Assessment of Student Learning
In alignment with Northwestern’s commitment to excellent teaching and the personal and intellectual growth of our students, the University is dedicated to the assessment of student learning outcomes as a means of understanding and improving student learning. The Office of the Provost oversees a University-wide initiative to facilitate assessment of student learning outcomes. Charged by the provost and chaired by the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, the Assessment and Accreditation Council advises on and supports implementation of the institutional strategy for building capacity for assessment of student learning throughout the University. The Council also supports efforts to track progress toward institutional goals for student learning assessment.
The Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching’s Assessment and Curricular Change website showcases assessment efforts across Northwestern and provides Northwestern faculty and staff with useful resources and tools for their own assessment work. Among these tools is the Assessment Gallery, which showcases iterative work to advance systematized assessment of student learning.
Strategic Framework for Assessment
The work to implement Northwestern’s University-wide strategy for assessment is ongoing and employs a differentiated approach that allows the University to leverage local strengths within each academic and co-curricular unit. As part of Northwestern’s culture of inquiry, faculty and staff members across all 12 schools demonstrate curiosity about student learning, a commitment to thoughtful assessment practices and active engagement in efforts to systematize assessment. Current work builds on the University’s strategic framework for assessment, created by the Assessment and Accreditation Council in 2015-16, which articulated a plan to maintain a faculty-led, decentralized approach and allow schools and programs to tailor their assessment strategies to their unique contexts. In addition to identifying short-term strategic priorities, the framework articulated a long-term vision for broadening student learning assessment at Northwestern.