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Annual Student Learning Outcomes Reporting

Welcome!

Here you will find overview information, reporting deadlines, and resources related to the annual student learning outcomes reporting process.

If you have feedback for this page, or do not see something you need, please email assessment@unc.edu for help.

Overview

Carolina’s success in achieving its overall mission and strategic priorities is to a large extent dependent on the quality of its academic programs and administrative support services. All academic and administrative units on campus participate in identifying their intended outcomes, developing a plan of measuring, and assessing the achievement of those outcomes, and then using the results to plan for needed improvements.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, educational specialist, and doctorate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

  • Maintaining accreditation is a federal requirement.
  • For students to receive federal student aid from the U.S. Department of Education for postsecondary study, the institution must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.
  • Accreditation’s quality assurance function is one of the three main elements of oversight governing the Higher Education Act’s federal student aid programs.
  • Student learning must be assessed each year to meet the accreditor’s quality assurance requirements.
  • SACSCOC has set specific expectations for assessment plans and reports. Information about how to complete assessment plans and reports are available through this website.

UNC-Chapel Hill’s Fifth Year Interim Report is due to SACSCOC in March 2023

  • Assessment plans and reports go out to external reviewers.
  • Most recent plans and reports for 2019-2020, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 will be reviewed.
  • Assessment Plans and Reports should be completed by mid-January, 2023.
  • If you are responsible for creating and submitting your unit’s assessment report, please refer to your school’s leadership for specific due dates and how plans and reports should be submitted.

Reporting Deadlines

If you are responsible for creating and submitting your unit’s assessment report, the submission deadline for 2022-2023 Student Learning Outcome reports is October 2, 2023. 

Reporting Resources

In response to changing expectations of the University’s accreditor, SACSCOC, Carolina made some slight modifications to its annual Student Learning Outcomes Report template in July 2022.  The new form can be downloaded here.

These changes are relatively small and are simply designed to elicit additional details on:

  • How the assessments were carried out
  • The results of the assessments
  • Strengths and weaknesses observed in the assessment results that might inform improvements to the program

In addition, we are following SACSCOC advice to emphasize the importance of continuous efforts to improve our programs to better support student learning.

Otherwise, the report template will appear much the same as the one used in recent years.

All academic programs must use the new form to report assessment results for academic year 2021-22.  Those who need to submit prior year reports have the option of using the older form.

To assist academic departments in creating your reporting forms, please use this set of instructions updated for the 2022-2023 reporting cycle. This document includes instructions for completing student learning outcome reports and examples of rubrics, undergraduate reports, and graduate reports.