Program-Level Assessment at Clark
As students move through a program, are they achieving the knowledge and skills that faculty envision?
Program-level assessment examines how effectively an academic program advances student learning and achievement. By assessing student learning outcomes, we can look at a curriculum holistically and better understand the extent to which programs are meeting their own goals.
At Clark, assessment is used to strengthen programs, not simply to document them. Evidence gathered through assessment has guided changes such as adjusting course sequencing, revising assignments, exploring new pedagogies, and developing additional opportunities for students to apply their learning. Equally important, it has sparked ongoing faculty dialogue about teaching, learning, and the student experience, helping programs sharpen their shared educational vision.
Our Approach
Assessment is led by program faculty, who design methods that fit their discipline while working toward common institutional aims. Across programs, assessment involves:
- Collecting evidence that provides useful insight into student learning and experience in relation to program outcomes. The most meaningful results often come from direct and indirect measures.
- Using clear criteria that describe what students should be able to demonstrate at the point of graduation.
- Discussing results together as a faculty, engaging other stakeholders where appropriate, to interpret findings and determine next steps.
- Acting on evidence by making informed changes to curriculum or pedagogy—or by affirming that existing practices are working well.
When programs plan for assessment, they might ask questions such as:
- Are students achieving the knowledge and skills we expect?
- Are learning experiences scaffolded appropriately across the curriculum?
- How well are we preparing students for life after Clark?
Evidence of Learning
Programs at Clark draw on many sources of evidence, such as:
- Direct evidence: capstone projects, senior theses, embedded exam questions, research papers, portfolios, presentations, or external subject tests.
- Indirect evidence: reflective writing, surveys, curriculum maps, institutional survey data, and feedback from students or instructors.
Ideally, assessment should occur at regular intervals to ensure regular progress:
- Each program should assess at least one learning outcome annually using a direct method and all outcomes every 5 years, in alignment with the external program review timeframe.
- Programs set targets for student achievement and create action plans when goals are not met.
- Programs also revisit prior action plans and report on the impact of any changes made.
Learning outcomes describe what students will know, be able to do, or value by the end of a learning experience. They’re not just administrative paperwork—they’re a planning tool that helps you design meaningful assignments and helps students see how their work connects to larger goals, both in your program and across the Clark Experience.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Program Learning Outcomes describe what students will achieve by the time they complete your major. They capture the disciplinary knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking that define your field at Clark.
For example, Goal 4 of Clark’s Biology’s major states that students will “develop hypotheses and design approaches to evaluate them, as well as access and critically evaluate information in biology.” Notice how this outcome emphasizes what students will do—not what faculty will teach or cover.
What makes a strong PLO?
Strong program outcomes focus on what’s central and crucial to your discipline. They should:
- Be meaningful to students. Write in clear, direct language that helps students understand what they’re working toward, not jargon that only specialists recognize.
- Describe student learning, not faculty activity. Focus on what students will be able to demonstrate, not what you’ll cover or introduce.
- Frame learning at the program level. PLOs describe what students achieve across multiple courses and experiences, not what happens in a single class.
- Use active, observable verbs. Choose verbs that specify definite behaviors you can see in student work: analyze, design, evaluate, create, synthesize. Avoid vague terms like “understand” or “appreciate.”
- Be assessable in multiple ways. You should be able to gather evidence of student achievement through capstones, e-portfolios, Problems of Practice courses, research projects, or other signature work—not just one assignment type.
- Connect to larger frameworks. Think about how your PLOs align with Clark’s institutional learning outcomes. Where do students develop critical thinking? Where do they engage ethical questions or intercultural differences?
- Incorporate disciplinary standards. If professional organizations in your field have published outcome statements or competencies, adapt them to fit your program’s distinctive approach.
Most programs have 3-6 PLOs. This keeps outcomes focused on what’s truly essential. (Programs with professional accreditation often have more due to external requirements.)
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
Course Learning Outcomes describe what students will learn or demonstrate within a single course. They’re more specific than PLOs and connect directly to your assignments and assessments.
For instance, under Biology’s Goal 4, one course-level outcome states: “Students will demonstrate the ability to develop testable hypotheses, design appropriate experiments, and present reasoned analyses and interpretations of results.” This outcome is specific enough that you can design labs, problem sets, or research proposals to assess it.
What makes an effective CLO?
- Focus on what matters most. Aim for 3-5 CLOs per course—the key skills or understandings that define the learning experience.
- Make clear connections. Your CLOs should build toward one or more of your program’s PLOs. Students should be able to see how individual courses contribute to their larger development.
- Ensure assessability. Each CLO should connect to specific assignments or activities. You should be able to point to student work that demonstrates whether they achieved the outcome.
- Use student-focused language. Write from the student perspective: “Students will be able to…” This helps everyone—faculty, students, assessment coordinators—understand what success looks like.
- Build progressively. Think about how CLOs across your curriculum move students from introduction to practice to mastery. The Clark Experience supports this progression—students might encounter research methods in a First-Year Intensive, apply them in a Problems of Practice course, and demonstrate sophisticated independent research in a capstone.
Practical Tips for Writing Outcomes
Choose verbs carefully. The verb you select signals what kind of thinking or doing you expect. “Explain” asks for different work than “evaluate.” “Apply” is different from “create.” Select verbs that match the level of sophistication you’re aiming for and that describe observable behaviors.
Describe student achievement, not instructor activity. Outcomes should capture what students gain, not what you provide. “Introduce students to statistical analysis” becomes “Students will interpret and visualize quantitative data using statistical software.”
Keep outcomes assessable. Can you point to specific assignments or experiences where students demonstrate this learning? Outcomes that feel too vague to assess likely warrant revision.
Remember the big picture. Individual course outcomes should connect to program outcomes, which connect to institutional outcomes. This connection helps students understand how their learning is cumulative and integrated.
