How Can Institutions of Higher Education Assess the Learning Outcomes of Their Students?

This paper focuses on an internal program review conducted at Holmes University . An overview of the monitoring and evaluation systems utilized at the university will be presented, along with a synthesis of some of the results from the program review. The three primary goals of the internal program review were 1) to conduct a comprehensive review of historic, current, and projective data on the program’s purpose, 2) to evaluate its performance and 3) to make recommendations for effective enhancements and modifications. What became immediately apparent in the review was the weakness of assessment tools available and applied in the area of student outcomes. This paper will address the shift in the conceptual framework of higher education assessment, current trends for assessing higher education successes, and standards of quality in higher education. Competencies and methods that Holmes Universities can utilize to assess student learning outcomes are the main focus in the paper. The paper concludes with recommendations for Holmes University including the use of e-portfolios, self-assessment skills surveys, alumni surveys and supervisor/employer surveys. Through the utilization of these tools, fundamental data can be gathered and implemented to highlight successes of students’ learning outcomes and to lead Holmes University in future program development in which the lessons taught in the classroom are transferred into the skills and competencies that employers are looking for in the field