Colleges and universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their contributions to students’ learning and development. In fact, over a decade ago, all of the regional accrediting agencies in the United States agreed to emphasize college students’ learning as central to the accrediting process. Under these increasingly pervasive expectations to demonstrate students’ learning, fully 85% of Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) members reported that they have a common set of learning outcomes for all undergraduates. Additionally, nearly 90% of Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions reported using quantitative data to collect information on student learning outcomes, with 70% reporting that they had one employee or office specifically charged with developing, coordinating, or implementing assessments of student learning.
