Academic Program Review (APR)

CTL Core Services

Departments: What to Expect

Preparing for APR: An Estimated Timeline

Have questions about learning assessment? Please contact us!

If you are preparing for APR and would like to discuss possible support available for you, please email us at teaching@berkeley.edu. 

If you are not currently preparing for APR and would like to discuss assessment planning, please schedule a consultation with CTL staff.

CTL Support for Undergraduate Learning Outcomes Assessment

As part of the staff support team for Academic Program Review (APR), CTL provides an optional project-based service for departments to gather direct evidence of student learning outcomes using bCourses (Canvas) to include in their APR self-study. You can preview the steps of this process in our resource, A Practical Guide to Assessing Student Learning.

This learning outcomes assessment framework focuses on course-based learning typical of the undergraduate curriculum. As such, only departments that offer undergraduate majors and/or minors are eligible for this service.

Why Assess Program-level Learning Outcomes?

CTL supports departments in analyzing meaningful, direct evidence of student learning to foster data-driven continuous improvement of the curriculum. Leveraging staff expertise in pedagogical best practices, CTL helps departments develop action plans to enhance student learning experiences based on the findings of this focused inquiry process.

As described in the APR Guide, a partnership with CTL in learning outcomes assessment addresses several fundamental questions that guide departmental conversations on teaching and learning, such as:

  • What are the core learning goals (e.g. skills, concepts, proficiencies) for students in our undergraduate programs?

  • What educational activities enable students to meet those goals?

  • Do all students demonstrate program-level learning outcomes?

  • How will we adjust the curriculum to improve student outcomes as needed?

Evidence and reflection in line with these questions also satisfy the Undergraduate Program-focused prompts provided in the Education section of your self-study. An example of a learning outcomes assessment report is provided with annotations.

The Learning Assessment Process in APR

diagram of the assessment cycle noting particular steps where data is sourced from rubrics implemented within Canvas (bCourses)

Drawing on scholarship from assessment professionals like Jankowski and Marshall, CTL engages departments in an assessment cycle that consists of the following major components:

  • Identify Outcomes - Departments surface what their discipline values in terms of the skills, knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of learners in their programs.

  • Align Measure - Departments explicitly name their expectations for student learning, including describing what it looks like to achieve the stated learning at different stages of their programs.   
  • Gather Data - Departments gather direct measures of student learning demonstrated through existing coursework, including papers, lab reports, problem sets, essays, creative works, and more.
  • Analyze Data - Departments engage with data on student learning to understand trends and patterns, but also where students meet the stated expectations for learning and where they do not.

  • Plan to Improve - Departments recognize that program-level learning is an amalgamation of their course experiences (as well as out-of-class opportunities) and consider broad curricular/course changes to improve student learning outcomes for all.

 The full process takes time to plan, execute, and analyze. We typically recommend that department representatives work with us before the start of the semester when the relevant course is taking place, and allot time after the semester ends for data analysis and interpretation.