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Assessment at UAB

UAB Program Goals & Student Learning Outcomes Guide

As an educational institution, The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s overall goal and purpose is to successfully produce student learning. Consequentially, a vital part of maintaining and measuring that success is the continued evolution and evaluation of Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes. Additionally, UAB’s regional accreditor, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSOC), requires evidence of continuous improvement of Student Learning Outcomes and Program Goals. Student Learning Outcomes define what the student will know and/or be able to do after completing the program. Program Goals are broad statements that should define the long-term outcomes of the program or course of study.

Together, Student Learning Outcomes and Program Goals work to describe the program’s mission and its implementation.

  • Developing Program Goals

    Program Goals may be tightly related to the unit’s strategic plan. These goals are captured in UAB Planning, not in UAB Outcomes as a part of the Annual Academic Assessment Plan. Program Goals broadly define the overall goals of an education program (i.e., to graduate students who are prepared for continuing education—graduate studies, post-docs—and/or the workplace) and program elements such as:

    • Total number of enrolled students
    • Percentage of applicants admitted
    • Percentage of minority students enrolled
    • Average degree completion time
    • Completion percentage rate
    • Number of graduates

    Program Goals should be informed by workplace and graduate studies expectations for program graduates and the desire for continuous program improvement and growth.

    Program Goals: Questions to Consider

    • What should students know or be able to do by the end of this program?
    • What do we want this program to produce/accomplish? How long do we think it will take for the program to be able to accomplish that?

    Example Program Goals

    Educational Program Goals:

    • To graduate students who are prepared to be innovative industry leaders
    • To graduate students who are prepared to lead independent research

    Strategic Program Goals:

    • To increase 4-year completion of the program by 5% in the next two years
    • To increase the number of female engineering students by 10% in the next three years
  • Developing S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Academic Programs

    S.M.A.R.T. goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.

    • Specific: What do we want to accomplish?
    • Measurable: How can we measure progress to know that we’ve met our goal?
    • Achievable: Do we have the skills/resources/tools needed to achieve the goal?
    • Relevant: Why are we setting this goal? Is it aligned with overall objectives?
    • Time-bound: When will we meet the goal? How long will it take?
  • Developing Student Learning Outcomes

    Student Learning Outcomes assessment is captured in UAB Outcomes as a part of the UAB Annual Academic Plan. Student Learning Outcomes are the practical student learning criteria that will lead to attaining Program Goals. A Student Learning Outcome statement should consist of an action verb and a statement that defines the knowledge/skill/ability that will be measured/observed/demonstrated.

    For example, if the Program Goal is “to graduate students who are prepared to practice medicine as a general practitioner,” then one possible Student Learning Outcomes could be “the student can accurately diagnose patient case studies.”

    Ultimately, Student Learning Outcomes should answer the question: “What knowledge, skills, and/or abilities will students need to meet our broader Program Goals?”

UAB Outcomes Process & Submissions

  1. When preparing academic annual assessment plan submissions to be sent to the UAB Outcomes Team, they should be completed using the UAB Outcomes Template. While a similar template can be used if desired, it should still contain all the sections and answer each piece of information as the provided template.
  2. After the template has been completely filled out, it should be reviewed using the UAB Outcomes Rubric prior to submission to the UAB Outcomes Team.
  3. Once it has been reviewed using the rubric and any needed revisions/edits have been made, then it should be sent to the UAB Outcomes Team.
  4. The UAB Outcomes Team will review submissions and provide feedback to be addressed prior to any future submissions.

FAQs

  • Why does assessment matter on an institutional level?
    1. Assessment informs the institution of programs’ goals and effectiveness.
    2. UAB’s regional accreditor, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSOC), requires evidence of continuous improvement of Student Learning Outcomes and Program Goals as per their “Principles of Accreditation” standard 8.2a.
      Standard 8.2 reads: “The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of seeking improvement based on analysis of the results in…Student learning outcomes for each of its educational programs.”
  • Who should I contact about assessment questions?

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • Which programs are required to report?

    All academic degree programs and certificate programs are required to report.

  • What is the minimum number of students for reporting?

    The minimum number of students for reporting is 10 for undergraduate students and 5 for graduate/professional students as this will help protect the anonymity of our students.