1. Institutional Level: First of all, be aware that there are Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) – what the university expects of all of its graduates. There are four basic ILOs and they are posted on the homepage of the Lindenwood website.  Within each of those ILOs, there are specific ILO Components.  For example, within ILO-2: Lindenwood graduates have essential habits of mind, there is a more specific ILO Component 2.3 that says “Lindenwood graduates can think critically.”  Developing and demonstrating the ILOs is central to the entire student experience – within your general education courses, your major field of study, and your co-curricular (out-of-class) experiences.
2. Program Level: In developing expectations for your learning, faculty in your major concentrate not only on ILOs, they also establish specific expectations for learning within your major – what we call Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs).  These PLOs define what the faculty in your major expect you to know or be able to do by the time you graduate.  PLOs for each of the majors are indicated in the annual assessment reports that each program submits (check Column 2 in the reports).  Some programs also list their PLOs on their program’s website (e.g., see the Exercise Science program’s PLOs) or, in some cases, in course syllabi.  If you can’t find the PLOs for your major, talk to your faculty and ask what they are.
3. Course Level: Typically, your faculty will also have specific expectations of what they want you to learn in their courses.  These expectations are known as Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs).   CLOs are often indicated in the course syllabus.  If you don’t find them there, ask your instructor what they are.

Many programs have developed what is called a Curriculum Map.  In its most basic form, a curriculum map typically illustrates for a given degree program what PLOs are addressed in what courses in that program. View an example curriculum map.  For the student, a curriculum map readily reveals the role of each course in the program.  You can see, for example, that Course X is intended to develop and demonstrate PLO 1 (e.g., “demonstrate effective writing in the field”) and PLO 2 (e.g., “demonstrate knowledge of the field”).  A curriculum map can give you a better appreciation of the big picture of what your faculty are trying to accomplish with the curriculum they are teaching.  Check with your faculty to see your program’s curriculum map.  Some programs have them posted on their websites.     

They are certainly related.  For example, a grade on a particular assignment might be used in assessing whether a particular learning outcome was achieved.  But a course grade would not be used to assess whether learning of a specific outcome had been achieved.  Course grades are typically based on a variety of factors beyond just the performance on particular assignments (such as tests or papers).  For example, the instructor may assign course grades based, in part, on class attendance and participation.  So while course grades may, to some degree, indicate the degree of learning that has occurred in a course, they are not a precise measure of any specific course learning outcome (CLO) and they are not adequate measures of what the student has learned in a particular degree program as a whole (PLO).  Assessment occurs when your faculty member uses performance on a particular assignment or set of assignments to gauge whether learning has occurred with respect to a specific desired learning outcome.

Lindenwood University administers a number of student surveys – e.g., the Student Satisfaction Inventory and the National Survey of Student Engagement.  We want to know things such as “are you satisfied with your experience at Lindenwood?”; “what is your experience like both in and out of the classroom?”; and “what are the strengths and weaknesses with respect to your program (major)?”.  Faculty and staff listen to student input and take it into account when considering program and teaching enhancements and other institutional improvements.  For example, improvements to student advising have been made in response to input from student surveys. Lindenwood values student input so we hope you will participate in these surveys when they are made available. 

The purpose of assessment is improvement!  To put it another way, assessment results are used to make changes that hopefully lead to improvements in student learning.  For example, resulting data from surveys or other assessments such as tests of your knowledge of your academic discipline (major) might be used to make improvements to faculty instructional strategies or the curriculum in your major.  Students play a very important role in this process by taking these assessments seriously and performing to the best of their ability.  Students have a stake in helping ensure high quality of their program (major) and the institution generally: the better the curriculum, the teaching, and the institution as a whole, the better the student's learning, overall educational experience, and potential for success in the future.  The better your program and the institution are, the greater their collective value is to you out in the marketplace.

• Talk to faculty in your major
• Explore the wealth of information provided on this Assessment Website

• What are the Program Learning Outcomes for my major?
• What are the Course Learning Outcomes for the courses I am taking in my major?
• Has a Curriculum Map been created for my major?
• What are some examples of how learning is assessed in my major?
• What are some examples of how assessment in my major has led to specific improvements to the program and student learning?
• What evidence do you have that students in my major are learning what faculty expect them to learn?