A Framework for Developing Student-Faculty Partnerships in Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes Assessment - Occasional Paper No. 53

Oct 15, 2026

The paper develops a framework for building student-faculty partnerships in program-level student learning outcomes assessment. It argues that current program assessment often relies on implicit assumptions about student experience, threatening validity. Drawing on partnership research and expert perspectives, it proposes prototype-based initiatives scaled from prototype design to implementation. The framework aims to strengthen learning in classrooms and improve the use of assessment results for institutional and program learning improvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

What is Student-Faculty Partnership and Why Do We Need It?

Setting the Stage for Prototypes

Disruptions to Higher Education

Developing Prototypes

Leveraging Successful Prototypes

Conclusion

References

About the Authors

About NILOA

May 2021 N0 53 National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment A Framework for Developing Student-Faculty Partnershipsin Program-level Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Nicholas Curtis & Robin Anderson [www.learningoutcomesassessment.org](www.learningoutcomesassessment.org) Contents Abstract 3 What is Student-Faculty Partnership and Why DoWe Need It? . . . . .4 Setting the Stage for Prototypes . . . . .6 Disruptions to Higher Education . . . . .8 Developing Prototypes . . . . .9 Leveraging Successful Prototypes . . . . . 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 About the Authors 15 About NILOA 16 Please Cite As: Curtis, N., & Anderson, R. (2021, May) . A framework for developing student-faculty partnerships in program-level student learning outcomes assessment (Occasional Paper No. 53). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). NILOA Mission The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), established in 2008, is a research and resourcedevelopment organization dedicated to documenting, advocating, and facilitating the systematic use of learning outcomes assessment to improve student learning. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment | 2 Abstract In her April 2010 NILOA paper, Opening Doors to Faculty Involvement in Assessment, Pat Hutchings called for institutions to involve students in assessment, citing the potential to increase faculty engagement. In Curtis and Anderson (2020), the first author interviewed numerous partnership experts in both the United Kingdom and the United States regarding student-faculty partnerships and the extent to which students currently engage in the assessment process. Findings from the study make it clear that there currently exists little student-faculty partnership in assessment at the program-or systemlevels. Combining existing research on partnership and the expert responses from the Curtis et [al. study](al. study), we present a framework, based on prototyping, for developing student-faculty partnerships in program-level student learning outcomes assessment. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment | 3 A Framework for Developing Student-Faculty Partnerships in Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Nicholas Curtis & Robin Anderson A decade ago, Pat Hutchings (2010) stated in her NILOA paper that “bringing students more actively into the process of assessment may well be the most powerful route to greater faculty engagement”(p. 16). Nine years later, Tyszko and Sheets (2019) in their NILOA paper encouraging assessment and learning partnerships with employers, stated that “such a partnership has the potential to unlock new learning pathways that can meet the needs of today’s diverse learners” (p.7) . In 2017, Natasha Jankowski, Director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes, called on participants of the Assessment Network of New York conference to develop assessment processes in collaboration with students. We agree with these statements and that engaging students in program-and institutional-level learning outcomes assessment through partnership also has the potential to bring about a fundamental change to the assessment process and expand the use of assessment findings for learning improvement (Fulcher et al., 2014) . Throughout the process of program assessment, faculty and/or staff are asked to make implicit assumptions about the experience of students. To the extent that these assumptions do not reflect actual student experiences, the validity of any information produced from the program assessment process may be compromised. Such critical threats to validity pose difficult questions about our current practices in higher education. Partnerships between students, faculty, and staff may provide the answers. To overcome these challenges, we prop

FAQs

What does student-faculty partnership mean in this paper?

The paper describes student-faculty partnership as a collaborative, reciprocal process where participants contribute to curricular or pedagogical decisions and analysis, rather than relying on traditional one-direction power structures.

Why does the paper say program assessment may face validity threats?

It notes that faculty and/or staff often make implicit assumptions about student experience. If those assumptions do not match actual student experiences, information produced by program assessment may be compromised.

How does the paper propose developing student-faculty partnerships?

It proposes developing prototype partnership initiatives and scaling the work through three stages: setting the stage for prototypes, developing prototypes, and leveraging successful prototypes for broader dissemination.

Oct 15, 2026

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