Gen Ed Assessment 2025-26
Overview
In consultation with the Office of the Provost, SBU Assessment Council, and General Education Advisory Committee the Office of Educational Effectiveness will continue to facilitate the assessment of the SBC general education curriculum.
This assessment will focus on a subset of SBC categories, including undergraduate general education courses certified in the SNW, TECH, STAS, EXP+, WRT categories. Guided assessment conversations will take place in the Spring as a reflection on completed Fall SBC courses. This will be supplemented by faculty and student focus groups to gain deeper insight into the campus community's perceptions of the general education curriculum.
Process & Timeline
Date |
Action Item |
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November 2025 |
OEE will provide assessment coordinators with a list of select instructors teaching SNW, TECH, STAS, EXP+, WRT general education courses during the Fall 2025 semester. Assessment coordinators will be asked to review the list and notify OEE of any questions or concerns by 11/14/25. Assessment Coordinators will notify OEE of the faculty members selected to participate in the SBC assessment. OEE will contact identified instructors to provide them with an overview of the SBC assessment process.
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November - December 2025 |
OEE will send periodic reminders and logistical details to instructors participating in the SBC assessment. OEE will also host general education focus groups with current students.
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January 2026 |
OEE will contact instructors participating in the SBC assessment to schedule a mutually convenient meeting time for the guided assessment conversation. |
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February - March 2026 |
OEE staff will meet with participating instructors for a 45-minute guided assessment conversation by email or zoom. After participating in the assessment meeting, faculty will receive a copy of their individual assessment reports for verification. Data will be reported in aggregate at the level of the SBC. Instructor- and course-level data will be kept confidential.
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Methodology
Following the Stony Brook University enrollment census date (September 16, 2025), the Office of Educational Effectiveness (OEE) identified all Fall 2025 courses certified in the assessed SBC categories (SNW, TECH, STAS, EXP+, and WRT), yielding an initial population of 1,009 courses. Unlike prior years, EXP+ Tutorials and Supervisions were included because they align with the category's emphasis on experiential learning, application and, and integration of knowledge through individualized or small-group instruction.
To create a consistent assessment population, OEE excluded courses that:
- Enrolled fewer than 10 students (n = 656)
- Were certified in more than one assessed SBC category (n = 2)
- Were 300- or 400-level courses, except EXP+ (n = 82)
Upper-division courses were generally excluded because they are more likely to reflect major-specific rather than general education learning outcomes. EXP+ courses were retained because the "plus" designation emphasizes advanced application of learning outcomes and most EXP+ offerings are upper division.These criteria resulted in an eligible population of 267 courses.
Building on the 2023 and 2024 assessment processes, OEE set a goal of assessing at least 15 course sections per SBC category. Because all categories had sufficiently large populations, approximately half of the eligible courses in each category were selected using random sampling. The resulting requested sample included 140 courses (52% of the eligible population).
Following sample selection, OEE consulted with assessment coordinators and instructors to adjust for faculty availability (e.g., sabbaticals or leaves) and instructor eligibility (e.g., graduate assistants or adjunct faculty unavailable for retrospective assessment). The final assessment sample reflects faculty participation in Spring 2026 guided assessment consultations.
Results
Results from this assessment will be available in Fall 2026.