Stony Brook University implemented its revised undergraduate general education curriculum
known as the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) in Fall 2014. The purpose of the SBC is to provide students with foundational knowledge,
develop their critical thinking skills, enhance communication skills, and promote
personal growth. The SBC aims to promote lifelong learning and increase the employability
of our graduates. For more information, visit the SBC website or General Education Advisory Committee website.
Assessment of the SBC is a critical component to ensuring that our curriculum is effective
and meets the needs of our student body. Through assessment, we can provide better
student support and continue to attract high-quality students, faculty and funding.
The Office of Educational Effectiveness, in partnership with the Assessment Council,
is repsonsible for the periodic assessment of the SBC.
General Education Assessment Process & Cycle
SBU's general education program was first assessed in 2018. Following a review of this pilot assessment process and its results, SBU adopted
a mixed-methods approach to general education/SBC assessment in 2022. Each year, a
sample of SBC instructors participate in a 45-minute 'guided assessment conversation'
with an assesment consultant to discuss their general eduation student learning outcomes
(SLOs) and student performance results. During this conversation, instructors and
assessment consultants work together to align their course activities and assignments
to the SLOs, and evaluate student performance results using a streamlined three-point
rubric. Results of the assessment conversation are then reported in aggregate at the
level of the SBC.
This informs the University's understanding of student performance on the SBCs, the
effectiveness of the general education program, and recommendations for potential
modifications to the curriculum. Assessment conversations are supplemented by surveys
and focus groups to gain greater insight into student and faculty perceptions of the
SBC.
Beginning in AY 2024-25, guided assessment conversations will take place annually
in the Spring as a reflection on completed Fall SBC courses. SBC categories will be
assessed according to the following staggered schedule. For more detail on each year
of the SBC assessment cycle, visit the links below.
Each year, assessment coordinators will receive an email from OEE with a comprehensive
list* of all SBC general education courses offered by your department and their instructors.
Using this list, coordinators are asked to identify faculty members to participate
in the 'guided assessment conversation' and notify OEE of their selections.
*Courses with fewer than 10 students enrolled have been excluded from the list.
We leave this at your discretion as the assessment coordinator for your area, although
we offer the following considerations to guide your selection, if helpful:
The purpose of general education assessment is to understand the typical performance
of non-majors in the SBC learning outcomes. You may want to focus on 100- or 200-level courses (as opposed to 300- and 400-level courses, which are more likely to consist primarily
of major students).
You are welcome to select faculty members of any appointment type (full-time, part-time,
adjunct, etc.), but please prioritize those who will be available to meet during the
Spring term.
It may be helpful to reiterate that this is an assessment of student performance in
the SBC. It is not as assessment of the faculty teaching in the SBC.
You may want to consult with your program director, chair or dean during the identification
process about your selections.
We encourage you to select faculty who are interested in fostering a culture of assessment
at Stony Brook University.
Absolutely! We encourage you to participate as much as you are able.
OEE will reach out to you shortly to schedule a 45-minute in-person or Zoom meeting
at your convenience. This meeting will consist of a guided conversation to better
understand your course, assignments, and student performance in relation to the SBC
student learning outcomes.
To prepare for this meeting, teach your course as usual, but be sure that you have
access to a copy of your syllabus and your gradebook.
Please come prepared with a copy of your syllabus and/or a list of your course assignments,
and access to your gradebook or student performance results. These materials are for
your reference only; we will not keep or collect these documents.
For instructions on accessing grades in Brightspace, click here.
For assistance accessing information in learning tools embedded within Brightspace
(Cengage, McGraw-Hill, Pearson's, Web Assign, etc.), click here.
For hands-on support with Brightspace, contact Academic Technology Services at (631)
632-9800 or contact the SUNY Helpdesk at 1-(844)-673-6786.
Assessment Consultants may include members of the Office of Educational Effectiveness,
the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and other members of the Office
of the Provost who are trained to conduct the guided conversations on the topic of
general education assessment.
Assessment Consultants will be prepared to facilitate the discussion and will already
have a record of your course code, course title, applicable SBC categories, and a
list of all SBC learning outcomes per category.
The results of the general education assessment initiative will be used to evaluate
student performance in the SBCs. Results will not be used to evaluate faculty teaching
in the SBCs.
Results will be reported in aggregate by SBC category. Aggregated results will not
discuss specific courses or instructors. Participating instructors will receive a
copy of the information collected during the guided conversation meeting for verification
purposes and to retain for their records.
