How is UNL Engaged in Assessing Undergraduate Learning Outcomes?
Every college and the Division of Student Affairs at UNL was involved in program assessment. Colleges and their programs regularly report on what student learning outcomes were assessed, how those outcomes were assessed, what was learned from the assessment activity, and how those results were used.
- In 2007-2008 87% of academic programs at UNL submitted reports on their student learning outcome assessment activity.
The percentage of submitted reports represents a continuation of the growth of student learning outcomes assessment at UNL since 1997.
Figure 2. Percentage of units / programs submitting reports of assessment activity.
Student learning outcomes assessment at UNL is a faculty driven process. Click here for a list of resources for faculty members to use in implementing outcomes assessment.
- Faculty members are primarily responsible for developing statements of student learning outcomes for their programs and for developing and implementing processes for assessing student achievement of those outcomes.
- Student learning outcomes are expected to be aligned to the mission of each college and to the mission of UNL, to be student focused, measureable, and represent an appropriate level of learning. Student learning outcomes may also reflect standards and recommendations of national professional associations and are reviewed by internal and external constituents.
- Student learning outcomes are communicated through course syllabi, the undergraduate bulletin, websites and student handbooks.
Four colleges, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of Undergraduate Studies are participating in PEARL.
- PEARL is a collaborative project with Colorado State University to archive, share, and improve student learning outcomes assessment through a process of faculty peer review.
- Programs in the participating PEARL colleges submit their assessment plans and use of assessment results to trained peer faculty members for feedback. Programs then use this feedback to improve their assessment activities.
- The peer reviewers identified 57 program assessment "best practices" in the 2007-2008 academic year.
Assessment at UNL is facilitated by the University-Wide Assessment Committee (UWAC), chaired by Dr. Jessica Jonson, Director of Institutional Assessment.
