The Sheridan Center’s assessment and evaluation work is predicated on the notion that we are continuously improving as teachers and learners. Drawing from scholarship and studying our own teaching enables us to deepen our impact on learning through a process of reflection and understanding that highlights effective practice.

The Sheridan Center focuses on supporting individual faculty and departments in self-study efforts that result in decision making about the structure and/or content of everything from individual classes or entire curricula.

Sheridan’s assessment and evaluation services often take the following shapes:

• Consultation on methodologies (e.g. surveys, focus groups, existing Brown data, etc.) to address questions about student learning experiences and outcomes in academic programs.
• Facilitating academic program self-studies on learning goals for students and how they are supported by the curriculum.
• Preparation for College Curriculum Council review.
• Support for the evaluation of postsecondary educational grants, with implications for Brown students, from proposal through implementation.
• Campus-wide teaching and learning assessment projects.
• Evaluation of initiatives such as the Writing Across the Curriculum and Problem Solving Course (Re-) Design Institutes.
• Suggestions of educational research scholarship and/or instruments relevant to your assessment question.

Our goal in offering these resources is to support programs and individual faculty in making data-informed decisions about their teaching. Subsequently, we operate with an emphasis on impartiality, constructive feedback, and confidentiality.

To learn more about how the Sheridan Center can support your assessment project, please contact sheridan_center@brown.edu.