Office of Assessment and Accreditation - Christopher Newport University

Office of Assessment and Accreditation

The Office of Assessment and Accreditation (OAA) manages assessment and accreditation in support of the University’s mission through continuous improvement of robust institutional assessment processes, compliance with standards of accreditation, management of a comprehensive program review schedule, and through the support and coordination of internal survey. The OAA serves to assure university stakeholders (e.g., students, faculty, employers of alumni, other schools to which transfer students or graduates apply, accreditors) and the public of the quality and integrity of higher education at Christopher Newport.

Accreditation serves to assure university stakeholders and the public at large of the quality and integrity of higher education institutions. Christopher Newport is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award degrees at the baccalaureate and master’s degree levels. Management of institutional accreditation is a vital task for all institutions. To this end, the OAA ensures that the University complies with all SACSCOC’s accreditation requirements. The OAA guides the University through a continuous, rigorous review process in which all aspects of university functioning are evaluated in accordance with the comprehensive list of SACSCOC standards.

Assessment is defined at Christopher Newport as the ongoing circular process of gathering, interpreting and discussing empirical data from multiple and diverse sources in an attempt to quantify or qualify any gains the university has made through continuous improvement. Further, it allows the university to determine the degree to which students are able to demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes and to determine the extent that each administrative or student support service unit is meeting its goals.

The OAA aspires to bolster a culture of empirical-based decision making and continuous educational improvement. We advise faculty and administrators on all aspects of the assessment process from writing student learning outcomes and/or key performance indicators to implementing results. We seek not only to support instructors and administrators with their navigation of the assessment process, but also aim to enable them to leverage the process to build a more robust institution.

Assessment is defined at Christopher Newport as the ongoing circular process of gathering, interpreting and discussing empirical data from multiple and diverse sources in an attempt to quantify or qualify any gains the university has made through continuous improvement. Further, it allows the university to determine the degree to which students are able to demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes and to determine the extent that each administrative or student support service unit is meeting its goals.

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