The Office of the Provost has been working to establishing a new University Assessment Center, to be located in the Walsh Library.
According to the SHU website, the new center will "help academic and administrative units to create and implement assessment plans."
"Our goal is to make assessment more faculty-driven at the department level," Dr. Theresa Bartolotta director of assessment for academic affairs in the Office of the Provost said.
These types of assessments are more common at the larger schools at Seton Hall, like the College of Nursing or Education, but all schools use assessment at the course level, according to Bartolotta, who has been working on the initiative for two years.
The center aims to provide this by providing more resources to and take more direct input from faculty and staff. It will help faculty by teaching about collecting, analyzing and learning about and from data collected.
The center will also hold quarterly meetings of the University Assessment Committee, which is open to all faculty, administrators, and staff. The committee shares ideas for assessments as well as results and possible or successful solutions.
The goal of the committee, according to the SHU website, is to "support the mission of the University by assuring that our programs are of the highest quality, and that we are effectively preparing our students to succeed in their chosen profession and contribute meaningfully to the common good."
"(The center is) a movement to improve and/or confirm the quality of education at Seton Hall," said Director of the University Assessment Center Dr. Michael Vigorito.
When the university dedicates itself to continually improving programs, students are more likely to have higher success rates and better learning experiences.
"We can measure this by things like exam performances and feedback from supervisors in field placements," Vigorito said.
The Assessment Center is currently working out of office but will be relocated on the bottom floor of the Walsh Library in the TLTC department.
"(The center) represents a great positive step in our commitment to continual improvement," Bartolotta said.
Victoria Plate can be reached victoria.plate@student.shu.edu.
