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Assessing Student Learning at Penn State


Teaching Support Grants focus on program assessment Proposed by Director of Academic Affairs at Penn State Brandywine Dr. Paul deGategno, the first of these recent awards from the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence has the potential to influence assessment at Penn State campuses far beyond Brandywine by serving as a model for campus-wide program assessment. The focus of this grant will be threefold: first, developing an assessment manual to guide faculty in their work; second, identifying and developing assessment techniques which can be embedded into the curricula of four-year programs; and third, identifying and developing instruments for data collection, analysis and reporting on how the programs impact students, alumni and employers. Project success will be measured by the production of a program assessment manual, and by the creation of reliable assessment instruments for collecting feedback that are easily implementable and sustainable.

The second award, proposed by Professor of Food Science at University Park Donald B. Thompson, focuses on improving the curriculum of a particular program within a college by developing and employing assessment tools based on educational outcomes. Within this goal are four objectives: first, to refine the draft educational outcomes based on inputs from faculty and other stakeholders; second, to design ways to employ these outcomes for periodic and regular assessment of the success of the curriculum; third, based on this feedback, to consider curricular changes designed to more fully achieve the stated educational outcomes; and fourth, to design means for periodic and regular evaluation of the merits of this set of educational outcomes, with the intent of revising as seems appropriate. Project success will be measured by the development of an explicit set of educational outcomes, and by evaluating the continued pertinence of the outcomes themselves over time.

The grant recipients will collaborate with Schreyer Institute consultants and others for the accomplishment of their goals.

This website provides information and resources to support the enhancement of teaching and learning through assessment.

Beginning with the 2005 Self-Study for Middle States Accreditation, Penn State embarked on developing a systematic process for assessing student learning. Following the Self-Study, the Provost established the Coordinating Committee on University Assessment and charged it to develop a University-wide Assessment Plan that prioritizes Penn State's assessment needs related to student learning. The resulting plan:

  1. includes principles to guide assessment of student learning at Penn State
  2. identifies spheres of assessment (institutional level, general education program, cocurricular programs, academic programs, and course level)
  3. articulates five-year goals in each sphere, and
  4. identifies responsibilities for implementation of the plan.

Goals vs. Objectives vs. Outcomes

  • Goals focus on the general aims of the program and curriculum.
  • Objectives focus on what you expect students to do/know at the end of instruction.
  • Outcomes focus on what students are able to do/know at the end of instruction
    (and for which you have supporting evidence).

While these are the typical meanings of these terms, many people use them synonymously. Goals are typically more general, objectives and outcomes more specific. Objectives look toward the future, outcomes reflect the current state. These terms are also scalable. Academic programs have goals, objectives, and outcomes, but courses, course modules, class sessions, and even topics within a single class session can have goals, objectives, and outcomes.

Please note: Some accrediting organizations use or define these terms differently. If your program is accredited by a disciplinary or professional organization, use the terminology as it is used by that organization.



If you have a resource you would like to share through this site, please contact assess@psu.edu.

To request a workshop or seminar on any aspect of assessment for your academic unit, please contact assess@psu.edu.


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