Preliminary Study of the Relationship Between Undergraduate Learning Outcome Assessment and Estimated Earnings of Graduates

The primary motivation for exploring the relationship between learning outcomes assessment and graduate earnings is to simply document the assumed link so that educators have some basis for claiming long-term benefits of outcomes assessment. Furthermore, the scope of the project was limited to exploring learning outcomes assessment in the state of Kansas as this was deemed a preliminary inquiry. Specifically, this article seeks to address the following three questions: 1. Have academic programs in Kansas adopted assessment plans? 2. Does student ability play a role in earnings differentiation upon graduation? 3. Is there a difference in earnings between the highest, moderate, and lowest performing graduates