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Student Learning Outcomes at the American Public University System
Student learning outcomes at the American Public University System are defined at the institutional, degree program, and course level. Each level is designed to complement each other, and represents the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are expected of our students upon graduation from APUS.
At the institutional level, student learning is assessed on the broad and overarching objectives that students are expected to upon completion of an academic program, regardless of discipline. Student participation in periodic surveys and interviews are required to evaluate the effectiveness of students achieving desired learning outcomes at the university level.
At the degree program level, student learning is assessed on the skills, values, and knowledge that students are expected to know upon graduation from a particular degree program. A general education test, sponsored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), is taken by all associate’s and bachelor’s degree graduates, regardless of major. Additionally, subject-specific standardized national testing is used to measure student learning at the degree program level. Currently, graduates in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, History, English, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology programs are administered tests as part of the graduation process. The tests’ results are used only to inform the University System and the student of the student’s performance in a given subject area; their results are not calculated in the student’s grade point average or considered as part of the student’s academic performance. Writing rubrics and comprehensive exams (at the graduate level) are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of students achieving desired learning outcomes at the degree program level.
At the course level, student learning is assessed on the skills, values, and knowledge that students are expected to know upon completion of a course. At this level, faculty members summarize the assessment results for the entire class, rather than for individual students, and these results are used to continually improve on courses and teaching effectiveness. Course developed tests, student participation in newsgroup discussions, student research projects/papers, and writing assignments are some of the requirements used to evaluate the effectiveness of APUS students achieving desired learning outcomes at classroom level. End of course surveys are also used to monitor and develop teaching effectiveness, and maintain and improve on the overall quality and soundness of programs and courses.
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