Student Learning Outcomes & Assessment

In concert with the nationwide effort among colleges and universities to create an evidence-based process that documents the effectiveness of teaching and learning, as well as improvements to that process, College of the Desert is positioned to enrich the lives of our students by stating and assessing learning outcomes. Faculty at the College believe in integrative general education that encompasses not only knowledge and abilities, but values, attitudes, and habits that create success within and outside of the academic arena.

Learning is a complex process. Assessing learning should reflect the adequacy and intricacy of its subject. Effective assessment includes diverse methods of measurement designed to give educators an understanding of how students learn and perform over time. Therefore, assessment is ongoing, revealing change, growth, and increasing degrees of integration. As our picture of learning comes into clear view, we provide ourselves with a solid foundation for improving our students’ educational experience.

As we embark upon understanding students’ educational experience in the 21st century, faculty at College of the Desert recognize that student learning is a campus-wide responsibility and assessment is a way of executing that responsibility. While faculty are the main drivers of this movement, we appreciate that we will also rely upon participation from student services, librarians, administrators, and students. Assessment may also involve community members such as alumni/ae, trustees, and employers. It is our shared understanding of assessment as a continual learning cycle that includes measurement, feedback, reflection, and change that will foster teaching excellence as we challenge and support our students’ active engagement in the learning process.