Research On The Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes Assessment In Canada

Student learning outcomes assessment which is hailed as a game changer in Canadian higher education has been an important method for the quality assurance and higher education evaluation in recent years.With the increasing awareness of accountability in higher education,the transformation of education quality evaluation paradigm,the need for mutual recognition an d transfer of credits,and the influence of foreign countries and the promotion of internatio nal organizations,student learning outcomes assessment is increasingly valued in Canada.Looking back on the development process of Canada’s learning outcomes ass essment,it has roughly gone through three stages: concept formation,policy incubation and p ilot exploration.In Canada,the provincial government,higher education institutions and educational intermediary organizations constitute the trinity organizatio nal structure for the assessment of student learning outcomes,in which higher education institutions are the main actors of evaluation.Provincial governments and educational intermediary organizations work through policy orientation,financial appropriation,assessment and certification requirements,provision of special funds,development of assessment tools and academic exchanges.Within colleges and universities,student learning outcomes assessment affairs are generally led and supervised by the Office of the Associate Vice-President or the Office of the Provost and Vice Principal.Departments such as Center for Teaching and Learning provide technical support.The Student Affairs Office,the Information Technology Services Department and the affiliated colleges or departments cooperate.Teachers are the direct force for assessment.In the assessment system,student learning outcomes is a concept with rich connotation.It is generally divided into four types,namely basic cognitive skills,disciplinary expertise,higher-order cognitive skills and transferable skills.And it can be articulated at several levels,including system,institution,discipline/program and course level.Standardized tests,rubric evaluation,authentic assessment and questionnaires are the most commonly assessment methods in Canada.Looking at the historical development and the assessment mechanism,Canadian undergraduate student learning outcomes assessment has characteristics of driving by top-down power,managing by project responsibili ty system,having distinct levels and types of learning outcome and diversified and indigeni zed assessment methods and tools.The development of student learning outcomes assessment in China is still in its preliminary stage.It is necessary to strengthen the outcome-based assessment system,improve the low-level design of the content system,develop diversified methods and tools and give full play to the role of educational intermediary organizations in the assessment.