This note looks at the macro level of learning outcome assessment - at the class level, year-over-year. Are the students going where you want them to go?
It goes without saying that all serious endeavours should have some kind of a defined outcome that can be used to ascertain if the endeavour was successful; else why are you doing it. That being said, many people do things, serious things, without much thought or thinking it through. In our studies of organizational planning, we have often observed individuals that take more time and effort to plan their personal vacations or grocery shopping then they take when making multi-million-dollar decisions or decisions that will affect many people for a long time; especially when they have no skin in the game.
Outcome-based assessment in education has a long history and there are many resources available that help an instructor understand the principles and suggested best practice. There is a list at the end of this note.