.

Our program is currently accredited for the period of May 1, 2021 through April 30, 2029.

For more information on the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). click here   

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

In addition to undergoing periodic academic program review, each department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences develops and implements an assessment plan based on guidelines provided by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Each department then completes an annual assessment report as part of the annual reporting cycle. The assessment report template is used by all departments to ensure consistency of information and feedback is provided to the departments using the feedback form.

An important aspect of the assessment cycle is using assessment data to inform planning, make decisions, and enact change, often referred to as "closing the loop." See examples of how CLAS departments are using their data.

Click on the links below to view departmental assessment plans, including student learning outcomes, and curriculum maps.

• Biology: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Chemistry and Biochemistry: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Communication: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Computer Information and Sciences: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map, Assessment Webpage
• English: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Geosciences: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• History: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Mathematical Sciences:
  • Assessment Plan
  • Curriculum Maps: Applied Math, Math, Math Education
• Philosophy: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Physics: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Political Science: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Psychology: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice: Assessment Plan (including Curriculum Map)
• Theatre and Dance: Student Handbook Assessment Chapter
  • Acting: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
  • Dance: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
  • Musical Theatre: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
  • Production/Design: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
  • Theatre Arts: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• Visual Arts and New Media: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map
• World Languages and Cultures: Assessment Plan, Curriculum Map

School of Music

School of Music: Assessment Plan (including Curriculum Map)