Assessment Resources

Guides and examples for faculty, programs, school assessment committees. See the APC public library for additional resources including all previous Assess-a-Palooza presentation materials.

SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes) are brief, action-oriented statements that describe what students are expected to know/be able to do at the end of a program. Outcomes help us think about what students should learn instead of just what content we teach. E.g., “Students will be able to apply legal and ethical principles to organizational decision-making.”

Bloom's Taxonomy Chart (Fractus Learning)

SLO Exemplars, Do's and Don'ts (James Madison U)

Best practices for writing outcomes (Waubonsee CC)

Checklist for reviewing Course Level Outcomes (Waubonsee CC)

A Curriculum Map is a visual tool to help align instruction with learning outcomes. The purpose of the map is to document the relationship among the components in the curriculum and help make a more coherent and intentional curriculum. A Focus Curriculum Map indicates in which courses the SLOs are addressed and perhaps also assessed. A Progression Curriculum Map includes in which courses the SLOs are I)ntroduced, R)einforced, A)dvanced and assessed.

Ithaca College Curriculum Map Guide

Qs Curriculum Maps can help answer (Waubonsee CC)

Free downloadable AAC&U Value Rubrics

IC Rubric Design Guide May 2025

Assessment Hacks for Program SLOs & Rubrics May 2025 (Assess-a-Palooza presentation)

The assessment process can help refine your course or program. For example taking a closer look at quantitative or qualitative data can help to solve a learning issue, provide a clearer understanding of an aspect of your students’ learning, or focus on a retention issue. The reflection aspect of the assessment cycle is what makes it a beneficial endeavor.

Direct and Indirect Measures, the Data Collection Process (Waubonsee CC)

Using results for improvement (Waubonsee CC)

APC Public Documents Library

Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education, 1st ed. by Barbara E. Walvoord

Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide, 3rd ed. by Linda Suskie

Assessment in Creative Disciplines: Quantifying and Qualifying the Aesthetic by David Chase, Jill L. Ferguson, J. Joseph Hoey IV