There are direct methods and indirect methods that contribute to measuring the quality of program and track progress and improvement through continuous improvement processes. Direct methods include measurement of students' outcomes through the measurement of course learning outcomes, and indirect methods include various surveys at program and course levels. Survey is an important tool for data collection and analysis. In the process of accreditation, survey is used to assess any program for its quality and relevance in the specialized field. In this chapter, the authors have referred to the results of indirect assessment methods such as alumni surveys, external advisory board, faculty survey and employer's survey and shown the contribution of indirect assessment in continuous improvement.
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Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are also called as Student Outcomes (SOs), which are statements that specify what students will know, be able to do or be able to demonstrate when they have completed or participated in a Course or Program. SLO's specify an action by the student that must be observable, measurable and able to be demonstrated. Figure 1 shows the components in the measuring cycle of SLOs.
Figure 1. Components of SLO in the assessment plan
Students will be able to apply critical thinking and analytical skills to solve scientific data, scientific methods to solve problems, demonstrate written, visual, and/or oral presentation skills to communicate scientific knowledge (Naim and Khan 2022). It is important to remember that SLOs have to be content and course specific with outcomes that can be measured (Naim et al. 2022).
One of the main benefits of developing and implementing strong SLOs is the ability to increase student achievement at the classroom level (Hoda and Naim 2023). SLOs are being used as a percentage in the overall teacher evaluation system because it can quantify the pedagogical impact a teacher has on a specific set of students (Khatri et al. 2023). This percentage includes three entities namely assessment methods, data analysis, resource allocation request and infrastructural intervention (Malik et al.2022). Figure 2 shows these entities of SLO for the evaluation.
Figure 2. (Fatima et al. 2022) An objective is a small goal that needs to be met on the way to fulfilling the larger course outcome or goal. A typical course will have four to five objectives that focus the various learning activities (Naim and Alqahtani 2022). SLOs come from different academic programs and generally are organized into four categories (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Organization categories of SLOs in education
SLOs include learning outcomes, learning objectives or student-focused goals, which are measurable, observable, and specific statements that clearly indicate what a student should know and be able to do at the end of a lesson (Alahmari et al. 2023).
All programs clearly state the specifications of SLOs related to their academy in the assessment processes to prepare plans for continuous improvement (see Figure 4).
The second method of assessment in accreditation is an indirect method that includes many surveys (Alqahtani and Naim 2022). Indirect assessment is gathering information through means other than looking at actual samples of student work.
These include surveys, exit interviews, and focus groups. Indirect assessment methods require that faculty infer actual student abilities, knowledge, and values rather than observe direct evidence (Fatima et al. 2022). Among indirect methods are surveys, exit interviews, focus groups, and the use of external reviewers (Naim and Malik).
Indirect measures include perspectives, input, and other indicators (from students or others) that provide evidence related to program-level or confidence in specific skills or knowledge, motivation, satisfaction, the availability or quality of learning. (Naim et al. 2023)