About Assessment

Student Learning Outcomes

Assessment of student learning outcomes (ASLO) is an important element of the teaching- learning process.Assessment serves several purposes, but the most important reason for engaging in assessment is to enhance theteaching-learning process. That is to say, the main goals of assessment are to identify those processes and pedagogies that are succeeding and plan how to continue their success, as well as look to improve others.

UTHSC requires academic programs to establish student learning outcomes, assess the extent to which students in the program have achieved the outcomes, and use the results of assessment to improve the program and studentsuccess.

 

Meaning of Assessment

There are different uses of the term “assessment.” In this context, “assessment of student learning outcomes” refers to the process of gathering and reviewing evidence to determine the extent to which students in the program are achieving the educational outcomes and at what level. The primary difference between assessment in this sense and the type of assessment we do when we grade an individual student’s work is how the results are analyzed and used.The unit of analysis in assessment of student learning outcomes is the program, not individual students.

Data on student performance are gathered and reviewed in the aggregate to evaluate how well students as a group achieve the program learning outcomes. If that evaluation indicates that students in the program met or exceeded expectations, further analysis should consider how we can continue, enhance, or extend such performance. However, if the evaluation indicates that the program did not meet expectations, further analysis should consider the reasons for this performance and what corrective actions can be taken. In contrast, assessment of individual student performance (typically but not always in the form of course grades) is conducted to provide feedback to students about their progress (among other purposes). Assessment of student learning outcomes is a form of program andcurriculum evaluation.