Assessing Student Learning Outcomes

Assist administrators in ""rightsizing"" outcomes strategy and designing assessment practices that meet the emerging expectations for external transparency while being sufficiently relevant and unobtrusive to faculty to be a self-sustaining part of campus culture.

This study will help universities to: Avoid predictable failure paths in regional accreditation related to learning outcomes Review early experiences with the CLA and other standardized measures of "value-added" Speed departmental launch of assessment plans through intranet-based knowledge management tools designed to repurpose robust methodologies already in use on campus Balance faculty autonomy and institutional standardization in documenting assessment activity Develop incentives to engage faculty in defining general education learning outcomes Examine precedents for including outcomes assessment data in consequential budgeting and development decisions Executive Summary There is rising (if often reluctant) interest in defining and measuring student learning outcomes, as university leaders sort through conflicting signals from external stakeholders as to how far and how fast four-year institutions are being asked to evolve outcomes assessment practice. Many provosts and their teams find themselves eager to be responsive to the new standard (whatever it may be) but hopeful the standard can be attained without unsustainable administrative costs or unrealistic demands on faculty time. This study attempts to assist administrators in "rightsizing" outcomes strategy and designing assessment practices that meet the emerging expectations for external transparency while being sufficiently relevant and unobtrusive to faculty to be a self-sustaining part of campus culture. The first section of the study overviews the national debate on assessment and accountability, evaluating the different requirements that legislators, accreditors, and voluntary peer consortia are enacting for outcomes assessment. Our takeaway finding is that the specter of a national accountability standard for higher education (“No Undergraduate Left Behind”) is highly unlikely. Learning outcomes measures will not carry meaningful funding consequences or influence student…