For Students

The Office of Academic Assessment collects evaluations of students' achievement of relevant learning outcomes using Canvas Outcomes. This is done in order to anonymously evaluate student learning at Emerson College. Academic assessment has multiple purposes: 

1. First and foremost, assessment helps us gauge if students are learning what we're trying to teach;
2. Student learning assessment enables departments to make informed decisions about changes to program requirements; and,
3. Assessment allows us to demonstrate students’ achievement of the skills and knowledge included in the College's learning outcomes.

What do we collect?

Faculty members rate students' achievement of the program learning outcomes relevant to their course, using a rubric in Canvas provided by the Office of Academic Assessment. At times, we may also work with programs on special projects that make use of samples of student work; these may include written work, recorded performances, images of artistic work, and/or other materials produced as part of your course work at Emerson. This material is the “data” of academic assessment.

How do we collect data?

Faculty Fellows participate each semester in the Learning, Equity and Assessment Program (LEAP). LEAP Fellows design an assessment project for their department and identify faculty teaching courses in which student learning is being assessed. Faculty instructors submit Canvas Outcomes ratings to the Office of Academic Assessment, which securely stores the data and anonymizes it by removing students’ names, as well as faculty identifying information. For instance, if we are looking at four course sections being taught by four faculty members, all student and faculty identifying information is removed; if multiple course sections are being taught by the same faculty member, all student identifying information is still removed. 

What do you do with my data?

We use the data to evaluate students’ achievement of the program learning objectives faculty use in creating their course learning objectives. The data helps departments review their curriculum and make changes to ensure equitable learning opportunities for Emerson students. For instance, we might look to see how well students who took an Aesthetic course met the outcome: “Develop critical faculties in regards to the arts, enhancing their ability to make personal and qualitative judgments of each.”  The Institute could use the results of that data to inform future conversations about how Aesthetic courses are structured.

Who has access to my work?

Only the Office of Academic Assessment staff, the Faculty Fellow leading the project, and the faculty members who are reviewing student data will have access to this information. 

What are the risks of my work being assessed?

Assessment of student learning is a standard practice within higher education, and it is governed by a set of best practices; this means that faculty receive anonymized data that is not linked to your individual name or identity. When we disaggregate data by various identity categories, we are careful to do so only when groups (referred to in data analysis as the "n") is large enough that individual students cannot be identified. Reviewers also analyze the data after you have completed the course and your grade has already been submitted. We do not anticipate any risks to you as a result of the assessment process.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

Liz Chase, Senior Associate Director, Academic Assessment
liz_chase@emerson.edu
(she/her/hers)

Revised August 14, 2024