Educational Assessment

At Biola University, we use assessment to bring about continuous improvement to our students’ learning experience. Faculty often share that the work of assessment is of great value to their program area as it provides an opportunity to assess where the program stands and to establish benchmarks in which to grow. This approach fosters strategic improvement to programs, while also confirms the strength areas of programs.

Biola University faculty actively engage in an assessment cycle that includes annual PLO assessment reports and an academic program review. The assessment cycle has been adopted by all of Biola’s academic programs at every level. Read more about the outcomes for each program on our Program Learning Outcomes website.

Academic Program Review

Academic Program Reviews (APR) at Biola University serve as a way of systematic evaluation of undergraduate and graduate degree programs (including General Education/Core Curriculum) through a self-study process. Academic Program Review provides a year-long opportunity for faculty within degree programs to expand their curiosity about their program by examining their program objectives, outcomes, and effectiveness in preparing students for a career in their field or further graduate education. The opportunity to engage in APR allows faculty and administrators to also respond to future opportunities or challenges that may exist through a collaborative process. It also provides direction for strategic planning of the program and for the university as a whole to be responsive to the changes in higher education.

Learn more about Academic Program Review

Transparency Framework

The National Institute of Outcome Assessment (NILOA) has developed a transparency framework to support institutions in communicating assessment. We have adopted this framework to guide us in sharing evidence of student learning on our website.