3 Things Presidents Need to Know About Student Learning Outcomes Assessment

If the essential leadership role of the president is to orchestrate an effective institutional strategy and empower the campus to make wise choices, everyone-but especially presidents-will need more and better evidence of what students know and can do. 2.Presidents must understand the investments the institution is already making to gather evidence of student learning and confirm that this information is being harnessed productively to inform the campus's strategic needs and priorities. For many institutions, gathering evidence of student learning became a sporadic act of complying with the demands of accreditation groups rather than a focused effort to gather and to use evidence of student learning in ways that complement the strategic needs and priorities of the institution and lead to smarter decisions that benefit both students and the institution. 3.Presidents must lead the way to the consequential use of evidence of student learning.\n The president can and must set the tone and articulate the strategic focus for assessment, but it will likely be the provost who will play the central operational role.