The Course Learning Outcomes Expedited Project is a cross-campus initiative, in partnership with schools and colleges, that aims to support the development and documentation of high-quality course learning outcomes for all “Group Instruction” courses (numbered 697 and below). To meet this goal, the project will provide schools, colleges and departments the opportunity to streamline the process of uploading new course learning outcomes into Lumen, the campus’ academic and curricular management system. Course learning outcomes are core to the student academic experience. They provide key information about course learning and support student learning from course enrollment through course completion.
The project is charged by the provost, sponsored by the vice provost for teaching and learning and led by a cross-campus team from Data, Academic Planning and Institutional Research (DAPIR) and Student Learning Assessment (SLA), in partnership with schools and colleges.
Timeline
Working in coordination with the project team, each school and college is able to develop its own timeline, internally, with the expectation that the project ends by December 31, 2025. The departmental and school/college governance approvals of course learning outcomes included in this work will occur outside of the normal Lumen Courses workflow. After December 31, 2025, courses will need to complete the Course Change Proposal process if they would like to add their CLOs into Lumen.
Instructors will receive further details about the project, timeline and submission process for their respective school, college or department from their unit’s designated point-person(s). Instructors should be in touch with these individuals with questions and concerns.
| March 15, 2024 | Deadline to submit CLOs to SLA team, to be included in the 2024-2025 Guide publication |
| June 1, 2024 | First Guide publication with CLOs |
| March 14, 2025 | Deadline to submit CLOs to SLA team, to be included in the 2025-2026 Guide publication |
| June 1, 2025 | 2025-2026 Guide publication with CLOs |
| December 31, 2025 | Last available date to submit CLOs via the CLO Expedited Project. (CLOs submitted by this date will be included in the 2026-2027 Guide, to be published on June 1, 2026.) |
Scope of Work
Courses and Actions In Scope
- Adding new course learning outcomes to any “Group Instruction” course (numbered 697 and below) that does not currently have course learning outcomes listed in Lumen*
- Removing a cross-listing for one’s own subject area
- Removing a course’s “Graduate Attribute” upon submitting course learning outcomes
*Note: Independent study courses and upper level graduate courses (courses numbered 700 and above) are also encouraged to participate and should work with their departmental representative to learn more.
Courses and Actions Out of Scope
- Changing or adding additional course learning outcomes for a course that already has course learning outcomes listed in Lumen. View instructions on how to change or add to existing course learning outcomes (PDF).
- Removing a cross-listing on behalf of a cross-listing partner
- Adding an attribute to a course
- Study Abroad courses
- Deactivated courses
- Courses already in the governance/approval workflow for Lumen
Project Principles
- Course learning outcomes are core to the student academic experience. They provide key information about course learning and support student learning from course enrollment through course completion.
- High-quality courses learning outcomes focus on the learner and are “SMART”:
- Specific and concrete (focus on what students would know or be able to do at the end of the course)
- Measurable and Observable (avoid vague or fuzzy terms)
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-sensitive (occurs within the timeframe of the course)
- Find more guidance on writing learning outcomes including a video overview.
- Courses are the fundamental building block for all programs. High-quality course learning outcomes are paramount for this project. Each course learning outcome should be measurable and consistent across all offerings of a course.
- Institutionally, course learning outcomes are required. They provide oversight of the university’s core mission and values to provide high-quality learning experiences at every level.
- Course learning outcomes will be outward-facing and will be presented in Guide as part of our Institutional Plan for Assessing Student Learning for HLC accreditation.
Project Community of Practice
The project offers a community of practice for the designated point-people in each school and college who are interested in sharing best practices and collectively problem-solving areas that present challenges. (The group is not meant for instructors or others developing and writing of course learning outcomes.) The community of practice is informal, and it is set up to share strategies and support the project’s work at an operational level. Please reach out to Sara Hagen at sara.hagen@wisc.edu or Mary Thompson at mary.thompson@wisc.edu to be added to the group’s Microsoft Teams channel.