Showcasing learning outcomes – Transparency by Design
Are colleges and universities that serve adults at a distance, such as online schools, leading the way in measuring real learning outcomes?
Some may be skeptical, but I say yes. And I’ll tell you why.
Recently, a number of these types of institutions have joined together in an effort called Transparency by Design to do just that.
This initiative goes beyond similar efforts by other groups of schools to share reports on outcomes. Transparency by Design will include actual learning outcomes. What do I mean by that? Well, these institutions realize that adults want to know that what they will learn will help them achieve career and professional success. These adults are focused on what they will be able to do and want to know if they can count on the institution to deliver on what it promises. So, these institutions tend to be very learning-outcomes based. And, because they are often online, they generate lots of data on the entire teaching-learning exchange, including data on demonstrations of learning outcomes achievement. In other words, they have data on what students are able to demonstrate about what they learn.
The Transparency by Design institutions plan to report annually, starting in 2009, using data collected in 2008, about how well their students were able to demonstrate the outcomes for each and every program they offer to adult students. To learn more about, or to join, Transparency by Design, please visit The Presidents’ Forum.
To date, the colleges and universities that have joined Transparency by Design are:
Capella University
American Public University System
Charter Oak State College
Excelsior College
Fielding Graduate University
Franklin University
Kaplan University
Regis University
Rio Salado College
Southwestern College
Union Institute and University
Western Governors University
And the Transparency by Design institutions are working together to report on the impact that degree completion has on the careers of its graduates. Over time, this type of information will help show whether these degree programs support career and professional success.
The Transparency by Design institutions will also report information that will allow prospective students to understand the institutional context, mission, completion rates, and costs. And, for those institutions that serve undergraduate students, the reports will also include information on core learning (writing, critical thinking, etc.).
Isn’t this the kind of data that adult students expect? Isn’t this the kind of data that is most important to the 85% of students who go to school part-time, work, or are older than their early 20s?
I think so.
I welcome your comments about this important topic.
Mike
Share This12 Responses to “Showcasing learning outcomes – Transparency by Design”
Mike Offerman Says:
Thanks for your comment Maudie. It is indeed an exciting time to be in adult higher education.
Mike
Maudie Holm Says:
What challenges do you see as far as Transparency by Design being implemented in the future? Our target is 2009, so may I assume we have the matrices we need to gather this data? Maudie
Dana Gonzales Says:
Transparency offers learners the opportunity to evaluate the quality of the education offered at Universities. In the past, degrees from certain programs were deemed superior by virtue of the name alone. When the 2008 data is released, it will be interesting to see if more institutions decide to join this initiative. The opportunity to evaluate programs using standardized criteria tied to meaningful outcomes (professional and career achievements) will be welcome by learners and employers.
Maudie Holm Says:
Dana, your remark is insightful. It will indeed be interesting to see who comes forward in the future. Partially, this may be influenced by how learners and employers choose to use the information, i.e., make educational choices! Maudie
Mike Offerman Says:
Maudie, you ask about challenges facing Transparency by Design. Much work is currently being done by the institutions that have committed to Transparency. While providing the kind of information we have committed to sharing is a challenge, I am confident that the necessary work is underway to make it happen. Thanks
Mike
Jim Froh Says:
The transparency for older students is truly needed in today’s global economy. Students need to not only wee what the course is and how it will help them achieve their goals but also allow them to relate it directly to the business they are working in.
Jim Froh
Jason Newsome Says:
As a Capella learner, I am finding more and more that quality does exist in online education. I graduated from a traditional university for both my bachelors and masters degrees. My masters program included about 50% online instruction. Incidentally, the counseling program I graduated from did not, and does not yet today, meet CACREP accreditation standards, an achievement Capella has reached in their masters degree program for counselors.
The point is that agencies governing higher education are beginning to understand the value of online instruction and are realizing that online instruction can provide a rigorous, yet accomodating, forum and structure. Transparency provides the ability to evaluate programs based on criteria that really matters.
It is also refreshing to see land-based institutions such as Southwestern and Franklin Universities joining this effort. Both of these schools have more than 100 years of tradition and history behind them. They have embraced online learning as a valuable option that meets the standards of their traditional degrees. What the world needs to know is that online degrees are increasingly being offered by brick-and-mortar institutions as well because the degrees meet the standards of traditional programs. I have only high expectations when I graduate with my PhD from Capella next year (2009), for myself and Capella University.
Jason Newsome
The Other 85 Percent » Blog Archive » Another call for more transparency in higher education Says:
[...] I have written previously in this blog there are a number of institutions that serve adults at a distance that are working together to [...]
[...] consumer information. That is what some of us are trying to do with our participation in Transparency by Design. It is not clear to me that our efforts are welcomed by the folks creating the new organizations, [...]
The Other 85 Percent » Blog Archive » The call for higher education accountability is not going away Says:
[...] state assesses learning outcomes, all colleges and universities need to assess learning outcomes. Some time ago, I reported on the efforts of colleges and universities that serve adults at a distanc… The institutions engaged in this effort have worked, in partnership with WCET, a part of the [...]
The Other 85 Percent » Blog Archive » Graduating At-Risk Students and Comparing Completion Rates Says:
[...] The complexity goes beyond student attributes. Institutional models also impact completion rates. Many institutions allow students to only transfer in a limited number of credits and require the student to take the vast majority of credits for a degree at that institution. But there are other institutional models where emphasis is placed on helping students aggregate credits earned primarily at other institutions and to complete only a limited number of credits from that institution to qualify for a degree. Obviously, the completion rate is going to increase if students take a relatively limited number of credits rather than 90 or 100 that may be required by some institutions to qualify for a baccalaureate degree. The latter type of institution is usually one that serves adult students and we encountered this mod… [...]
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Welcome to The Other 85 Percent. So what does "the other 85 percent" refer to? Research has shown that only about 15 percent of higher education students still fit the traditional definition of young adults age 18 to 22 who live on campus and go to school full time. more
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Maudie Holm Says:
I am very excited about this initiative. Way back when, I was part of a pilot college when the Baldrige organization tested their higher education tools. At that time, I recall the focus being on student services more than academics. We have come a long way, of course, but Transparency by Design is especially penetrating and relevant for what we are trying to do. Adults do not just expect, but demand ROI for their part in the education process. Now that we have infused Adult Learning theory into Curriculum Design, it is breathtaking to watch these early results. It will assure students of quality education and guide educators in designing better programming and courses. Transparency by Design will also hold us accountable and provide rich research opportunities as we explore what I consider to be a great frontier. More! More! Maudie
February 7th, 2008 at 9:14 am