Learning outcomes describe broadly the most important things you want students in your program to learn upon completion (e.g., acquisition of specialized knowledge, problem-solving skills, communication skills). Learning outcomes could encompass knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Having a clearly defined set of program-level learning outcomes is the starting point for having an effective assessment plan. Below are some guidelines for writing effective learning outcomes.

If your program has existing learning outcomes, it is a good idea to review those with reference to these guidelines:

A program-level learning outcome should be measurable with reasonable effort. In other words, it should be feasible to collect accurate and reliable data to assess the attainment of a learning outcome with a reasonable amount of time and resources.
An effective learning outcome should be written in clear terms with action words.
An effective learning outcome should neither be too broad nor too specific.

Learning objectives are more detailed than learning outcomes and describe how students can demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes. As with learning outcomes, the learning objectives could encompass knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

A learning objective is comprised of three parts:

Behavior: describes what students will be able to do
Condition: describes the conditions under which the student will be able to demonstrate the behavior
Criteria: describes the criteria for evaluating student behavior

Guidelines for writing effective learning objectives:

Learning objectives should reflect a clear understanding of the goals of the program
A learning objective should be directly observable
A learning objective should be specific
An effective learning objective should be written in clear terms with action words

The Council for Learning Outcomes Assessment (C-LOA) has provided a template to be used to outline the assessment plans for the programs. Assessment plans should include the learning outcomes and objectives, the learning experiences, and strategies that students will engage in to meet the learning objectives, the assessment methods or strategies, the processes to analyze the assessment information, and the decisions that will be made at the end of the assessment.

Curriculum maps are often used to help organize the assessment plans. Curriculum maps allow for the faculty to connect the learning goals with the required courses and activities for all students.

Guidelines for writing effective assessment plans:

Assessment plans should be driven by the faculty’s interests in student learning
Assessment plans should be linked to the curriculum and result in usable information
Assessment plans should have realistic aims and timelines
Assessment plans should outline the learning objective, identify the assessment strategies, and share the time frame for the assessment work

Assessment of student learning can either be direct or indirect. Direct methods for assessment of student learning include directly observable evidence (e.g. examination scores). Indirect methods of assessment of student learning are alternative indicators that are not directly observable. Direct and indirect assessment methods complement each other when the results of one method are interpreted in context of findings from the other.

Examples of direct and indirect evidence of student learning at the course and program level are presented below.

While a program is comprised of courses, accreditors expect programs to be evaluated independently. However, course-level assessments can also inform program-level assessment to some extent. Consider for example when student learning is assessed in a course, various assessments are aligned with the course-level learning objectives. These course-level learning objectives are linked to the program-level learning goals. A sample of student work can be assessed using a rubric, thereby yielding direct evidence of student learning at the course and program level. This exercise can be conducted for a sample of courses across areas within the program so as to cover diverse set of program-level learning goals. While this process could be time consuming, it yields direct evidence of student learning.

Note that final grades do not fulfill assessment of student learning outcomes, instead they are an overall evaluation of student achievement. Grades cannot effectively inform the program about how well students are meeting the specific learning objectives.

Guidelines for effective assessment strategies:

Assessment strategies should clearly connect to the student learning objectives
Assessment strategies should provide the data necessary to answer whether students are meeting the learning objective
Assessment strategies should be managed to not be overly burdensome for the faculty engaging in the assessment
Assessment strategies should include ways to analyze and interpret the data

Assessment evidence is the information that was gathered from the assessment strategies that support to some degree whether students are meeting the learning objectives for the program. Before gathering evidence, programs should consider how the information will be used. Guidelines for effective use of assessment evidence:

Assessment evidence will best be used if it directly connects to what a program wants to know about its program
Assessment evidence should be linked with program objectives
Assessment evidence should be shared with the program faculty
Assessment evidence should be used to guide curricular modifications
Assessment evidence should NOT be used out of context; for example, to evaluate a faculty member
Assessment evidence may be shared in a variety of ways with students and alumni or for grant proposals and publications

Why do I need to assess student learning outcomes? Learning outcomes assessment is an expectation for institutional accreditation (Higher Learning Commission), the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and most importantly, for improving the student learning experience at Illinois. Our campus is committed to the educational achievement of our students, and we strive to offer educational programs of the highest quality. A regular and thoughtful practice of articulating and assessing student learning outcomes allows for our campus to ensure that our graduates are receiving the world-class education that we promise.
Why is accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) important for our campus? What are the consequences of not being accredited? HLC accreditation holds campuses to a high standard for assessing student learning outcomes, by expecting that the campus collects assessment information (plans and progress reports) for every program at the University. The campus cannot receive any federal money without HLC accreditation.
What evidence is there that Student Learning Outcomes Assessment benefits student learning? Programs that have assessed student learning, used the evidence from the assessment, made changes, and reassessed have found that they have improved the learning gains of students. Examples will be shared during workshops.

How do I access the Learning Outcomes Assessment Reports folder for my unit? All learning outcomes assessment related material for your unit (e.g., assessment plans, previous assessment updates, and feedback from the Council for Learning Outcomes Assessment (C-LOA), can be accessed in your unit Box folder. All current Department Heads/Chairs, Unit Leaders, College Assessment Coordinators, and Program-level Assessment Liaisons should have access to the folder. If you are a new Department Head/Chair, Unit Leader, or Assessment Liaison, please contact Linell Edwards to request access to the folder.
Can I make changes to the Assessment Plan? The Assessment Plan for each degree program is a “plan” and can be revised based on the needs of the program. We encourage units to revisit the Assessment Plan each year to track progress and communicate next steps.
How do I submit an Assessment Plan for a new program in my unit? Please visit the “Assessment Reports and Submission” page for more information.
How do I submit the annual Assessment Update? Personalized links to the Assessment Update Form for each degree program are sent to the Department Head/Chair, Unit Leader, and Program-level Assessment Liaisons on record. The initial request is sent early fall. If you need a copy of the message that contains the personalized links for your unit, please contact Linell Edwards. 
What questions are on the Assessment Update Form? The Assessment Update Form is revised each year based on feedback from units and the Council for Learning Outcomes Assessment (C-LOA). You can access the most recent Assessment Update Form here, but please use the personalized link for each degree program to submit the Assessment Update.
What happens when there are changes in leadership or personnel? We encourage outgoing Department Heads/Chairs, Unit Leaders and Assessment Liaisons to communicate the status of the learning outcomes assessment process to any incoming Department Head/Chair, Unit Leader or Assessment Liaisons. If there is a change in Department Head/Chair, Unit Leader or Assessment Liaisons, send an email to learningoutcomes@illinois.edu with the subject heading: “Update Contact Information“. Please include the program name, previous contact information and new contact information. New program-level assessment liaisons can also review the guide for Program-Level Assessment Liaisons.

What is C-LOA? The Provost’s Council for Learning Outcomes Assessment (C-LOA) was created in spring 2016 to promote and guide assessment activities on our campus. The Council consists of faculty from each school/college, an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and representatives from Student Affairs, the Faculty Senate, the General Education Board (GEB), the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL), and the Provost’s Office. The role of the Council is to foster a practice of assessment that is ongoing and meaningful to campus units.
Will C-LOA review my unit’s Assessment Update? The initial review of the assessment updates now takes place within the school/college. C-LOA will conduct a second-level review of the assessment updates.
Do I have to incorporate the feedback from C-LOA into our assessment process? The Council recognizes that faculty and staff within the program are best equipped to know what is appropriate for the program. Thus, feedback from the reviewers may be incorporated at the discretion of the program.
Should I highlight the changes we made based on the feedback from C-LOA? It is not necessary to highlight changes, but you can discuss those changes in subsequent Assessment Updates.

How much time should I allocate for learning outcomes assessment activities? The Time Allocation Worksheet provides a range of estimates for common learning outcomes assessment activities, but the size of your unit and available resources are also factors to consider.
I don’t know how to do program-level assessment. Where can I find assistance? This website has many resources. In addition, several workshops are offered each year. You can also reach out to your C-LOA representative or College Assessment Coordinator, post questions to the LOAC-list, attend an Assessment Brown Bag meeting, review the latest learning outcomes assessment newsletter, schedule an Assessment Insight Chat, or contact Linell Edwards or Staci Provezis for additional resources.

Do I have to assess all student learning outcomes (SLOs) each year? No. You are not expected to assess all SLOs each year. In some cases, an assessment planning question is connected to multiple SLOs.
Do I have to explore multiple assessment planning questions each year? No. Each Assessment Plan contains 3-5 assessment planning questions that can be spread out over a 5-8 year period.
What are preparatory assessment activities? In some cases, programs might not be in the position to assess student learning, but instead focus their efforts on developing rubrics, surveys, exams, and other artifacts that can be used to assess student learning.
Can I use assessment information from other work going on in the unit? Yes. When appropriate, the unit should pull assessment information from other work that it is doing, such as from specialized accreditation reports, committee reports, IBHE reports, and program review reports.
How do I decide what questions to explore? The program faculty should ask what they want to know about student learning in the degree program. For instance, faculty interested in students’ ability to effectively communicate knowledge of the field might identify evidence to answer the question, then analyze that evidence to reach a conclusion. Finally, it should use that information to confirm the program is impacting student learning or improve the curriculum.