Strategic Assessment of Institutional Learning : Practitioner Handbook

Abstract

This Handbook describes an action research process for assessing student learning outcomes using faculty-led communities of practice.

Post-secondary institutions are often called to identify strengths and areas for improvement, to implement changes, and assess the impact of those changes — colloquially known as “closing the loop” or “closed-loop assessment”. While institutions aspire to close the loop, little evidence exists that their aspirations are fulfilled. Closing the loop requires a well-articulated, detailed, and reflexive process. If successfully implemented, this process can increase the likelihood of improved student outcomes. Post-secondary institutions collect a plethora of direct and indirect student learning data and are increasingly reporting out on assessment findings; however, they frequently stop short of acting on the results gathered and then evaluating interventions that are implemented.

SAIL responds to the call to “close the loop”.

The SAIL Practitioner Handbook is based on our experience at Thompson Rivers University—an open access, teaching and research university located in the interior of British Columbia. The methodology, process, and resources described in this Handbook are designed with the local context in mind. We encourage you to borrow and adapt our methodology to develop a process that best fits your institution’s needs. The primary audience for the SAIL Practitioner Handbook is quality assurance practitioners and educational developers.