Assessment and Learning Outcomes | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and habits of mind that students gain as a result of learning experiences, both in and outside of the classroom, during their education at MCAD.

While the goals of a program or course broadly outline what the learning experience is intended to achieve, outcomes are specific and focused on what the student is expected to be able to know or do by the end of a course or program.

A learning outcome typically includes:

  • Performance: a measurable description of what a student will be able to do
  • Conditions: Under what circumstances the student will be able to do it
  • Criteria: How well the student will be able to demonstrate their learning

There are different levels of learning outcomes. At MCAD, course outcomes describe what students will be able to do as a result of their learning in a certain course. Program (e.g. major, minor) outcomes describe what students are expected to be able to achieve as a result of their education in a program.

Institutional Learning Outcomes

Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) are the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students are expected to develop as a result of their curricular and co-curricular experiences within the college.

Curriculum-Based Assessment of Student Learning

Student achievement is assessed through Junior Reviews and graduate-level Mid-Program Reviews, as part of the curricula of all of our programs.

Annual Assessment Cycle

The steps all programs at MCAD follow as part of their annual program assessments.

External Program Reviews

Regular evaluation of our undergraduate and graduate programs by external reviewers.

Program Learning Outcomes

Program learning outcomes, listed by academic department.

Other Sources of Evidence of Student Achievement

Other sources, such as institutional surveys and data sources, utilized by our faculty to assess student achievement.