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Assessment is a systematic process for gathering and using information to evaluate how well we are meeting educational goals. It improves teaching, learning, and institutional effectiveness while demonstrating a shared commitment to student success.

Why Assessment Matters

Assessment is a critical tool for improving teaching, learning, and institutional effectiveness. It helps answer essential questions about student learning, curriculum design, and the overall impact of educational efforts:

• Are students learning what we want them to learn?
• Does our curriculum make sense? What are we missing, and what could be improved?
• Are we preparing students effectively for their futures?
• What evidence shows that the university is fulfilling its educational mission?
• How well are we meeting institutional goals for student success?

By addressing these questions, assessment supports meaningful changes that enhance teaching practices, course design, and institutional priorities, ultimately leading to better outcomes for students.

Levels of Assessment

Assessment operates at multiple levels, each with a distinct focus:

Course Level

• At the course level, instructors use assessment to understand how well students are achieving the course learning outcomes.
• This helps identify areas where instruction can be improved and ensures that course activities, assignments, and assessments align with the intended outcomes.
• Examples include evaluating student performance on key assignments or projects, using rubrics to assess skills, and reflecting on teaching practices to address gaps.

Program Level

• Program-level assessment focuses on how courses work together to achieve broader learning goals.
• Faculty collaborate to design and evaluate curricula, ensuring that programs are cohesive and support student progress toward competencies required for their field.
• This type of assessment often involves mapping learning objectives across courses, analyzing trends in student performance, and revising curricula to address gaps or redundancies.

Institutional Level

• At the institutional level, assessment guides decisions about improving programs, services, and co-curricular opportunities to support student success.
• It provides evidence that the university is meeting its educational mission and preparing students for future careers or advanced study.
• Institutional assessment also supports external accountability for accreditation purposes. For example:
  • for regional accreditation.
  • Specialized accrediting bodies like (Engineering), NASM (Music), (Education), and (Business).

Assessment at this level can also evaluate the effectiveness of co-curricular initiatives, such as advising programs, student support services, and campus-wide learning opportunities.

Assessment in Practice

Assessment is not just about evaluating learning—it’s about using the results to drive improvement. Purposeful assessment efforts include:

• Designing Aligned Assessments: Ensuring that learning goals, activities, and assessments are cohesive and support the desired outcomes.
• Using Results for Improvement: Reflecting on assessment data to make evidence-based changes in teaching practices, curricula, and institutional programs.
• Demonstrating Accountability: Providing evidence of success to stakeholders, including accrediting agencies and institutional leadership.

Need Support?

Looking for guidance on assessment? The CTL offers free, confidential consultations to individuals and groups at CU Boulder. Reach out for personalized support to improve learning outcomes in your course or program.

Examples of Support Offered:

• Designing rubrics and assessment tools for specific courses.
• Mapping learning objectives across a program.
• Interpreting assessment results and identifying actionable steps.
• Aligning assessments with accreditation requirements.