Learning Outcomes Assessment

The assessment of student learning outcomes is an ongoing faculty-led process of inquiry that leverages evidence to improve our courses, degree programs, and general education curriculum.

Since 2019, assessment practices at KU have been reinvigorated and formalized to:

Include all programs (e.g. on-ground at all locations; online; undergraduate; graduate).
Ensure that academic departments and programs have developed clearly articulated learning outcomes aligned to institutional learning goals.
Curricular maps are focused on efficient pathways for students.
Establish annual assessment of student learning in the general education curriculum.
Establish comprehensive degree-level assessment to inform Academic Program Review.
Develop four-year assessment plans devoted to the continuous review and improvement of student learning incorporating an annual report of progress.
Establish the University Assessment Council, a centralized assessment body to oversee formal assessment processes for undergraduate and graduate programs at the degree-level, KU Core 34, and co-curricular units.

This systematic and thoughtful consideration of the learner pathway throughout a KU student’s educational journey is fundamental to the university’s commitment to enhancing academic quality and student success. Focused and intentional assessment of student learning outcomes is interwoven within this journey through KU’s institutional learning goals, co-curricular programming, KU Core 34, and degree-level assessment at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Overview

Assessment of student learning: roles and responsibilities
Assessment of student learning: roles and responsibilities
Program Faculty	Program faculty are expected to document how they have collected, analyzed, reviewed, and used the assessment results to enhance student learning outcomes in their program(s).
Department Chairs & Program Directors	Department Chairs and Program Directors are responsible for coordinating student learning outcomes assessment within their units and for engaging faculty in discussion and use of assessment results to improve student learning.
Deans	Deans are responsible for coordinating student learning outcomes assessment within their schools, establishing internal reporting processes and schedules that ensure that assessments are occurring on a regular basis, and that the results are being used to improve student learning in their program(s) as appropriate.
Center for Teaching Excellence	The Center for Teaching Excellence provides one-on-one consultation, workshops, and training to support assessment.
Academic Affairs	Academic Affairs oversees the assessment process and provides strategic direction, oversees university-level committees on assessment, makes institutional assessment results visible to the KU community and discusses general recommendations at the university level with deans, department chairs and undergraduate and graduate directors as needed.