Welcome to Assessment at the University of Oklahoma

"The purpose of assessment at The University of Oklahoma is to guide program improvement."
-Dr. Paul Bell, Vice Provost for Instruction & Assessment and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences

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The principles of assessment and critical self-evaluation are integral to the University’s academic programs, and the various colleges, departments, and schools of the University have a long tradition of activities designed to assess the quality of their programs and to lead to program improvement.  Moreover, assessment of what students have learned is an ongoing activity, designed to give students feed-back on their performance during the course of the academic term and to provide a final evaluation of the level of achievement at the end of the course.

Assessment at the University of Oklahoma is guided by the following principles:

  • The primary purpose of assessment is to guide program improvement.  Data collected should have explicit and planned links to efforts to improve programs.
  • Assessment should not serve as a barrier to students’ progress.
  • The role of the faculty in assessment is central and critical to ensuring success.  Faculty must be involved in the development and implementation of all aspects of assessment.
  • Implementation of OU’s integrated assessment program is supported by the student assessment fee authorized by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

OU’s assessment program, following the Assessment Policy of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, consists of four-tiers:

  • Entry level assessment and placement – to determine academic preparation and course placement.
  • Mid-level assessment – to determine basic skill competencies and to provide information to improve the institution’s program of general education.
  • Programs outcomes assessment – to evaluate the outcomes in the student’s major and to measure how well students are meeting institutionally stated program goals and objectives of the faculty.
  • Student satisfaction assessment – to determine students’ perceptions of quality and satisfaction with academic and support services.

The OU assessment program was implemented in January 1983 and since then has continued to provide OU faculty, staff and students with information that is used on a regular basis to improve the academic and support programs of the University.

In addition to the core assessment program, the University engages in the assessment of a wide- variety of activities and uses the results to improve its programs.  These activities are included under the link "Other University Assessment Activities".