A Case Study in Direct and Indirect Assessments of Student Learning Outcomes: Is There One Best Method?

Abstract

As best of breed universities continue to search for more meaningful and effective direct student learning assessment outcome measurements in the United States, this paper examines the background, goals, objectives, and methods principally being utilized in the search for and operation of the ‘best fit’ direct assessment method of student learning outcomes. Numerous leading approaches are addressed in this paper and are accompanied by the results of these diverse approaches as experienced by one large business school. No one method was found to ‘perfectly’ meet all goals and objectives (‘the perfect solution’), but two approaches did deliver more insight relative to the measurement of student learning outcomes than the others. These latter approaches are examined in some detail and each is accompanied by the rubric that supports meaningful assessment of core learning objectives, abilities, and outcomes.

Keywords: assessments, direct, indirect, learning outcomes, methods, accreditors, assessors, benchmarking