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| An international comparison of collegiate learning outcome assessments |
| DING Xiaojiong |
| （Research Institute for International and Comparative Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China） |
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Abstract Demands for standardized assessments of collegiate learning outcomes have been increasing since the last decade. An increasing number of countries are developing and implementing various assessment tools. Meanwhile, the attitude of universities about assessments is shifting from resistance to active participation. By comparing eight collegiate learning outcome assessments in the world, this article makes the following conclusions. Firstly, as for contents of assessments, more popular and influential in universities is generic skill assessments. When students′ disciplinespecific skills are tested, the assessments need to be redesigned to target a particular group of students studying a particular program. Secondly, as for assessment items, what really counts is not the item type, but whether items provide students with rich information to reflect the diversity and complexity of the real world. Thirdly, as for the implication of assessment outcomes, it is important to adhere to the principle of confidentiality and to build a webbased database. The principle of confidentiality helps universities to focus on improving their teaching instead of ranking, and building a database could facilitate ondemand data analysis.
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