Dec 04, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Accreditation and Assessment


 

Accreditation

The University of Tulsa is a fully accredited national doctoral institution and is on the approved lists of the Higher Learning Commission and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Some of the University’s colleges and professional schools are accredited by their own professional agencies as well.

In the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, the deaf education program is accredited by the Council on Education of the Deaf. The Ph.D. program in clinical psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association. The School of Music of The University of Tulsa is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The following degrees are listed by NASM: Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Music Education, Bachelor of Music in Performance, and Bachelor of Music in Composition.

The Collins College of Business is accredited at both the graduate and undergraduate levels by AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The TU undergraduate and graduate energy management programs are accredited by the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL).

The College of Engineering and Natural Sciences is an institutional member of the American Society for Engineering Education. The Bachelor of Science degree programs in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, engineering physics, mechanical engineering, and petroleum engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. The Bachelor of Science degree program in computer science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. The Bachelor of Science degree programs in chemistry and biochemistry are approved by the American Chemical Society.

In the Oxley College of Health Sciences, the baccalaureate nursing program is approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326. The Master of Athletic Training Professional Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and coursework is designed to prepare students for national athletic training certification through the Board of Certification (BOC) Inc. The Master of Science education program in speech-language pathology is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) programs are approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing. The D.N.P. programs are candidates for accreditation by the ACEN.

The University of Tulsa College of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) Council Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (address: 321 N. Clark St., 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60654 / phone: 312.988.6738 / email: legaled@americanbar.org / website: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/contact_us.html) since 1953.

Assessment

The University of Tulsa demonstrates, through its ongoing assessment initiatives, a commitment to educational achievement and improvement of student learning. Institutional level methods focus on student attainment of The University of Tulsa mission. University learning outcomes are measured at the college, program, and course level.

The annual program review process is a faculty-driven initiative that measures attainment of program learning objectives for undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The Annual Program Assessment Report provides evidence that The University of Tulsa is satisfying its mission using information gained each academic year to evaluate the effectiveness of its academic programs and improve the student learning process. The process also provides faculty with an opportunity for self-reflection.

The comprehensive undergraduate program review process involves all undergraduate academic programs to record and demonstrate achievement of program outcomes, student learning, retention, and degree completion. Programs are reviewed on a rotating basis. The requirement may be met either through external comprehensive program reviews conducted by specialized accreditation agencies or internal comprehensive program reviews conducted by college committees. Comprehensive undergraduate program reviews provide a mechanism for faculty and administration to evaluate the effectiveness, progress, and status of an academic program on a continuing basis through the feedback loop.

The University of Tulsa institutional assessment initiative, the Mission Statement Assessment Project (MSAP), uses direct and indirect assessments of students’ abilities to measure the accomplishment of institutional learning objectives. The following methods give feedback of student performance at multiple levels and in various ways across the curriculum:

  • The National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE) and Faculty Survey on Student Engagement (FSSE) obtain experiential and perception information from freshmen, seniors and the faculty who teach both groups.
  • The Tulsa University Learning Assessment Project (TULAP) is a faculty-developed process that uses evaluative instruments (rubrics) to analyze student work that is produced in general curriculum courses.
  • HEIghtenTM scores are obtained from a standardized exam that is administered to students at the beginning and end of their undergraduate tenures.

Students are also provided opportunities to give direct feedback to faculty about learning experiences at the course level through the end-of-semester course evaluations.

Results of these activities are analyzed for trends and evidence of student growth and proficiency. Results are compared to national cohorts. Student confidentiality is maintained by removing identifiers from artifacts prior to analyzing data and presenting results to stakeholders. Collectively, these assessment activities provide faculty with a comprehensive picture of what is working well for students and faculty and areas where opportunities for improvement exist.