Statements of intended learning outcomes
Effective assessment requires "beginning with the end in mind.” As Mary Huba and Jann Freed observe in Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses (2002, pp. 92-93):
Focusing on student learning requires that we specify the goals or intended outcomes of the experiences students have at our institutions. Intended learning outcomes can be written for…a course, an academic program, or an entire institution. [They] describe the kinds of things that students know or can do after instruction that they didn’t know or couldn’t do before.
St. Olaf uses the AAC&U statement of Essential Learning Outcomes for liberal learning in higher education to guide its assessment of student learning college-wide. Program-specific and General Education outcomes have been established though a collaborative process involving department/program faculty, the faculty Curriculum Committee, the Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation, and staff in a variety of other offices.
Statements of intended learning outcomes
Program-specific (majors and more)
Developing effective statements of intended learning outcomes
Using intended learning outcomes to strengthen student learning