As declared by its mission, “a Bay Path University education empowers undergraduate women and graduate women and men to become leaders in their careers and communities with an innovative approach to learning that prepares students to flourish in a constantly changing world.” As its mission reveals, Bay Path’s primary function is to propel student learning while preparing students to serve as agents of change and positive impact in their lives beyond the University. On a daily basis, Bay Path renews its commitment to its mission by embracing its responsibility to the Bay Path community of students, faculty, and staff to deliver an educational experience of the highest quality.

Throughout students’ educational journey, there is no single question asked with greater frequency by more members of the Bay Path community or that warrants greater consideration and effort than the question, “how are students progressing in their learning?” It is the central charge of assessment to address this question through the evaluation, documentation, exchange, and reporting of the achievement of student learning outcomes.

Students know that the successful completion of a course or a term does not signal the conclusion of learning. Similarly, the responsibility for assessment does not end with efforts to answer the question of how are students progressing in their learning. Rather, the larger purpose of assessment is to continuously enhance the Bay Path experience by amplifying the voices and experiences of students as key sources of institutional learning. By placing students at the center of the assessment experience, student consensus readily emerges regarding the aspects of the Bay Path experience that both exceed student expectations and require attention. Consensus perspectives are highly actionable, thereby enabling Bay Path to build upon program successes and pursue improvements.

Surveys – Placing Students at the Center of the Assessment Experience

Bay Path undertakes assessment from a holistic perspective, combining analyses of student performance by faculty with student self-report information obtained via a variety of surveys (e.g., nationally normed and locally developed). Placing students at the center of this holistic assessment experience is possible when the assessment process conveys value and opportunity for students to participate. Bay Path strongly encourages students to place themselves at the center of the assessment experience by providing input through the following sample of surveys administered at Bay Path:

• Graduating Student Survey (GSS) - Graduating students across divisions complete the Graduating Student Survey prior to Commencement. The survey solicits students’ perspectives and qualitative suggestions regarding the Bay Path experience and post-graduate outcomes.
• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) - The NSSE assesses the extent to which students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development. Information is gathered about institutional requirements and the challenging nature of coursework, perceptions of the college environment, and estimates of educational and personal growth since starting college.
• Advising Questionnaire - BPU administers this survey to all incoming traditional undergraduate students on an annual basis. Responses are used by a team of advisors to assist students in achieving their educational, personal, and career goals.

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment

Assessment of student learning in academic programs, inclusive of the Core Curriculum, forms the foundation of the University's efforts to ensure that students are achieving the outcomes of a Bay Path education. Each academic program at Bay Path has articulated student learning outcomes that reflect the knowledge, skills and abilities that students are expected to possess during and at the conclusion of a course or program of study. The student learning outcomes for each program are included in this Catalog. Students' academic performance in courses, assessed in the aggregate, is summarized annually and compared to established criteria for acceptable levels of knowledge or skill acquisition. The results of these annual assessments are used by Bay Path faculty to enhance the University's curriculum and delivery of instruction.