Expectations for Learning Outcomes Assessment with CTL
Assessment of student learning outcomes is a collaborative process owned by department faculty who lead with meaningful questions about student learning outcomes in their program. As such, decisions about what learning is assessed and in which courses or assignments are left to the department. Moreover, members of the department, and specifically teaching teams on the identified course(s) where data will be collected, are responsible for evaluating student work.
If the department chooses to prepare for APR in partnership with CTL, tasks that the department is responsible for include:
- Share your program’s Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) with CTL staff for review.
- Pick 2-3 SLOs to focus on during the assessment process and refine these SLOs if needed.
- Give feedback on a rubric provided by CTL staff that will be used to assess the chosen SLOs.
- Identify culminating assignment(s) from course(s) in the program to review and assess the chosen SLOs.
- Use the agreed-upon rubric to evaluate student work from these culminating assignments during the next iteration of the identified course(s).
- Meet with a CTL consultant to discuss the findings of the assessment process and develop an action plan.
Please note that certain steps may be delegated to individual faculty and/or instructors, but we expect that all department stakeholders can weigh in during the assessment process. Learning outcomes assessment of a program is most impactful when the department seeks consensus on significant decisions.
Expected Commitment
This full process takes time. While the identified course may take place in a specific term (fall or spring semester), preparation is needed before that semester starts, and data analysis and action planning take time after the semester ends. Departments should keep in mind that they must meet certain milestones for the full process to be complete by the self-study deadline.
What CTL Provides in This Process
CTL brings significant assessment expertise to this process with technical support from other teams in RTL. We help departments to embed learning outcomes assessment within bCourses (Canvas) sites for existing courses, using Canvas Outcomes and native rubric tools aligned to existing assignments.
For departments that choose to prepare for APR in partnership with CTL, our staff will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Review the program SLOs provided by the department for appropriate scope and focus.
- Identify and modify a rubric that effectively assesses the SLOs chosen by the department.
- Revise the rubric using department feedback to reflect program expectations.
- Connect with and train the course teaching teams to use the rubric on identified culminating assignments.
- Gather assessment data from Canvas throughout the semester to generate a report.
- Offer feedback and data to inform the department’s action plan to improve student learning.
An example of the data you might expect from your department’s report is provided below. The assessment process reveals the distribution of student-demonstrated achievement for each SLO separately, allowing departments to talk about student preparation and training in distinct skill/knowledge areas.
