It is clear that additional efforts to provide hard evidence of quality outcomes from education and training providers in the college systems will be required. The identification of desirable student outcomes can be realized from several sources, including both the relevant literature on academic research into outcomes of a college education, and primary source material in institutional or government documents. Business lobbies and think-tanks have also put forward what they believe are relevant outcomes for college graduates. In addition, student outcomes assessment can be applied to the academic planning and accountability process. By identifying student performance outcomes for different career program areas, the data from longitudinal outcomes research can be used as effective accountability measures.
Much work needs to be done in establishing standards for student outcome measures.
This area of student outcome assessment promises to be an important activity as colleges are confronted with the challenges of accreditation, stakeholder concerns, and increased competition for education and training. Canadian Journal of Higher Education. Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning. The Senior Survey. ERIC Document ED 351897 .