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The purpose of this paper is to explore the enacted mental models, the types of thinking and action, of assessment held by faculty and staff in higher education.

This research approaches the question: in what ways are “learning outcomes assessment” understood (thinking) as part of a system and assessed in the individual’s work (practice)?” Interviews and concept maps were used to identify influences, descriptions of actions, and connections to environments for 12 participants, known to have engaged in learning outcomes assessment.

By connecting individual perspectives to broader organizational understanding, a goal of this research was to identify and analyze how educators understand and practice learning outcomes assessment in higher education. Influences on assessment presented in the literature are confirmed and several behavioral types are defined and categorized.

The findings focus attention on the ways individuals act on influences in systems of higher education. The findings yield opportunities for new ways to utilize assessment knowledge. The study is small and has implications for similar type institutions.

Faculty and staff can use these findings to create training and development protocols and/or adjust their own practices of assessment. Assessment professionals can apply findings to consulting on an array of assessment projects and with staff who have varying skill levels.

The ways in which assessment is practiced is deeply influenced by training but is also shaped heavily by current environments and accountability structures. Policies and practices related to such environments can make a difference in preparing for scaled-up assessment practices and projects.

This research offers insight into possible archetypes of assessment behaviors and presents applied influences on assessment.

Graduates are expected to possess the knowledge and right skillset, commonly known as graduate attributes, which they need to become employable and work-ready. This study describes the approaches that were employed by an academic institution in developing an assessment framework for measuring the student achievement of the graduate attributes and learning outcomes.

It used thematic analysis in analyzing the 43 audit reports of higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Oman which have undergone the regional quality audit as well as the outcomes of the institutional standards assessment.

The analysis exposed the critical issues necessary for embedding graduate attributes and learning outcomes in higher education. Likewise, the study revealed that the assessment of the graduate attributes (GAs) and learning outcomes (LOs) is the area that garnered the most number of comments from the audit panel, and 69 per cent of the HEIs are still problematic in this area. Moreover, most of the HEIs in Oman lack the mechanisms to assess student learning as evidenced in the regional accreditation outcomes. Only 43.8 per cent of the HEIs, which have undergone the institutional accreditation process, have garnered a Met Rating in the Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Outcome criterion. Hence, this study presupposes its high relevance and usefulness to the work in this area, drawing from the experience of an HEI in Oman.

This study will present the relevant and meaningful content, especially good practices and potential gaps that inform HEIs regarding the current trends, policies, and practices relevant to the assessment of graduate attributes and learning outcomes in higher education.

This study extends the limited literature on the assessment of graduate attributes and learning outcomes, especially among the HEIs in Oman.

Because of the increasingly higher expectations of accrediting organizations, calls for greater accountability from state governments and students’ demand for an education that prepares them for a career, most hospitality programs are now required to have an effective assessment of learning outcomes process. The increasing popularity of the assessment of learning outcomes process is viewed as highly positive because it can be considered as best-practices in higher education. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This is Part 2 of a two-part article that provides an overview of the justifications for implementing an assessment of learning outcomes process, the steps that were developed by two hospitality programs, and the experiences of the two programs during implementation.

The steps in a closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process are relatively detailed; however, because of changes in expectations of stakeholders and the requirements of accreditors, they are now mandatory for most hospitality programs. Therefore, the choice is not whether to implement them, but when. From a competitive standpoint, it is to the program’s advantage to begin as soon as possible. Another factor to consider is that the implementation of a closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process will take several years to complete.

This paper is presenting a critical view of one of, if not the most important concepts in higher education, the closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process. Hopefully, the information on the process that is provided and the experiences of the two programs can shorten the learning curve for other hospitality programs.

This study aims to identify the gap between the requirements of the accreditation bodies and the widely used learning management systems (LMSs) in assessing the intended learning outcomes (ILOs). In addition, this study aims to introduce a framework, along with the evaluation of the functionality of the LMS, for measuring the ILO.

A qualitative method was deployed to examine the gap between the requirements of the accreditation standards and the LMS functionalities. The researchers collaborated to design a mechanism, develop a system architecture to measure the ILO in alignment with the accreditation standards and guide the development of the Moodle plugin. The appropriateness and effectiveness of the plugin were evaluated within the scope of assessment mapping and design. Focus group interviews were conducted to collect feedback from the instructors and program leaders regarding its implementation.

The results of this study indicate that there is no standardized mechanism to measure course and program ILO objectively, using the existing LMS. The implementation of the plugin shows the appropriateness and effectiveness of the system in generating ILO achievement reports, which was confirmed by the users.

This study proposed a framework and developed a system architecture for the objective measurement of the ILO through direct assessment. The plugin was tested to generate consistent reports during the measurement of course and program ILO. The plugin has been implemented across Gulf University’s program courses, ensuring appropriate reporting and continuous improvement.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature on student learning outcomes and academic libraries. An analysis of 81 papers revealed the following themes: outcomes assessment of library skills instruction, tools for assessing students’ achievement of learning outcomes, institutional accreditation and student learning outcomes, academic libraries’ impact on student learning outcomes, and the creation of learning outcomes. An understanding of these themes highlights how student learning outcomes are created, assessed, and valued in the academy.

The methodology centered on a literature review of student learning outcomes and academic libraries from 2001 to the present. To identify relevant articles on this topic, the authors searched the library literature with various combinations of the following keywords: learning outcomes, library, academic, university, college, and higher education.

An analysis of 81 papers on student learning outcomes and academic libraries revealed the following five themes: outcomes assessment of library skills instruction, assessment tools for student learning outcomes, institutional accreditation and student learning outcomes, academic libraries’ impact on student learning outcomes, and the creation of learning outcomes.

The research was limited to articles published in English and after 2000.

The findings can be utilized to inform instructional librarians about creating and assessing student learning outcomes. In addition, the paper can assist librarians in forging partnerships with academic departments and faculty in creating student learning outcomes to support course and departmental outcomes and accreditation efforts.

The research offers librarians opportunities to incorporate student learning outcomes in library instruction as well as collaborate with faculty in creating student learning outcomes.

The purpose of this study is to obtain preliminary evidence over a three‐year period on the efficacy of a curriculum designed to foster information literacy skills in graduate students in a chemistry bibliography course.

Specifically, the researchers examined the application and results of an assessment tool and its connectivity to instructional strategies for improving literacy outcomes. ACRL's “Information literacy competency standards for higher education” provided the basis for the construction of the assessment tool. The instrument was given to chemistry graduate students enrolled in the course at the beginning and at the end of the semester.

The assessment results from all three years indicated marked improvements in the average student score from the pre‐ to the post‐test. The assessment provided evidence of skill development over the course of the semester for specified outcomes.

The research would have been strengthened by the use of a valid control group of graduate students in related chemistry majors who were not enrolled in the class. The extended study would have supplied rates of improvement in the control group over a given period of time compared with rates of improvement of students enrolled in the class.

The paper provides methods for approaching the assessment of information literacy skills by focusing on tool development based on desired learning outcomes.

The study developed, refined and applied a methodology to assess student information literacy skills based on learning outcomes over a three‐year period. The literature lacks reports of studies looking at the assessment of information literacy development of graduate students in the sciences as well as the use of “backward design” in creating evaluative tools.

Student learning outcomes assessment, when done right, is an ongoing and systematic process. Faculty and staff for leadership education programs often struggle to develop a comprehensive approach to assess the effectiveness of their programs, especially when those programs are offered through multiple modes of instruction. One department at a Midwestern public university has developed a thorough, five-stage process which any leadership education program can follow, regardless of size or method of delivery. This department considers three modes of instruction, including face-to-face on a traditional American campus, asynchronous online, and face-to-face at foreign universities via international partnerships. This manuscript describes the comprehensive process and offers readers considerations for implementation at their own institution.

To describe the design and use of an outcomes assessment tool for one‐shot library instruction classes that is objective, quantitative, easy to use, and flexible.

An “outcomes” assessment tool was created based on the ideas of the one‐minute paper and student reflection papers. The tool was administered to classes in Spanish and Biology that had one shot library sessions.

The assessment tool was helpful in pointing out areas where librarians need to improve instruction in their one shot classes. The tool was useful, easy to use, and fulfilled our objectives.

The tool's use may be limited to institutions where there is excellent rapport between librarians and course instructors or to libraries with a staff large enough to find volunteers to grade the papers outside of the course librarian.

The tool developed provides one more weapon for the outcomes assessment arsenal.

This contribution is unique; there is no other outcomes assessment tool for one‐shot classes in the library literature. Because one‐shot sessions are the majority of library instruction appearances and because outcomes assessment is very important, this tool should be of great practical help to instruction librarians.

Because of the increasingly higher expectations of accrediting organizations, calls for greater accountability from state governments, and students’ demand for an education that prepares them for a career, most hospitality programs are now required to have an effective assessment of learning outcomes process. The increasing popularity of the assessment of learning outcomes process is viewed as highly positive because it can be considered as best practices in higher education. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This is Part 1 of a two-part article that provides an overview of the justifications for implementing an assessment of learning outcomes process, the steps that were developed by two hospitality programs and the experiences of the two programs during implementation of the seven steps. Part 1 includes foundational principles of the process and the first three of the seven steps.

The steps in a closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process are relatively detailed; however, because of changes in expectations of stakeholders and the requirements of accreditors, they are now mandatory for most hospitality programs. Therefore, the choice is not whether to implement them, but when to implement them. From a competitive standpoint, it is to the program’s advantage to begin as soon as possible. Another factor to consider is that the implementation of an effective closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process will take several years to complete.

This paper is presenting a critical view of one of, if not the most important concepts in higher education, the closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process. Hopefully, the information on the process that is provided and the experiences of the two programs can shorten the learning curve for other hospitality programs.