Assessment of Learning - Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Ensuring Quality Academic Programs

Guided by our vision, mission, and strategic plan, Kennesaw State University strives to continuously improve the quality of all aspects of the institution. With student learning and student success at the core of our academic mission, Assessment of Learning (AoL) is the yearly process our faculty engage in to ensure the quality of our academic programs. Focusing on continuous improvement, our AoL process involves identifying expected program student learning outcomes, measuring the extent to which students achieve these outcomes, and using the results to improve the learning opportunities and educational outcomes for our students. We strive to engage in ongoing and thoughtful assessment to support a culture of evidence and data-informed decision-making.

What is Assessment?

Assessment is simply determining the current state of something through some form of measurement. In higher education and specifically at KSU, assessment of learning focuses on determining the current state of student achievement of specific student learning outcomes. Academic program assessment tells us the extent to which students have learned what we expect them to learn in each of our programs. Through the assessment of our expected program student learning outcomes (the expected knowledge, skills, attitudes, or competencies students are expected to acquire by completing a program), we can identify if there are any areas that need improvement. Importantly, assessment has moved beyond a mere accountability paradigm (i.e., reporting for accreditation purposes). Instead, the emphasis is now on “closing the loop” and the use of results for continuous improvement.

What is Continuous Improvement?

Assessment and continuous improvement go hand in hand. Assessment provides the information (or data) we need to determine strengths and areas of weakness in student learning.

We must celebrate our successes but then also strategize how to improve in those areas where students are struggling or underperforming. After implementing those strategies for improvement, we measure again to find out if student learning has increased. This cycle of assessment and improvement continues until there is no more room for improvement in that specific area. However, we do not stop there. Instead, our focus moves to another area that has been identified through assessment as having room for improvement.

We continuously improve in order to become the best we can possibly be at what we do. KSU’s Continuous Improvement Model illustrates the process we follow for our academic assessment process, Assessment of Learning.

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Simplified Assessment Framework

We are dedicated to fostering student success through enriching learning experiences. The Office of Academic Excellence and the Office of Institutional Assessment actively assess and enhance our programs to ensure students achieve their expected outcomes. Using SACSCOC guidelines, we've developed a Simplified Assessment Framework to implement more effective practices for evaluating student achievement. Explore our framework, resources, and upcoming sessions to participate in our collaborative effort to improve education at KSU!

Learn More About Simplified Asessment Framework

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